It's more than just magic for this prestidigitator

There's David Blaine. There's David Copperfield. And then, "presto," there's Mark Presley.

The Fox River Grove resident has been performing magic since he was 6 years old. What began as entertainment for his siblings morphed into a professional career.

"My dad took me to a magic shop when I was young," said the 40-year-old. "He bought me a magic gag that looked like a lighter but had a snake springing out of it. That got me hooked."

Presley's first paying gig happened when he was 10 years old. He performed for the Oak Park Park District day camp and received $10 for his efforts.

"I was nervous wondering if everything would work," said Presley. "But you have to start somewhere so I would practice in the mirror until video cameras came out. I would visually and mentally script everything almost like a motion picture."

Presley continued to participate in smaller engagements, such as birthday parties. Once he hit high school, he tried out for a talent show. Most of his magical expertise came naturally. However, he did train with magician Ralph Beck for a short period of time. That, along with a job at a magic shop, where he needed to demonstrate tricks, led to an appearance on a cable TV show. Additionally, he started doing corporate events.

"I try to apply my magic to the corporation's theme," Presley said. "For Kimberly Clark, the manufacturer of Kleenex, I put a tissue deep into the water and then with a fan wave, made it burst into a snowstorm."

Perhaps what Presley is best known for are his performances almost every Friday night for the last 12 years at Barnaby's Family Inn in Arlington Heights.

When he first started working at the restaurant as a bus boy, the only magic he did was making the dishes disappear. However, after fine-tuning his close up magic of cards, coins, and rope tricks, he turned eating into entertainment.

"It's like having dinner theater while you sit enjoying your meal or while waiting for your pizza," said Jim Hajost. "He likes to make things special for the individual table, like they are the only ones he is performing for. He takes the group into his magical world."

Hajost and his family, who live in Palatine, have been enjoying what Presley has up his sleeve for eight years. Hajost's favorite act is Presley's card tricks.

"Its one of those mysteries that you don't want to know because it will ruin it," Hajost said. "I like being surprised and not knowing what's going to happen. Then, there it is, all of a sudden."

Ken Duke, the owner of Barnaby's, considers Presley a fixture at the restaurant.

"He's got a loyal following and has had folks come from as far away as Elgin and Northbrook," said Duke. "He's very personable and he gets to know the customers by name."

Presley, who also works in Harper College's marketing department, has found magic in his own magic. Moving to different cities as a child, he utilized his trade to get through the hard times.

Later, prestidigitation sailed him through a marriage proposal, when he used a magic trick to make an engagement ring appear. His knack for illusion transferred teenage orphans into a world of possibilities they didn't know existed.

Levitating his magic to a new level, Presley used the craft to become involved in worthy causes.

"I did a benefit for about 1,000 people and gave all the proceeds, about $2,500, to build a memorial at the Fox River Grove Memorial Library for the kids that were hurt in a bus accident," said Presley. "Also, to make my magic meaningful, I have a ministry at the First United Methodist Church in Cary, where I perform Christian messages via magic."

Yet, most amazing, Presley's sleight of hand once saved his life.

In 1994, Presley cleaned restaurants alone in the evening. One night, four men broke into the establishment he was tending. They used riot cuffs to tie him to a bar footrest. One of the intruders stood guard over Presley with a readied tire iron. When he was called away to help open the safe, Presley, in an abracadabra move, freed himself.

"I had read a story on Houdini's technique that he used to get out, and I used it," Presley said.

In doing so, some of Presley's skin was shaved off and started to bleed. When the burglar came back to check on him, Presley had to hide the fact that he was loose, and bleeding.

"They say magic is about misdirecting attention, so that's what I did," said Presley. "I asked for water to take the attention off my hands bleeding."

When he finally had an opening, Presley made a run for it. He ran to a nearby house and called the police.

"In a weird way, it was like foreseeing the future to learn magic at an early age," he said. "It was like a sixth sense to prepare for my escape. It was the greatest trick ever!"