Mac King headlines 62nd Crusade

March 18, 2015 In Crusade Donors, Crusade Events, Crusade History, Human Interest, Uncategorized

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Comedy Magician Mac King will kick off a magical weekend for the 62nd Annual WHAS Crusade for Children. King will perform at the Crusade Variety Show on Saturday, June 6, 2015.

Show time is 7:00pm (EDT) at the Kentucky Center for the Arts Bomhard Theater in Louisville. Admission is FREE! But seating is limited.

“Mac King will kick off our magical weekend,” said Dawn Lee, President & CEO of the WHAS Crusade for Children. “The people of Kentuckiana make the Crusade truly magical and special needs children are the real winners!”

The WHAS Crusade for Children begins at 1:00pm on Saturday, June 6 with fire departments, civic groups, organizations and companies reporting donations. The Crusade concludes around 7:00pm on Sunday, June 7.

Melissa Swan and Terry Meiners host

As always, Melissa Swan of WHAS11 News and 84WHAS Radio’s Terry Meiners will emcee the Crusade. They will be joined by Crusade favorite Patrick Hughes who has a surprise in store. Also this year 2ND CHANCE; ZOOperstars!; Misty Mountain String Band; Todd Hildreth and the Crusade Quintet; the 2014 Kentucky State Fair Coca-Cola Classic Talent Show winner Audrey Bell Adams; The Diane Moore Dancers; The Miracle Dancers and new this year The Miracle Teens.

Crusade Network

The annual Crusade Internet/radio/telethon kicks off at 1:00pm (EDT) on Saturday, June 6 and airs in its entirety on WHAS Radio (AM 840), WHAS-TV (Channel 11.1) and worldwide on WHAS11.com.

In addition, ION21 WBNA-TV in Louisville aired live broadcasts 12:30pm to 6:30pm Sunday, June 7 from the Kentucky cities of Elizabethtown, Shelbyville and Bardstown. WBKO-TV in Bowling Green airs remote telecasts from Campbellsville and Rough River State Resort Park on both Saturday and Sunday.

Television Network

WHAS-TV, Louisville (flagship station)
WBNA-TV, Louisville
WBKO-TV, Bowling Green

Internet Network

WHAS11.com
WHASCrusade.org

Get to know Mac King

With a big howdy, and a warm smile, Mac King has welcomed more than one million audience members during the last 15 years to the Harrah’s Showroom in Las Vegas for an afternoon of laughter and magic with his own one-man show, “The Mac King Comedy Magic Show.” King captivates audiences as he casts out a fishing line over their heads and catches live goldfish out of mid-air, performs amazing sleights-of-hand, makes his head completely disappear in a paper bag, and renders himself invisible, all while remaining unbelievably funny. Because of his quick wit and extensive audience interaction, no two shows are alike.

Mac King’s successful career in magic comes as no surprise. King, who was born and raised in Kentucky, grew up around two grandfathers who were magicians, and gained an interest in magic at an early age when he checked out a book on magic in his school library. As a child he would perform magic shows for his family and friends, and by age 10 he had his first paid show at a friend’s birthday party. While studying for dual degrees in Magic and Anthropology from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, King spent his summer vacations performing in a two-person magic act with fellow Kentucky magician Lance Burton.

In the 1990s King began appearing regularly on NBC-TV’s “The World’s Greatest Magic Shows.” While filming these shows at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, he caught the attention of many local bookers for casino showrooms. Soon after, King began to appear in local shows such as: “Spellbound” at Harrah’s Las Vegas, “The Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular” at The Flamingo, “Splash!” at the Riviera, and with comedian Rita Rudner at The Desert Inn. In 2000, King took the stage at Harrah’s Las Vegas, where he now performs “The Mac King Comedy Magic Show” twice daily, Tuesday through Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m.

100 percent of $160 million

In its first 61 years, the Crusade has raised $160 million for children with special needs. One hundred percent of all donations raised Crusade weekend are returned in the form of grants to agencies, hospitals and schools that make life better for children with special needs.

It takes a cast of thousands to stage the annual miracle. From individual donors dropping pocket change into boots at firefighter road blocks to children with lemonade stands to corporations offering payroll deduction, it all comes together each year on the first weekend in June.

Mac King headlines 62nd Crusade