Erica is a children’s entertainer and author in Ohio specializing in magic, balloons, and more!
Erica has over 20 years of experience entertaining in the Central Ohio area. You can see her twist balloons at restaurants or catch her latest magic show around town! If your next birthday party, company celebration, or school event needs some extra fun, give her a call!
Exciting news! WEEKLY balloon night will return at Benny's Pizza Pub & Patio this school year! Tuesday is the day! 5:30-8:00! I love seeing regulars and developing a relationship with the kids who come in frequently with their families. This place is just so special; I love the staff and atmosphere. If you can hop on 33, Marysville is closer than you think! The fun starts tonight (Sept. 10th)!
If you and your little ones like visiting libraries, the Delaware County District Library’s Orange Branch has a little Sedgie the Hedgie hunt going on for the month of September. Find Sedgie and you can get an adorable hedgehog sticker!
Address: 7171 Gooding Blvd., Delaware, OH 43015
Here’s some Sedgie the Hedgie cuteness for your Friday morning!
Spontaneous fans! We’ll be at the Miller Park Library in Upper Arlington for a magic show this morning at 10:30!!! It’s a beautiful day! We’d love to see ya!
On Saturday during For the Love of Hilliard, make sure you venture over to MAK Home Furnishings to shop their selection of artisan goods! You will also find a shelf of Sedgies next to some other adorable children’s items!
This Saturday!!! So much fun spread out across Hilliard! I’ll be ballooning at The Junction from 11-12:30 and then performing with Sedgie the Hedgie at the Hilliard Arts Council stage from 1-2!
When you’re in the presence of greatness, sometime you have to be like a turtle: shush up, be still, and listen! Thank you to The Turtle Lady for taking the time to have lunch with me! Nancy is a lovely soul who is retired from programming and has the BEST stories! 🐢 💕
Feeling spontaneous?! Don’t feel like cooking dinner? Grab your kids and come out for some balloons and pizza at Benny's Pizza Pub & Patio TONIGHT! There’s indoor seating with A/C and the outdoor patio for the brave! I’d love to see you!
This Plants vs. Zombies custom birthday order went to a lucky 13 year old this weekend! Get your custom balloons at Benny's Pizza Pub & Patio this Wednesday as a special “back-to-school” night! Hopefully, this week falls into a “less scheduled time” before all the practices, lessons, and commitments keep you from enjoying a nice dinner out as a family! Make a note: I’ll be at Benny’s the second Tuesday of each month this school year.
I recently celebrated a big milestone! I’ve been living for 40 years and twisting balloons for 26 of those! My husband, Tim, will turn 40 in a few weeks. He’s the talent behind the accounting, graphic design, and website parts of my children’s entertainment business. It’s been a fun month celebrating this birthday! I always make balloon hats for friends I run with, and I had a friend make ME a custom topper for my hat for our 4.0 mile run the morning of my big day! I felt the love from her and so many amazing family and friends. 💕 Bring it on, 40s! I’m grateful for each day!
Who loves her job?! This girl!! Come get an airbrush tattoo or balloon creation of your choosing at Land-Grant Brewing this Saturday, 8/24 to celebrate Musicologie Westerville’s 10th Birthday!!! There will be food trucks, magic, music, and more!
https://landgrantbrewing.com/events/musicologies-10th-birthday-bash-at-land-grant/
The magical read-aloud at CHOICES shelter for victims of domestic violence this morning went really well; all the children and families were grateful for the magical read-aloud and their donated books and stuffed Sedgies. Thank you to everyone who donated toward this effort. Let’s keep spreading ripples of love!
The Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Hilliard Branch hosted a wonderful author event earlier this month! Six readers playing all the characters in “Sedgie the Hedgie Solves the Case,” a drawing tutorial by my talented illustrator Drew, live animals including Boris the Tortoise and Picasso the Turtle along with Sedgie the Hedgie, inflatable costumes, and more! It was magical! I’m so grateful for their support! Thanks to all the families who attended! 📚 🎈 🦔 🪄 🔍
If you know a school looking for authors to visit this school year, please share that I’m excited to spread the magic of reading in pre-K and elementary schools! 🪄 📕 🦔
It’s always fun hearing from Sedgie book fans! These two spent their own money on stuffies and books at The Fine Print Lakeside! Happy reading!
