It was very nice that Jeff McBride was on hand to help with the presentation of the Magician of the Year honor to Sol Stone, since Jeff is one of the magicians who Sol has so generously mentored. Sol has pursued his interest in magic over 84 of his 91 years. At age seven his father took him to see a performance by Howard Thurston, but it was the attraction in the lobby - a woman's talking head resting on a sword across two chairs - that infatuated Sol. Sol has known or seen most of the great magicians of the 20th and 21st centuries - Leipzig, Vernon, Flosso, LePaul, Goshman - to name a few - and he has contributed much to magic through his innovative close-up creations and his instruction and support of other magicians. Sol still actively participates in the New York magic scene, mostly through the Saturday afternoon get-togethers at Cafe Rustico. It's worth stopping by for a visit to say hello, for sure.

The sold-out Salute was produced by PA1 President Throwdini and Kenneth Ferst. Although this evidently was the first time the show has been held outside of Manhattan, the Queens Theatre was a comfortable and homey place for the event.