Prestigious Award for Prestidigitator
Johnny Ace Palmer, one of Orange County’s premier magicians, was the unanimous choice of judges with the Society of American Magicians to receive the Ben Chavez Memorial Trophy last month.
The cup “is not awarded every year, but only when an act is deemed to be of sufficient merit in the area of sleight of hand,” the award committee said.
The trophy is named in honor of Ben Chavez, founder of the Chavez College of Magic in La Verne.
Palmer, 37, received the award at the association’s Hall of Fame and Magic Museum in Hollywood.
The Huntington Beach resident has already been recognized as being among the best in the world when it comes to “close-up magic,” where the artist performs his skill just a few feet from his audience.
In 1988, Palmer was the first close-up magician to win the Grand Prix award from the International Federation of Magic Societies. The award marked him as a world champion among magicians.
He regularly performs at clubs and theaters around Orange County.
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