Happy 70th birthday, Marcia! You are a uniquely fun lady!!! The world needs more of you! We had a blast at the Care Train of Union County fundraiser at Benny's Pizza Pub & Patio last night! Mark’s music with RMT always brings the fun!
Come join a fun and worthy cause! Get pizza, balloons, and see Sedgie the Hedgie for our 5:30 magic show! Hope you can make it out tonight!
Monty the Monkey is up to his mischief again…this time at the Hilliard Library for our book release event! Balloon Scavenger Hunt, live animals, book signings from me AND my illustrator Drew! Don’t miss it! Tuesday, August 6th at 2pm!
Clover the Pup turned 13 yesterday! Sedgie the Hedgie told me to twist her a balloon hat just like the one in our book “Sedgie the Hedgie Solves the Case!” The hat didn’t event disappear like it does in the book. We had fun celebrating our sweet Clover! She still acts like a puppy in so many ways, which is why I immortalized her at age 5 in the book. 🐶 💕
UPDATE: I have all 15 sets covered!!! 🦔📕 To those who sponsored, thank you for the generous donations! I’m so excited to give these books and stuffies to the sweet kiddos next Wednesday, 8/14. You all are magical! 🪄 I’ll make sure to post about how it goes. 💕
Calling all big-hearted readers and Sedgie the Hedgie fans! 🦔 💜 📕 I am donating a visit to CHOICES, a local shelter for victims of domestic violence, and would like to bring books and Sedgie stuffies to donate to the kids there. I already have one set covered, but if you would like to donate toward this effort, it would be $15 for a paperback book or $30 for a set of a book and stuffed Sedgie. My visit is on August 14th, so I’ll be taking donations via Venmo until then. Comment or message me if interested and thanks for spreading the magic of reading! 🦔 📕 🪄
St. James Brats & Crafts Festival is this weekend! Food, fun, and magic by yours truly on Friday evening!
Magic Nate is always a worthy opponent when we get to perform our Magic Duel! We were on my home turf in Hilliard, so I feel like I had the "home court advantage," but his linking rings, head twisting, and levitating were mind-blowing! Thanks for booking us City of Hilliard Recreation and Parks Department! And thanks to all who came out for the fun! Simple balloon twisting afterward made for a quick and fun take-away! If you want more complex balloons, come out to Benny's Pizza Pub & Patio on August 7th for a magic show at 5:30 with Sedgie the Hedgie followed by balloon twisting for their Care Train of Union County fundraiser!
Bexley Public Library, here we go! Let’s party!
TODAY from 3-5 PM! Come to the library for one last summer adventure as we wrap up Summer Community Read 2024!
Local author and magician Erica Carlson Children's Entertainment will perform a family-friendly, interactive magic show with tricks, treasures, and helpers from the audience.
After the show, stick around for balloon twisting, face painting, and the opportunity to win some fantastic prizes!
Summer Community Read is supported by the Friends of Bexley Public Library and the State Library of Ohio with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Lots of magical smiles this week! I love getting to see young fans grow from year to year!
Receiving a hedgehog mitten gift was so sweet and having Sedgie boop noses with his custom plushie that a young fan brought was precious!
🦔 🦔 🦔
Three public appearances with Sedgie the Hedgie this week:
🪄 📚 7/23 @ 3pm: Delaware County District Library Orange Branch for the Hedgehog Mystery Magic Show (book and plush hedgehog sales)
🪄 7/24 @ 2pm: Columbus Metropolitan Library’s New Albany Branch for the Fantastical Hedgehog Magic Show
🪄 🎈 7/26: Yellow Springs Community Library for a magic show at 10:15 followed by balloon sculpting at 11:30
Hope your week is wonderful and there are more ups than downs, yays than nays, and hugs than ughs! Stay magical!
