By Brighid Driscoll What happened to all the magic? There are still practicing magicians in this day and age, of course, but entertaining audiences with magic is not nearly as popular as it was 100 years ago. In the early 1900s — aka the “Golden Age of Magic” — magicians toured extensively and sold out shows easily. They didn’t skip the out-of-the-way outpost of northwest Lower Michigan either. In fact, one woman changed Leland forever by bringing a magic everlasting to Fishtown — and to one building in particular: the Old Art Building. Turning 100 years old this year, the community space is doing what it’s always done: providing locals with arts, entertainment, and education opportunities. “Right now we’re hosting our Snow Show Exhibition, and it’s wonderful because it gives our members a chance to display their artwork,” says Executive Director Becky Ross. Not only does the gallery event give members a place to show their work, it’s also an opportunity to sell it and support the OAB. A full 80 percent of proceeds goes back to the artists, and the other 20 goes toward supporting the OAB. Events like these are commonplace at the OAB, but none of it would exist if it weren’t for a woman by the name of Allie Mae Best.
100 YEARS UNDER ITS SPELL
16 • january 03, 2022 • Northern Express Weekly
POOF … REWIND IN TIME In the late 1890s, when she met a magic man by the name of Walter T. Best, Allie Mae was a sweet, small-town girl living in St. Charles, Illinois. With a name like that and charm like his, Allie Mae was quickly smitten. Walter was an up and comer on the touring magician circuit, and the first magician to be signed to a Chautauqua show. Chautauqua was an adult education and social-cultural movement that was born in the lake resort community of Chautauqua County, New York, and spread across the country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by educators, explorers, preachers, scientists, artists, and musicians. Their mission: to educate, entertain, and inspire the masses. Walter’s magic act wasn’t typical Chautauqua fare, but his charisma and talent earned him a spot on the Chautauqua touring circuit. “There would have been other types of entertainment, but not a magic show. So, he was the first to achieve that,” says Mary Stewart, a former OAB board member. Walter and Allie married in 1899. “It was a big deal. It was kind of like having Jack Benny marry a local girl,” Stewart says. She doesn’t exaggerate. By 1906, Walter T. Best — also known by his stage name, Maro Prince of Magic — was the highest-earning magician in the U.S. and his fame was on par with Houdini’s. However, the good times would not last. In 1908, while touring the East Coast, Walter caught Typhoid, which he died from in three weeks’ time. Allie was back at their summer home in Leland when he fell ill and was heartbroken by his death. In 1909, she began a women’s club, lovingly named after her husband. The Walter T. Best Women’s Club was part of a larger movement of clubs that sprang up around the United States between the 1870s and 1920s and gave women an outlet outside of the home to use and hone their skills. “These kinds of women’s clubs were all over the country,” says Board President Dan Lisuk. “They gave women an opportunity to take an active role in their communities.” The typical meeting provided some kind of entertainment, whether it was reciting poetry, playing instruments, or singing. They also worked on craft projects. The women of the Walter T. Best Women’s Club came
