Known as the "Magic Capital of the World," Colon gained widespread recognition for the invention and manufacture of magic tricks. Its reputation as a magic mecca began after Australian Percy Abbott visited the famous American magician Harry Blackstone, who lived in the area, then returned to Colon and started the Abbott Magic Novelty Company in 1933. Mainly a mail-order operation, the company continues to devise tricks that baffle the human eye and mind. In 1934 Abbott sponsored the first "Magic Get-Together," which became an annual event attracting thousands of professional and amateur devotees, with Blackstone and other famous conjurers performing at these festivals. Harry Blackstone, one of America's most notable magicians, lived in Colon. Born Harry Bouton in Chicago in 1885, he began his professional career in magic at age sixteen. His fame grew in the first three decades of the twentieth century, when magic shows were a staple of vaudeville and Broadway, and during World War II millions of servicemen watched him perform at USO gatherings. His shows often featured the "dancing" handkerchief trick and rabbits given to young spectators, while his split-second timing, audience misdirection, and colorful personality heightened the drama of magic and endeared him to Colon, which renamed Main Street in his honor in the early 1960s.