Harlem Wizards show wows crowd at Cape
The Harlem Wizards made a hysterical stop at the Cape Henlopen gymnasium Nov. 18, when they brought smiles to more than 600 people with their hilarious antics and superhuman basketball skills.
The group, founded in 1962, has entertained crowds throughout the world, playing more than 15,000 games, and raising more than $25 million for schools and various charities. Their events feature games against volunteers from numerous community agencies. The Showtime group was picked to play the Cape event for the second time in a row. They will perform 130 to 140 shows this year.
The event was sponsored by the Rehoboth Beach Sunrise Rotary Club, the Lewes-Rehoboth Rotary Club and the Cape Henlopen Interact Club. It featured a game between the Wizards and the Cape Crusaders, a team of Cape school district administrators, teachers and community leaders and members. Proceeds from this show will benefit the Cape Henlopen School District.
"We are delighted to host the Wizards," said Ed Gossett of the Rehoboth Sunrise Rotary Club. "They are superb showmen who deliver fantastic all-ages entertainment for a great cause."
Along with the game, the event included a pregame warm-up with the WizKids, contests, giveaways, audience participation, and a slam dunk demonstration, and concluded with a dance with all the children in attendance.
“It was fun,” said Candice McCrea of Lincoln, who was chased to her seat with the antics of frontman King Arthur. “I didn’t know what was happening.”
“They are a great group of guys and entertainers,” said former Cape All-Star Josh Hackney. “They have you laughing the whole time you’re playing against them. It’s hard to play serious because they are having a fun time joking with the crowd. It was a great event, and I look forward to playing against them again.”
King Arthur also found Helen Badur and Grier MacMasters in the crowd and presented them as his parents; he even got down with them to a funky dance. Emcee Big Show Joe called MacMasters “Orville Redenbacher.”
“We had a blast,” said MacMasters. “My three daughters were here with two of my grandchildren, and they had a great time.”
“I find it to be the most enjoyable family event of the year,” said Co-chair Pat Campbell-White. “I want to thank the members of the Rehoboth Sunrise Rotary and the Cape Henlopen Interact Club who sponsored the event.”
The show didn’t just bring belly laughs to the crowd. Wizards frontman Arthur “King Arthur” Lewis, an Academic All-American at Bowie State University and author of numerous children books, brought a message of love from his nonprofit Team of We Happyville which supplies toys, coats, hats, and gloves to underprivileged kids in the Baltimore area.
“My goal is to spread the giving to every state,” said Lewis, whose mantra is, “We choose love; come to Happyville.”
For more information, go to http://teamofwe20.com/teamofwe.