Bret Michaels, airbrush tattoos, and Kemba LIVE!Teaming up with my talented airbrush friend, Betsy, made for quite the fun evening at the Big Lots Foundation Bret Michaels concert last night! It was a 21+ event, which was different for this children’s entertainer, but grown-ups are really just tall kids, after all! 🎨 🎸 🎵 🤘 They know how to have fun! So many teachers got barbed wire tattoos around their arms! 💪 It was a fun night and Bret Michaels can still BRING IT, truly showing that age is just a number!
I loved meeting these people this week:
- Dorma (golf cart driver next to her friend Lola): my sponsor for balloon twisting at the Stream Thresher Festival Kids’ Night. She parked nearby and watched the wide-eyed kiddos wait for their balloon creations. So many smiles! Thank you to Dorma! 🚜 🎈
- Supportive Mothers whose names I didn’t catch (sporting their children’s balloon ninja hats so they wouldn’t be distracted making their next design): these Moms had the best can-do attitudes as their young children tried to twist their balloon creations during our workshop. When more assistance was needed, they patiently helped and encouraged their kids to pinch, twist, and squeeze their way into making dogs and turtle bracelets. Thanks to all the parents who bring their children to my programs! Without an audience, you can’t have a program! 🎈
- Benny's Pizza Pub & Patio employee and former librarian: She found me on Tuesday night and shared she used to work at the Marysville Library. She admitted that it was written into her contract that she wouldn’t work on days I was scheduled to perform because the crowds were just too large! 🤣 Loved her honesty! And she called me “Lady Erica,” which made me giggle. 🍕 📚
There are a few other memorable humans worth mentioning:
- two women who work with Mt. Sterling Family Services who love their jobs and helping others. One is from Germany and was giddy sharing her stories of finding wild hedgehogs all around while growing up. 🦔
- a childcare teacher named Lauren who used to take her (now grown) children to my programs. Thanks, Lauren! Time flies! 💜
- so many supportive, selfless teachers who show up every day to love on others people’s children. They offer so many hugs, smiles, gentle redirections, “123-eyes-on-me”s, and lesson plans to help sweet children grow. I’m grateful for all the teachers! 👩🏫 👨🏫
- so many creative librarians who decorate their children’s spaces, write schedules on white-boards in bubble letters, and learn their patrons names so all feel welcome! I love librarians. 📚
It’s always a wonderfully magical time visiting the Southwest Public Libraries!
Open to the public this week...
7/15 at 2pm: 🪄 🦔 📚 Granville Public Library
7/16 at 10:30: 🪄 🦔 📚 Grove City Library
7/16 at 1:30: 🪄 🦔 📚 Westland Area
7/16 from 6:00-8:30: 🎈 Balloon Twisting @ Benny's Pizza Pub & Patio
7/17 at 2pm: 🪄 🦔 Columbus Metropolitan Library's Dublin Branch
7/18 at 1pm: 🎈 🐢 📚 Galion Public Library
Program Key:
🪄 🦔 = Magic Show with Sedgie the Hedgie
🎈 🐢 = Balloon Twisting Workshop with Picasso the Turtle
📚 = Books and stuffed Sedgies available to purchase
Let’s make this week magical!
Warm and wonderful! The Columbus Book Festival welcomed 23,000 yesterday and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing some new and familiar faces in the audience during my performance! My dear friend Georgia helped me with book sales and schlepping - such an amazing human! I heard a friend’s grown daughter comment that she was amazed the children were engaged for a full 45 minutes! I often say the real magic is keeping little ones watching, giggling, and reacting…it’s easy to get swept up in “the next thing” and get distracted in our world. Kids need structure, but they also love surprises and spontaneity. I love my job and how it lets me bring a playful spirit to life. The book festival is going on today from 10-5! Magic Nate is performing at 1:30 and is sure to bring the fun!
