Steve Faris: A magical career
By Steve Roush
HCP columnist
NOTE: This is Part 4 of a series leading up to the Highland County Historical Society inducting four more members into its Hall of Fame on Aug. 18. This week, we profile Steve Faris.
Ladies and gentlemen, Steve Faris is a professional magician whose credits include state fairs and trade shows throughout the United States, seven seasons at theme parks, including Kings Island, luxury cruise ships, and an opening act for a vast variety of performers including comedians Steve Martin and Martin Mull, and musicians Earl Scruggs, Ramsey Lewis, Santana and Ricky Nelson.
Faris grew up in Hillsboro, and after living in the Cincinnati area for 40 years, he has semi-retired and relocated back in Hillsboro. Yes, he reappeared in his hometown.
Not only is he a much sought after magician, but he’s also a collector, lecturer and a teacher of his craft. Magic became a hobby of his when he was about 10 years old. When he was in the fourth grade, he did a book report on the life story of Harry Houdini, about the same time as the Tony Curtis movie came out about Houdini in 1955. That early hobby turned into a successful magic career.
On his profession, Faris has said, “We’re in a job of guarding secrets. My favorite expression about being a magician is when someone asks, ‘What’s it like to be a magician?’ I usually tell them that, 'It’s like robbing a bank. The idea is not to get caught.'”
He added that, “The best advice is to take 10 tricks, learn them as well as you can make them, and stick with those 10 tricks as opposed to learning 100 tricks and doing all just sort of half-way. It’s much better to really know what you’re doing. You don’t have to learn 200 card tricks.”
Faris mentions his first television appearance was on the "Uncle Orrie Show" in Dayton with Hillsboro’s own Joe Rockhold. He has served as president of the Highland County Historical Society and is currently a member of the society’s board of trustees.
In addition to Steve Faris, the 2024 Highland County Historical Society Hall of Fame inductees are Dr. Larry Dukes, Vicki Knauff and the late Ernie Blankenship.
The recipients will be honored at an induction ceremony Sunday, Aug. 18 at 2 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church in Hillsboro, followed by a reception at Highland House directly across the street from the church. The public is cordially invited.
For more information on the society or the upcoming Hall of Fame ceremony, please call (937) 393-3392 or email the society at hchistoricalsociety@gmail.com.
Steve Roush is president of the Highland County Historical Society and served as chairman and vice chairman on the HCHS Board of Trustees for two terms, a board member of the Highland District Hospital Foundation, a vice president of an international media company and a columnist and contributing writer for The Highland County Press. He can be reached by email at roush_steve@msn.com.
Pictured below is Steve Faris.
