Kewanee local, Zach Shadden, who uses the stage name, “The Great Shaddini,” showed off his some of his favorite tricks during this year’s Hog Days festivities. Shadden performed multiples nights over the Hog Days Festival weekend in front of the main stage at the Peoples National Bank parking lot.

“The Great Shaddini,” has been performing magic for about five years now, and credits his dad for sharing his skills with him. Shadden said his father showed him a simple trick, and that was all it took. After quickly catching on, Shadden not only realized how much love he had for the craft, but also the reaction it got from others when performing.

Now years later, “The Great Shaddini” said that the first trick he learned was only the beginning and it’s nothing compared to what he’s capable of now

“After learning and learning and learning, I got to where I am now,” he said.

Out of all of the tricks he has in his show, he does have a favorite one.

Right before the big trick, Shadden said, “This one is actually my favorite trick to do because it gets really good reactions, and it’s super simple.”

Shadden asked a member of his audience to choose a card, then he cuts the deck and asked the participant to place the card back into a split deck. The magician then cut the deck, revealing the audience member’s card on top, not once, not twice, but four times, eventually turning the entire deck into the chosen card.

A magician never reveals his secrets, but Shadden is excited to continue to wow the crowd and share his magic with the others. “The Great Shaddini” performed throughout the Labor Day weekend on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and in case festival goers missed him this year, he’ll no doubt return.