Magic Camp was founded in 1993 by Kent Cummins and Peter Hinrichs, aka Peter the Adequate, both professional magicians in the Austin area at the time, as Kent's "Magic Hotline" personal business. In January 2007, Kent relinquished direct personal control to a board of directors and "The Kent Cummins Magic Camp" incorporated as a Texas Non-Profit Organization, receiving IRS 501 status later that year. Magic Camp continued as a non-profit for four years until the end of 2010, when it gave up its 501 status and re-incorporated with a new board of directors as "Magic Camp USA, LLC" and "The Kent Cummins Magic Camp" was renamed as "Fantastic Magic Camp."
Local involvement
The Fantastic Magic Camp maintains an active presence in the Austin magic scene. Recently, the camp provided a "day care" camp for attendees of the Texas Association of Magicians' 2010 convention, held in Austin, a booth at the first annual Austin Street Magic Festival, in addition to providing volunteers to assist with both events. Volunteers from the magic camp regularly assist with the Society of American Magicians' Ring 206's annual magic auction. In 2011, the magic camp assisted with the inaugural production of Doc Seaton's Magic Sideshow, a part of Austin's Pecan Street Festival. Additionally, the magic camp can be found at a variety of family-friendly events in the Austin area, such as Waterloo park's 5th annual Ice Cream Festival.
Inclusion
The Fantastic Magic Camp is a fully inclusive camp, accepting any and all children regardless of special needs. Over the years, the Magic Camp has partnered with organizations such as Austin Travis County Integral Care, the Austin Police Department's Camp Apple, Easter Seals and Austin's Pecan Street Festival to bring the Magic Camp experience to the children of underprivileged communities.
The Fantastic Magic Camp's counselors are exclusively former campers who elected to participate in the magic camp's internship program and attend its "Youth Leader Training Academy." The camp's staff are exclusively former team members who completed five years in the Youth Leader Training Academy. An invitation to participate in the Youth Leader Training Academy is extended to each camper once they reach 13 years of age.
