A magician celebrates his 17th year at the Central States Fair

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Disappearing bananas and smiling kids are just a taste of what you can expect at the Magic of Keith Raymond show. The magician was a Rapid City firefighter, before switching from a fire hose to an air hose for balloon animals and magic-induced giggles.

Keith Raymond called himself a “goofy magician” and said his job is to make people happy, while entertaining kids and families. His interactive show began when he was a firefighter here in Rapid City and the career move turned out to be a bit more logical than you might think.

"They were doing public education, they still do public education, for kids. Stop, drop and roll, and those type of programs, and they came to me and asked me if I could make the programs more interesting and I happened to be at the Mall of America the next week and wandered into a magic store and the rest is history," said Raymond.

His show is the longest-running free stage act at the fair. He's been entertaining families for so long at the Central States Fair, that the kids from almost 20 years ago are now bringing children of their own.

"Central States Fair is where I got started," said Raymond. "Ron Jeffries found me and offered me a few days here, so that was in 2004. So this is my 17th time here at the Central States Fair so this is home."

Raymond said the audience has felt thinner this year. But his three o’clock show on Wednesday had the seats filled with laughter and joy.