56°
And he's the first to admit, he's no different.
"The best magicians have to be a kid at heart," said 28-year-old Kennerley, who may be better known across northern Virginia as his stage name, Drew Blue Shoes.
Drew has been making life magical with children's shows at libraries, carnivals and birthday parties since he was 15. And he wouldn't have it any other way.
Armed with his trusty sidekick, Chicken Nugget — a rubber chicken — Drew dons a red bow tie, top hat, suit jacket, and of course, his hallmark blue shoes. He stands before a crowd of giggly kids, and hopes to instill the same passion for magic that local magician Joe Romano instilled in him when he was about their age.
"Doing magic is a childhood dream that I've been able to live," said Drew, a Burke native.
"I'm not living lavishly, but I am living the dream. Doing magic, spreading smiles. I don't know what I'd be doing with my life if I wasn't doing magic. It's that much of a passion intertwined with my life."
When he was 7 years old, Drew grandmother got him his first magic set. He performed his first show that day, in her living room.
"It was horrible," Drew said. But we all have to start some place."
By 15, he was doing kids' birthday parties.
While Drew attended George Mason University and then James Madison University, he never graduated. He said school was never his thing.
Magic? Now that lit a fire inside of him.
"I remember my first grade teacher... I remember learning about perseverance," Drew said. "I came home that day talking about it."
It's a word he never forgot. A principle that stuck with him while trying to make something out of his passion for magic.
"When I started doing magic, there were tons of times I was tempted to give up," he said. "There were tough times where I was running out of money. But if I did give up, I wouldn't be here today, doing this for a living.
"I always say, 'Find something you're passionate about, and be perseverant about it' — if that's a word," Drew said with a laugh.
Drew goes to work and does magic. He comes home, learns more magic. He calls his friends: Talks about magic.
He's completely self-taught, and has always tried the put a Drew Blue Shoes twist on his tricks and puns.
"I bring my own humor into it," he said. "It's a little weird, I guess you can say."
Rubber Chicken has his own tricks, too, and his own character arc. He dreams of flying and, with the audience's help, he can. Drew will borrow audience members' blue shoes and "squeeze the juice out."
But according to Drew, it's not his work that makes the show great. That's on the kids.
"The kids' impromptu humor makes this so special," he said. "It's a different audience each time, and I like to highlight the kids."
In the summer, he works 12 hour days. Drew says his days are just as long as they are rewarding.
"I get videos from moms showing their kids doing magic after coming to my shows," he said. "It's an honor to be able to pass the magic wand to next generation and inspire kids the way magicians inspired me."
Drew Blue Shoes has upcoming shows in Herndon; Indian Head, MD; Fairfax, Vienna, and at he Arlington County Fair.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Waldorf and receive free news updates.
