Recently, students in grades Pre-K through Grade four experienced a little bit of magic at Our Lady of Black Rock School. Husband and wife team Rob and Carol Allen visited the school on behalf of the Western New York Dairy Farmers to present a special magic show and educate the students on the health benefits of milk.

The Allens' repertoire of tricks included all of the usual thrills: a live dove flying out of the magician's hat, a wand that perpetually flopped like a noodle when used, a never-ending colorful scarf pulled out of a pocket, and of course, as no magic show would be complete without them, several coin tricks. But the students were most enthralled by a hand-drawn sketch of a cow that came to "life" to talk and move its eyes. The "cow" bantered humorously with the crowd while explaining the many vitamins and nutrients found in milk.

The Allens' also taught the students about the benefits of baking and cooking with milk by baking a "birthday cake" for Anani, a second-grade volunteer. The crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to Anani as the ingredients miraculously transformed into a pink cake.

Watching the "milk" being added to cereal and used in baking, Principal Martha Eadie asked the question that all the kids were thinking: "does chocolate milk count?" A unified sigh of relief passed through the crowd as Mr. Allen nodded affirmatively. He concluded the magical performance by advising, "at lunchtime, drink milk, never waste it, and think about all the fun we had." As the students excitedly marched onto class, it was evident that they would never think about milk the same way again.
 

For more information on Rob and Carol Allen and their magical performances, visit www.robandcarolallen.com.