Two live presentations–one by a nationally recognized “recreator” of the magic of early 19th century performer Richard Potter, and one by the Andover author of a 2018 biography of Potter, called Richard Potter: America’s first black celebrity–will be featured at this year’s Andover Old Time Fair, to be held on Sunday, August 5, from 9 AM to 2 PM on the grounds of Potter’s old estate in the village of Potter Place, which takes its name from the magician.
The presentations, along with other attractions of the Old Time Fair (see page 1), will be  open to the public at no charge. Food, auction items, crafts, and flea-market offerings will also be on sale, with purchases benefiting the Andover Historical Society, sponsor of the Old Time Fair.
Potter’s “recreator,” Robert Olson, will perform twice–at 11 AM and 1 PM. Author Hodgson will speak at 1:30 PM.
Starting in Old Sturbridge Village, Mass., Olson has spent the past 40 years studying and recreating the magic of Potter. As he explains, “Potter’s shows were advertised as ‘An Evening’s Brush to Sweep Away Care, or a Medley to Please.’ The show consisted of magic with cards and coins, ribbons and boxes, and a variety of other tricks of magic from over 150 years ago.  Potter also offered ventriloquism, did a comic dissertation on noses, sang comic songs and presented a shadow puppet play called The Broken Bridge. His full show entertained audiences for over 25 years and were offered all across the nation as it then existed.”
As for Hodgson’s book Richard Potter: America’s First Black Celebrity, its publisher’s notes explain:
“Apart from a handful of exotic–and almost completely unreliable–tales surrounding his life, Richard Potter is almost unknown today. Two hundred years ago, however, he was the most popular entertainer in America–the first showman, in fact, to win truly nationwide fame. Working as a magician and ventriloquist, he personified for an entire generation what a popular performer was and made an invaluable contribution to establishing popular entertainment as a major part of American life. His story is all the more remarkable in that Richard Potter was also a black man.”
In his presentation Hodgson will describe his 25 years of research leading to the book’s publication, and offer a brief illustrated summary of Potter’s life (1783-1835) with emphasis on his years in Andover (from 1815 until his death).  Copies of the book will be available for purchase at $29.95, with proceeds going to the Andover Historical Society.