One of magician Brian Richards' favorite tricks involves a bit of danger: He sets a book on fire. But he doesn't really worry about the fire getting out of control. He's seen worse.
As a volunteer Brooklyn Park firefighter, Richards has encountered greater danger -- including the time he had to dive out a window to escape a burning house.
His magician act has less to do with danger, though, and more to do with messages about self-esteem, reading, conflict resolution, drug awareness and personal safety. After years of working with children at the St. Joseph's Home for Children and at the Church of St. Gerard in Brooklyn Park, Richards started taking his message to schools, churches and after-school programs.
"The kids see me as a playmate," he said. "It's nice for the kids to hear a different voice because they already have a relationship with their teachers."
Last week, Richards performed his "Kids Who Read Are Cool" presentation to kindergarten through fifth-grade students at Edina's Creek Valley Elementary School. The school is starting a reading initiative and wanted to get students excited about the project.
"It's always kind of hard to get momentum building for a big project like this," said first-grade teacher Beth Jorgenson. "His presentation was a perfect tie-in."
At about 275 shows a year, Richards incorporates magic with his motivational messages. His performances range from "The Magic of Cooperation" to "Drugs Steal the Magic."
While Richards said he knows children see him as "more of a clown than a magician," he doesn't mind, because he thinks his messages reach students. When he was working with children at St. Joseph's, he began to use magic tricks that his grandfather taught him when he was growing up in Chicago.
