How will Ertl accomplish such a feat?

It's magic.

Literally.

Ertl, 32, is a veteran circus performer who wears many top hats. He is a juggler, stilt walker, clown and magician. Each summer, he teaches children at his Fun Magic Camp some of the tricks of his trade. Campers will learn how to make coins appear from thin air; how to make swatches of silk disappear with the wave of a magic wand; and how to float in mid-air.

Card tricks are among the skills Scott Ertl imparts at the three sessions of his Fun Magic Camp.

Most important, Ertl said, campers will discover how magic works and how to use their creativity to present a magic trick.

"The secret is not the important part," Ertl said. "But it's how are you going to present it? You don't want to trick people because it's almost like you are putting them down. But if you're entertaining people and impressive, now you're really cool."

Outside the circus ring, Ertl is a guidance counselor at Marvin Ward Elementary School in Clemmons. He keeps a bookshelf in his office stocked with puzzles and brain-teasing gadgets and gizmos. When people visit his office, they may grab a puzzle. Often, they open up and begin talking more as they fidget with the puzzle.

Juggling can also spur conversations. When Ertl was a student at Virginia Commonwealth University, he used to juggle in a nearby park. Strangers would stop by and admire his skills. Ertl taught a few of them how to juggle.

Often the group of jugglers would get together and talk about issues such as capital punishment, death and reincarnation. "I believe there was something about the stimulation of juggling," Ertl said. "Why did these strangers trust me within seconds of getting to know me?" Ertl first dabbled in magic when he was about 8 years old. A few years later, he was staging magic shows in his neighborhood. At 16, he taught a class on clowning at the College of William & Mary.

"They gave me a parking permit, and I couldn't even drive yet," Ertl said.

During summer breaks while in high school and college , Ertl performed in circuses along the East Coast. "I always knew that being in the circus was something I did not want to do forever, but it was a heck of a summer job," Ertl said.

He worked several summers at French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts in the Catskills of New York. He started the Fun Magic Camp three years ago. The camp is open to children from 8 to 15. Campers are divided into age groups. Children from 8 to 11 meet from 9 a.m. to noon. Older children meet from 1 to 4 p.m. Classes are limited to 15 children.

The cost is $125 if campers register before April 3, and $145 before May 2.

The weeklong sessions begin June 9, 16 and 23. The camp will be held at Unity Church on Hewes Road. Campers learn three or four tricks each day. At the end of the week, campers will put on a magic show. Interest in magic has surged with the popularity of the Harry Potter books.

"It's eternal," Ertl said. "Everybody loves magic.