Local children’s entertainer Jeff the Magic Man recently put his balloon twisting skills to the test by building a 35-foot balloon display at the DeWitt Canal Day celebration.
On Aug. 1 at the DeWitt Town Hall, hundreds of citizens got the chance see this work of art. The entire creation included a scene of a canal boat with people riding it, water, a donkey, land with flowers and other various details to the design, like a small rescue boat with animals in it.
“You really have to take time to look at it to notice all of the small details,” said Jeff D’Ambrosio, better known by his stage name Jeff the Magic Man.
The entire creation took about 35 hours to create and more than 1,000 balloons of various colors were used, but much more time was needed to prepare for the sculpture, including the design and blueprint process that took about five to six months, D’Ambrosio said.
While people enjoyed viewing the balloon sculpture during the day, at the end of the presentation a “popping party” was held and children could pop the balloons with the chance of finding a ticket that included a prize.
All of the balloons are made of biodegradable latex, and the deflated balloon pieces were all collected and composted, said D’Ambrosio.
“There’s really a lot that goes into the whole process. It’s been a lot of hard work but I think it’s worth it in the end,” said D’Ambrosio. “Some people have asked me, ‘Will this become like the butter sculpture of the DeWitt Canal Day?’ I don’t know, but I look forward to making more scenes.”
Although this canal scene was D’Ambrosio’s first solo life-sized project, he has worked in partnership with other balloon twisters in the past to make a five-story underwater scene in Rochester and a seven-foot tall slice of pizza at the Fingerlakes Mall.
D’Ambrosio said he has been in the entertainment business for more than a decade now and that it is something he enjoys and plans on doing for a long time. Currently, Jeff the Magic Man performs at about 300 events per year, including birthday parties, community events at local malls.
“There’s just something great about getting to see the excitement on a child’s face when they see me do a magic trick or make a balloon creation,” said D’Ambrisio.
To learn more about Jeff the Magic Man, visit his site at JefftheMagicMan.com.
Hayleigh Gowans is a reporter for the Eagle Bulletin. She can be reached at [email protected].