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Sedgie the Hedgie adores playing with toilet paper rolls! The backing up is hilarious! Enjoy the cuteness! #sedgiethehedgie #hedgehogsofinstagram #simpletoys
Happy 70th birthday, Marcia! You are a uniquely fun lady!!! The world needs more of you! We had a blast at the Care Train of Union County fundraiser at Benny's Pizza Pub & Patio last night! Mark’s music with RMT always brings the fun! #ageisjustanumber #balloontwisting #balloonwalker
Every morning before shows, #sedgiethehedgie gets his feet cleaned in the sink. He also checks himself out in the mirror. A load of laundry isn’t always churning in the background, but he wanted you to be able to hear his adorable sniffing. #hedgehogsofinstagram #magicalhedgehog #hedgehoginmirror #morningroutine
I relish stepping out of my car at the Delaware Library’s Ostrander Branch. This is the view and symphony you experience. It’s lovely! #delawarecountydistrictlibrary #natureismagical #beautyisoutthere #mindfulness #katyoberlecreative
May the 4th be with you! Use The Force however it benefits the world! #balloontwisting #Maythe4thBeWithYou
April showers bring lots of giggles when your umbrella is broken!
The eternal quest to find the right magic wand! #sillyhumor #magicforkids #interactivemagicshows #abracadabra
Sedgie and I loved visiting The Fine Print Lakeside in northern Ohio near Lake Erie and bringing the magic of reading to the kiddos there! This bookstore is truly special. A fun time was had by all! #sedgiethehedgiefindsthetreasure #hedgehogsofinstagram #performingauthor
Check out this “dash” during a custom assembly to help celebrate a school’s “Walk-A-Thon” fundraiser. The Magic of Animals was an educational and fun assembly where students learned about dolphins, hedgehogs, and turtles. Sedgie the Hedgie and Picasso the Turtle were special guests and Dolly the Dolphin, the school’s mascot represented in the best way! Even the student teacher got involved in the balloon dog costume! The winner of this dash earned a balloon-sculpted dolphin bracelet. Each student answered trivia questions later in the assembly using sign language. Fun and learning for all!
I saw this costume at Spirit Halloween and couldn’t resist its perfect ridiculousness! While I am tempted to wear this to Benny's Pizza Pub & Patio tomorrow evening for my November visit from 5:30-8:00 (first Wednesday of the month), I can just imagine how many pizzas I would knock onto the floor…Happy Halloween to all and may your day be filled with at least one sugar high!
FREE family-friendly program: Magic, Books, & Hedgehogs Go Together! Tuesday, 7/11 at 3pm Plain City Public Library Book sales and signings offered after the pirate-themed magic show! Pencils, bookmarks, and stuffed animals available, too! If you want to develop your child’s love of reading, this is one way to do it. After seeing a fun, kid-friendly magic show with a LIVE hedgehog, you can read about Sedgie the Hedgie’s treasure hunt. Topics of gratitude, bravery, and friendship offer great jumping off points for conversation and learning opportunities. What would you want to find in a treasure chest?
Thanks to Ccthesketchyartist, I’m attempting to learn this tricky skill. She’s incredible at it! I won’t be unicycling during my shows tomorrow at Southwest Public Libraries (Westland Area at 10:30 and Grove City at 1:30), but Sedgie the Hedgie will magically appear for all to see! He hasn’t taken up unicycling…yet.
Calling all mini-magicians! There are lots of opportunities to see Sedgie the Hedgie and I this week! www.EricaEntertainment.com/schedule
Well this was a fun moment!!! We went to Benny's Pizza Pub & Patio to eat, celebrate some dear friends’ birthdays, and enjoy Mark Reinhart and his band RMT last night. He called me up to sing “Sedgie the Hedgie” and I got to play the tambourine!!! The kids wiggling and the turtle puppet rockin’ on a guitar are the highlights! Make sure to come out for fun balloons, live music, and yummy food on Wednesdays this summer! Ccthesketchyartist or I will be there twisting!
Finished product in the comments!
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