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COVER STORY Chinese New Year celebrates Year of the Monkey Exotic illusions by Magician Jade are a highlight of the festivities Comment By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous MailTribune.com By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous Posted Feb. 24, 2016 at 5:27 PM By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous Posted Feb. 24, 2016 at 5:27 PM --> Chinese New Year Events Saturday, Feb. 27 Call 541-899-8118 or see www.socca.us 8 a.m. — Monkey Around 5K Fun Run for kids and adults begins on the Bigham Knoll C... » Read more X Chinese New Year Events Saturday, Feb. 27 Call 541-899-8118 or see www.socca.us 8 a.m. — Monkey Around 5K Fun Run for kids and adults begins on the Bigham Knoll Campus, 525 Bigham Knoll Drive. See www.socca.us . 10:30 a.m.  — The Chinese New Year parade with dancing lions and dragons, gongs, school bands, student and community groups will travel through downtown Jacksonville. Students from SOCCA’s Lion Dance Clinic will highlight the procession, and Artistic Director Bill Rauch of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Tim Dang of the East West Players Asian American Theatre will serve as grand marshals. 11:30 a.m. — Dragon-themed jump houses for kids will be at the Jacksonville Museum, 206 N. Fifth St., origami lessons will be available at Art Presence Art Center, 206 N. Fifth St., and kids can learn to build Chinese lanterns, get their faces painted and play games at The Odd Fellows Hall, 175 S. Oregon St. 11:30 a.m. — Learn the distinctions of China's Year of the Monkey at Jacksonville's Old City Hall on South Oregon Street. Noon — See Doris Dare and Mimi Hicks prepare sticky pearl rice with Chinese sausage at Bella Union Restaurant & Saloon, 170 W. California St. Admission is $5. Noon — Shui Bing Fa grandmaster David Day will teach his energetic and interactive class: Kenpo Kunfu at the U.S. Hotel Ballroom, 125 E. California St. This class is not recommended for younger children. Noon — An introduction and demonstration of brush calligraphy will be presented at the Historic Presbyterian Church, 405 E. California St. Noon — The history of Chinese gold miners in Jacksonville will be presented at Elan Guest Suites and Gallery, 245 W. Main St., followed by a 1 p.m. presentation about pioneer Peter Britt, who photographed many early Chinese settlers. Noon — "Courage in the Golden Valley," a Southern Oregon Historical Society event, will showcase local Chinese history with photos and relics at the Jacksonville library, 340 W. C St. 12:30 p.m. — See a demonstration of the underlying principles of feng shui at Old City Hall. 1 p.m. — "Rising from the Ashes," a discussion by archaeologists who are bringing Jacksonville's Chinese neighborhood back to life, will be at the Jacksonville library. 1:30 p.m. — Hear Tim Dang of the East West Players Asian American Theatre and actor and director Leslie Ishii discuss their careers as Asian-Americans in the entertainment industry at Old City Hall. 3 p.m. — Magician Jade presents her exotic illusions in the Bigham Knoll Ballroom, 525 Bigham Knoll Drive. Admission is $5. Advance tickets are available at the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce Information Center on North Oregon Street. » Social News Jade's magic career was almost over before it began because she lacked the confidence to demonstrate products at a magic shop where she worked as a teen. "In the beginning, I was very, very shy. I was terrible," she recalls. "The manager at the magic shop said, 'We'll have to let her go. She can't make any sales.' With my job on the line, I said, 'I'd better speak up.' " Eventually Jade realized she liked performing, especially for kids. "Doing the magic gave me confidence because I fooled them. They thought I was magic," she says. "Little kids would look up at me like I was a goddess. They really believed I had the power." Jade went on to become a professional magician, touring internationally, winning the International Brotherhood of Magicians' coveted Gold Medal of Magic and appearing on the television show "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" — where magicians try to perform tricks that the famous duo cannot figure out. Her fluency in Mandarin, Cantonese and English has allowed her to exchange illusion techniques with master magicians around the world. With her mix of big illusions, mind-bending tricks and close-up magic, Jade is the featured performer at the Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association's "Year of the Monkey" Chinese New Year celebration set for Saturday, Feb. 27, in Jacksonville. Her magic show begins at 3 p.m. at the Bigham Knoll Ballroom, 525 Bigham Knoll Drive. Admission is $5. Advance tickets are available at the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, 185 N. Oregon St., with any remaining tickets available at the door before the performance. Jade, who moved to America from China when she was 9 years old and now lives in San Francisco, will perform a classic trick she showcased on "Penn & Teller: Fool Us." She has other people tie her thumbs tightly together, then appears to pass her bound hands through a bamboo pole and a person's arm. The episode was filmed in April 2015 and aired in late August of last year. Penn & Teller — who Jade says are highly intelligent magicians well versed in the history of magic — were able to figure out the trick, which has many variations, including one performed by a Japanese acrobatic magician troupe in the 1930s. Jade says she will perform a variety of other magic tricks in her humorous, family-friendly show. She'll bring audience members up on stage and inspire the next generation of aspiring magicians by having her 12- and 13-year-old children serve as assistants. "Magic is not an easy road," she says. "I took everything as a challenge. Even now, I'm challenging myself to go into new areas of the magic world." By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous MailTribune.com By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous Posted Feb. 24, 2016 at 5:27 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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