National mind reader to perform at Penn State Fayette
“Your mind will be blown.”
That’s what mind reader Robert Channing promises will happen when he makes an appearance at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.
Channing will appear in the Williams Building at 6:30 p.m. Thursday for a free event that is open to students, faculty, staff and the local community — and welcomes skeptics and believers alike.
Channing is known worldwide for his ability to read minds, leaving a shocked audience in his wake.
“Those who come skeptical probably leave skeptical, and those who come as believers probably leave as believers,” Channing said. “But at the end of the day, everyone will leave entertained.”
Channing challenges audience members chosen at random to pick a thought and says he will predict it almost immediately. Special dates, dream vacations, people, places or even the exact amount of money in someone’s pocket are a few of the mysterious and mind-boggling answers Channing will provide to unasked questions.
“I’ve worked here 10 years, and I still wonder how he does it,” said Channing’s agent Lisa Power of Power Performers.
Channing has become an audience favorite worldwide, performing about 170 shows each year, Power said.
Penn State is hosting the event as a novelty performance for both students and also the public, said Chad Long, director of student affairs.
“With mid-terms coming up, it’s a great opportunity for our students to kick back and de-stress,” he said. “It also shows that our doors are open to the community.”
Long said the university offers students, and sometimes the community, a variety of two or three events weekly, ranging from cultural and educational to community service and novelty shows.
Channing has been named “Campus Entertainer of the Year 2009,” was nominated for “Event Solutions Corporate Meetings and Events Entertainer of the Year” and is one of the official entertainers for the United Nations “From Hunger to Hope” alongside ambassadors, former President Bill Clinton and performer Mariah Carey, according to a press release.
From New Hartford, N.Y., Channing began mind-reading at age 5 and said he learned how to use his gift over time.
“I am able to turn it on and off whenever I want,” he said. “I have a family with four children. I’m just a normal guy.”
Channing said he enjoys performing to help people relax and enjoy themselves.
“It’s a great way to get your mind off things,” he said.
No information is ever given to Channing before the performance. The names, numbers and innermost thoughts that he reveals are those actually held in the minds of the audience — all strangers to him, said Power.