Long is one of 15 members of the Oswego Youth Committee, which sponsored its first event Thursday night at Village Green Park, a Harry Potter-themed party for more than 100 kids and their parents.

The Main Attraction was a magic lesson taught by Chicagoland performer Michael Arch.

"Magicians. That's what they call wizards in America," Arch said during his performance.

Arch looks like a post Collegiate Harry Potter performing magic tricks to pay the rent, though he said trademark restrictions prevent him from playing that shtick in his shows.

Instead he wore a sport jacket, red, orange and peach shirt, Christmas tie, mismatched shoes and a black and silver pointed wizard's cap.

Then he put on a chicken suit.

He wowed the audience with magic rings, card tricks and slight of hand - not exactly the stuff of Hogwarts, but even Harry Potter would have trouble explaining how Arch escaped a pair of handcuffs and a padlocked U.S. postal bag, emerging as a yellow chicken.

Oswego East High School freshman and aspiring magician Jake Prosek was impressed by Arch's stage presence, which he said is the key to real magic.

"Anyone can walk into a magic shop and buy a bunch of tricks," said Prosek. "He uses a lot of talent and not a lot of push-button effects."