Canalou teen in finals of Poplar Bluff talent show

POPLAR BLUFF -- When Caleb Strebler steps onto the stage at the Tinnin Center Saturday night he hopes to make the competition disappear.

The 17-year-old magician from Canalou is one of 12 finalists in the second season of the Poplar Bluff talent show, Show Me Whatcha Got. Saturday's show will be the final round after five months of competition, that included a video audition and two rounds of live auditions.

But for Strebler taking the stage isn't anything new. He has wowed audiences with his magic since he was 3.

"I started off in Vegas. I actually won my first competition at 6 and did a show at the Venetian when I was 7," he said. Strebler added he hopes to be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's youngest first-place award winning magician.

His first illusion, he recalled, was a a floating card trick that he performed for passers-by. He father, professional magician Morgan Strebler, filmed that first performance and has continued to encourage the young magician, showing him the illusions he has mastered over the years and breaking out some of his props

For the complete article and more stories from the Standard Democrat, log on to the electronic edition.