 On March 29, 1955, Dr. Jekyll’s Weird Show performed at the State Theater in Auburn. The show was a type of “spook show” where magicians used their skills to scare audiences, perform seances and sometimes end by screening a horror movie. In the audience that night was a 15-year-old amateur magician from Loomis who was so enthralled by the show that he went backstage afterwards, showed them his magic skills and begged to join the troupe. After convincing the manager he was 18-years-old, he was accepted. He traveled with the show to their next stop in San José.
The next day, his parents reported him missing to the Placer County Sheriff’s Department and once the investigator learned the boy had attended the show at the State Theater, he reached out to the San José Police Department. The new magician’s apprentice was helping setup backstage at the Padre Theater when San José Police Officers apprehended him. His parents drove to San José to pick him up.
The advertisement for the show that ran in the March 24, 1955 Auburn Journal promised: “It’s a gruesome adventure into fear and dread! You’ll scream with insanity as horrible creatures from beyond the grave roam the theatre and land right in your laps!”
Photos: Artwork published in the March 24, 1955 Auburn Journal promoting Dr. Jekyll’s Weird Show. Auburn State Theater, c. 1937
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 Don’t miss the fun coming this next week in...
Roseville: Books & Bugs Bonanza – National Library Week, Food Truck Mania, 1st Saturday Drop in Activity Day for Families
Rocklin: Jessup Presents: Art at the Edge of Dawn, Rocklin Clean-Up Day, Evenings in the Park: Super Mario Bros
Lincoln: Grammar Club, Virtual Mystery Book Club: Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker
Loomis: Preschool Storytime, Kids Creative Writing Club, Genealogical Study Group, The Art & Science of Growing Delicious Tomato
Auburn: Big Hill Hike under the Pink Moon, Symphony Under the Sky, Nature Quest: Wildflower Stroll at Canyon View Preserve, Spring Bird Stroll at Big Hill Preserves, Farmers’ Market, Floating Egg Hunt, Spring Open House - Avant Garden
Colfax: Art Night at Snapdragon Provisions, A Community Celebration of Local Baseball Legends, Let’s Get Social! Membership Mixer, Karaoke Night at Dine n Dash, Coffee & Conversation
North Lake Tahoe: Sierra Community House Food Distribution Kings Beach, Aprés in the Village at Northstar California, Silver Belt 2025 at Sugar Bowl, Mighty Mite Crazy Helmet Day & Parade
...and many Placer County Library and Placer County Museum events.
Visit our regional partners to discover more of the fun happening right here in Placer County!
Placer County Visitors' Bureau
North Tahoe Community Alliance
Tahoe City Downtown Association
The Arts Council of Placer County
Placer Valley Tourism
PlacerGROWN
Placer Wine Trail
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