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Grant the Great brings magic to Boy Scout celebration
7-year-old shows he has his act together
Friday, July 30, 2010
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo
by CHRISTINE BASHAM
Grant Miller, 7, of Great Mills rehearses his act as Grant the Great in preparation for his performance at the Smithsonian American Art Museum Scouting Family Day.
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It's tough being a 7-year-old magician, but Grant Miller of Great Mills has his act together.
Looking for tricks at a magic shop outside of Waldorf, Grant is immediately drawn to the most dangerous, exciting, edgy sorts of tricks. Knives. Flames. Cool stuff. But since he's young enough to depend on Mom for a ride to the store, he doesn't have much choice but to accept his parents' rule: No knives, flames or fire tricks just yet.
Rich and Tina Miller have known Grant was a natural performer since he was just a toddler. At a Halloween parade at a local elder care facility when he was 2, Grant's outsize personality and uninhibited zest for entertaining others earned him laughs as a child who was not content to just walk across the stage like everyone else. Dressed as a lion, he roared like one, too.
The applause and laughter may have made an impression on Grant, but he did not have a plan for his break into show business until several years later, when he watched local magician Reggie Rice, who performs as Super Magic Man, at the St. Mary's County fair.
The fair generally falls on a weekend near Grant's birthday, his mother, Tina Miller, said, so he always attends as part of his birthday celebration. Grant had met Rice before, at a birthday party, and was already intrigued. "Reggie was performing at the fair; he made my friend Bonnie disappear," remembered Grant. "We went backstage after the show to be sure that when a magician makes someone disappear, they're not gone forever."
Grant asked Rice for instruction as a magician and for the past year Grant has been studying and practicing, both with Rice's assistance and on his own. Grant has performed for friends and family to polish his act, and last year put on his first public performance as part of a talent show at Chesapeake Public Charter School, where he will be entering second grade this fall.
A Cub Scout, Grant pursued his magic act as a Scouting elective, performing for his fellow Scouts of Cub Scout Pack 561, Den 4. He set up a lemonade stand on his front yard to raise money for more tricks and training.
Though it's easy to discount Grant as a child act, Rice said the young performer is not dependent on an indulgent audience. "I actually came to D.C. to watch him, and to (his charter school performance at) Great Mills, as well. I wanted to see it and support him," Rice said. "His comedical genius is beyond his years."
Rice said Grant's stage presence and style are more advanced than many professional adult magicians performing in the D.C. area. "He has what people in the entertainment business call, ‘It'," Rice said. "The greats start off at a young age. There's no limit to how far he can go."
According to Tina Miller, Grant's natural perfectionism helps him to put in the time he needs to improve his timing and precision. "I practice about 25 hours a day," Grant said.
On July 24, Grant's interest in performing magic and his commitment to Scouting joined, when he performed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum Scouting Family Day, as part of a week-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.
Though his full act is approximately one hour long, Grant performed for half an hour that afternoon, leaving him plenty of time to enjoy the day and spend time with his parents, who were balloon handlers for the celebration's Grand Centennial Parade.
Tina Miller submitted a video of Grant's performance at the school talent show in response to a Boy Scouts of America call for local talent on the organization's Facebook page. The entire family was excited when Grant got the word that he'd been selected to perform, but only Grant understands the special challenges a magician faces.
"That sparkly stuff?" Grant said, "It never comes off your hands."
The celebration, held in the Kogod Courtyard of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, included performers, a parade, storytelling, Scouting demonstrations, and an exhibit of Norman Rockwell's paintings, on loan from the collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
To learn more
Centennial Scouting on the Mall will continue in Washington, D.C., through Aug. 8. For more information on Scouting's centennial celebration, visit www.scouting.org/100years.
