Smith Mountain Lake’s “Great Arnoldo” is full of suprises
By Ferne Hale
Arnie Kropf’s boat name — “Magic” — says it all. This Laker, a card-carrying magician and current vice-president of the Roanoke
Magic Club, is a man full of surprises.
How did a former Air Force “Top Gun” F-4 Phantom fighter pilot, who retired as a full colonel, and former legislative liaison for the
Secretary of the Air Force in Washington become a magician?
Surprise! Though many start this hobby as youngsters, Arnie
became interested in magic later in life.
“My wife Dee bought me a small coin trick for a Christmas
present about 15 years ago,” he said. “At the time, I was
volunteering one night a week at a teen crisis shelter in D.C.
When I did the trick for the teens, it was a big hit. I bought a
few more simple tricks, and it snowballed from there.”
“Teens can be a challenging audience, but they are also a
lot of fun. It was a good way to start,” he added.
At a D.C. magic store, Arnie learned about a magic club.
He explained, “Most magicians are very generous and will
spend a lot of time helping a beginner. They don’t reveal
their signature tricks, but they enjoy helping others with
technique.”
Speaking of technique, most people think that good magic
is all about ‘the trick’ and fooling people.
“Surprise!” said Arnie. “Magic is really about entertaining
people! You hope to fool them, of course, but entertainment
is the most important ingredient. Two people might
successfully perform the same trick. But if one is theatrical
and amusing, he’ll be far better than the other, who’ll fall flat.
A good magician is an actor playing the part of a magician.”
Performing as “The Great Arnoldo” sounds like an
interesting retirement career. But here’s another surprise:
Arnie never earns a dime with his magic.
“I decided right away that I would never do magic for
money,” he said. “I do it only for fun or as a volunteer. That
way I am never competing with my friends who do magic for
a living.”
Last year, The Great Arnoldo performed numerous times
at Roanoke’s Ronald McDonald House. For five years, he and
wife Dee donated a gourmet dinner for eight and a magic
show for the local Rally for the Cure golf tournament and
auction, which raised money for the Susan G. Komen Breast
Cancer Foundation. The Great Arnoldo has also entertained
at several other local events.
Since Arnie is not a professional money-earning magician,
his hobby must be small-scale, right? Surprise again! It’s an
absolute passion, as one large closet in his home, neatly filled
to overflowing with books and magic items, attests. Arnie
explained, “I love magic! It’s endlessly fascinating, fun and
challenging. I enjoy it by myself and also when I entertain
others. There are so many types of magic and skill levels that
you can go in a thousand different directions and never get
bored.”
“As my wife and I get older, we strongly believe in
continuing to challenge our brains,” said Arnie, who
especially enjoys coin, card, rope, and rubber band tricks.
“We do crossword and sodoku puzzles; we volunteer. I teach
English for the Literacy Volunteers of Roanoke Valley. I’m
president of the SML Wine Tasters Club and The Waterfront
Men’s Golf Association. But for me, magic is the ultimate
challenge. With cards, I now do intricate routines requiring
many steps in exactly the right order. With one step out of
order, the trick won’t work, and I’ll look very foolish. I like
that challenge.”
A final surprise: You, too, can learn enough magic to
delight family and friends. Arnie would like to start a magic
club at the Lake. Having belonged to clubs in D.C., Maryland,
Greensboro and Roanoke, he described them as “…great fun
and a good way to learn and improve in magic.” Since gaining
grandchildren, he’s especially interested in magic appealing
to youngsters and would like to teach a class, “Magic for Your
Grandchildren.”
For more information, contact Arnie at 540.721.5055.
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