“Until a few months ago, the only salmon I cared about was the one I put on my barbecue,” confesses magician Wes Barker.
“Does that make me a bad person?”
On Saturday, May 5, the Langley native is going to try to atone for his sins by performing in an evening of Magic and Music at the Rio Theatre in Vancouver in order to raise money for TENUK (www.tenuk.org) a non-profit organization dedicated to saving salmon in B.C. waters.
The emcee for the evening will be Quinn Barabash (aka — Captain Quinn).
“I met Quinn will be were both forest firefighting. He’s an adventure junky and huge environmentalist,” says Barker.
“Quinn tries to bring awareness and promote the outdoors without lecturing. He ran the West Coast Trail in a day (over 75km) and swam the Sechelt Inlet (32 km).”
Quinn’s dedication impressed Barker, who has attempted his own fair share of stunts, including an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for fireman carry last summer. He fell just shy of the setting the record.
“It was a little heart-breaking, but you gotta try,” says Barker, who recently won a coveted place in the second round of Canada’s Got Talent.
“Quinn was looking for a new way to get his message out, I was looking for a chance to try out some new material — the Rio Show is the result.”
Barker promises a night filled with magic, comedy, and music.
“The music will be coming from our opening act, Des Larson. He’s a guy from the Island who I met on the Canada’s Got Talent set.
He’s fantastic.”
While Barker is confident that the audience will have a good time, he also hopes that the fundraiser will raise awareness for a great cause.
“Our Pacific coast salmon are in danger. It’s a resource we want to protect, and pass on to our children . . . not to mention put on the barbecue.”
Doors at 6:30, show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the door or by calling 604-825-6511.
