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CHRIS & ALEXANDRA McCARD It’s a Goth life for local couple JANUARY / F E B R UARY 2 0 1 4 25 magical local history Did famous conjurer get his start here? A famous magician named Anton Zamloch performed in Napa in the late 1800s, a notable fact local historians came to learn after finding a photo taken in 1969. In that year, one of the many amateur history sleuths active in Napa photographed a long-covered sign that had been revealed by the demolition of a building on Brown Street (near what is now the parking lot for Wells Fargo Bank). Looking at the close-ups of the posted bills, it appeared they advertise the performance of a magician named Zamloch, hosted by an unnamed local branch of the Congress of Women. After poking around the internet, researchers discovered Anton Zamloch was one of the most famous magicians of his era. Born in Austria about 1848, he immigrated to America in 1865. Zamloch toured as a professional conjuror, spiritualist, and magician from 1869 to 1912, mostly in California, Mexico, and the Hawaiian Islands. One of his sons, Carl, was a well-known magician in his own right, as well as a professional baseball player. Even more interestingly, an article in the 1899 Napa Daily Journal claims that Zamloch worked as a shoemaker in Napa. While researchers have yet to determine which cobbler he worked for or where he resided, his wife, Elizabeth Marx (aka Marks) lived in Napa from at least four years of age. In another odd coincidence, her father owned a bakery on the same block as Wells Fargo but facing Main Street. Was the magician also a shoemaker? Was he a Napa resident? Did he get his magical start here? Which Napa women participated in the Congress of Women? How did they know about Zamloch? More information will be forthcoming from the researchers. ▲ Both Chris and Alexandra McCard were born and raised in Napa. Chris left for the Big Apple after getting his degree in video production. His talent attracted impressive jobs with the VH1 Awards, MTV Awards, the Grammys, and graphics for the Country Music Awards, and he did the 3D graphics for a Pepsi Super Bowl ad. Chris said he has always been into computers, building his first one in elementary school. Needing a break from New York, Chris came home for Christmas and met Alexandra at the oldest Goth club in San Francisco, Death Guild. He was immediately smitten when they both had the same tattoo. The couple is not afraid to express their Goth exterior because it’s a culture that speaks to them. Both are incredibly down to earth and talented. They were married on 11-11-11. Napa was where their hearts were so the couple returned to the Valley and started Noble Rot Productions, a creative video and media production company with the promise of “Making Rotten ideas Noble.™” “I wanted to get Napa Valley up to speed on video production and make high end artistic videos that tell the wineries true stories,” said Chris. Alexandra is an accomplished self-taught baker and can design cupcakes that take on a 3-D dimension that rivals that of Chris’ work. www.noblerot.tv ▲ ▲ photo by KARI RUEL


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