By Blair Johnson

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Family weekend will open Friday with magic and amusement courtesy of standup magician Derek Hughes in Memorial Hall at 8 p.m.

Hughes said his interest in magic stemmed from when received a magic set about 10 years old. His friend received a magic set and Hughes asked to swap.

“It was the ‘Greatest Tricks of the 20th Century,’” Hughes said. “One particular trick that stood out to me was one where a penny is placed in someone’s hand. With a few magic words, the penny is transformed into a dime. As a kid, we only get paid when we lose a tooth or sell a glass of lemonade. I thought if I could do this trick forever that I would have all the money in the world.”

Hughes has created shows for MTV’s Room 401, Justin Willman’s YouTube series Magic Meltdown and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, according to the Student Activities Board’s website.

Hughes has toured internationally with magician and illusionist David Blaine.

Although he added that his favorite place during the international tour was Singapore, Hughes said he was excited to come to UK.

His attraction to the comedic side of things, he said, came from another experience in his youth.

“I, unfortunately, had to have surgery on my heart when I was very young. I had to miss a lot of school, so this gave me free time to work on my magic. It got me through the boredom,” Hughes said. “My mother was very young and was stressed about her child having to have open-heart surgery. I took out a G.I. Joe action figure and pretended the scars on my chest were a battlefield. This made her laugh. From then on, I knew I wanted to make people laugh.”

Hughes said he didn’t want to give too much about his show away, but there is one event he is particularly excited about.

“Since I am a new dad to young children, it is important that I am able to communicate with more than just words,” he teased. “When the time is just right, it will seem as if real mind-reading is taking place.”

Hughes’ show is billed as “magic in its purest form,” which he attributes to the simplicity of his setup.

“My act doesn’t involve many props, except for everyday objects,” Hughes said. “There are no veils and no hiding. The only thing that the audience will get is their own perspective and experience. I want them to leave thinking there is no possible explanation for what I just did.”