Knicks Hold Holiday Carnival

Cal Ramsey, the Hip Hop Magician, Allan Houston, Tim Thomas, Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway, share a laugh during Marbury's introduction. MSG Photos

NEW YORK, NY, December 23, 2004 -- The Intrepid was rocking (also rolling, hip-hopping, and generally boogying the afternoon away). The NBA Players Foundation Holiday Carnival -- hosted by Knicks stars Stephon Marbury, Allan Houston, Tim Thomas, and Penny Hardaway on the venerable aircraft carrier -- was the party to end all parties.

From ages 3-14, over 500 children -- most from the players' foundations, others from an octet of Knicks Reading Zone Schools -- had the time of their lives, according to their very excited on-scene accounts. "I think I'm going to faint," one kid smiled wanly as Marbury and special guest rapper Ja Rule shook his hands. "Don't waste your time fainting, little guy," Marbury tousled the child's hair. "We're here to have a good time. We threw this party for you guys so you could have the best Christmas you've ever had."

Mission accomplished. "This music is Da Bomb," Tiffany Moore and Jennifer Perez squealed while putting on a spontaneous, and totally awesome, dancing exhibition in the middle of the party. The girls, 6th and 8th graders respectively, came from the Dr. William H. Wharton School in Newark, New Jersey. "We are one of the new Knicks Reading Zone schools," teacher Gerald Fitzhugh shouted over the din. "And we are just delighted to be here. We chose ten kids to participate based upon their behavior, citizenship, and good grades. Do you think they're having a good time?" "I've been dancing since I was two years old," Tiffany chirped between one awesome move following an even more awesome move. "Then I stopped. Then I started again, then I stopped again. Now I'm taking modern dance and hip-hop in school." Jennifer, who is in the same classes, loves "to dance any place, any time, for any reason. I don't even need a reason." "I'm a big Knick fan," added Tifffany. "And I would LOVE to be a Knicks City Dancer."

Penny Hardaway and Stephon Marbury do the Hip Hop Magician's Uncle Magic Dance. MSG Photos

Basketball coach Joe Dillon from P.S. 4 in the Bronx brought six kids, "my basketball team," he smiled. "Stephon Marbury is my favorite Knick," sixth-grade team point guard Charles Amsah said. "He's a great player -- and I'll be playing with him very soon." The thirty kids from the Claremont School in Ossining were chosen to come to the party because "these were the children who we thought needed the most cheering up at Christmas-time," according to teacher Debbie Graham. Fourth-grader Yakya Thomas kept on coming over to Graham every couple of minutes to ask her to hold onto her ever-growing collection of new prizes. "I'm having a great time -- and I'm going to win one of everything," she whispered shyly.

There were plenty of prizes to be won between the innumerable interactive games, a dozen-plus carnival booths, portable basketball courts, bouncy basketball, pop-a-shots, bungee runs, arts and crafts games, Special Forces Rock-Climbing Challenge, and simulated astronaut-training planes. And that was before the best part of the party even began.

Hardaway entered -- and suddenly -- before you could even say "What's up, Penny?" -- he was engulfed by what seemed like a zillion kids. As Hardaway slowly made his way to the stage amidst the chattering throng, Knicks Vice President of Community Relations and Fan Development Karin Buchholz took the microphone. "Penny, Allan, Stephon, and Tim came to me and said 'we want to throw a Holiday party for these New York City kids'," she said. "They paid for it, they paid for all the gifts, they made it all happen for you." The very hot Hip Hop Magician opened the show -- and Uncle Magic, as he likes to call himself, brought down the house (or the ship, as the case may be). Following some amazing magic tricks -- he even had a turtle dove fly out an empty magic pan -- he had the Knick players, Ja Rule, and Knicks Community Relations Representative Cal Ramsey (!) do the "Uncle Magic Dance". "Move it to the right, move it to the left, down in the middle...."

"Play hard -- but study even harder, make sure you go to school every day and read to achieve," Ramsey told the kids. "We have a great gift in that we have a talent to play basketball," added Houston. "Christmas is a time for giving -- and today we want to make sure that we share our gifts with you."

During the ensuing dance contest Tiffany, as befits a future Knicks City Dancer, wiped the stage with the competition. Then special guest rapper Fat Joe did a little "Lean Back" to deafening applause. As the kids received their gifts, eight-year old Amanda Berta from the Claremont School -- who doubled as an on-stage magician's helper -- summed up the afternoon the best. "What I'll always remember is when the Hip Hop Magician put this nerfball in my hand and it was suddenly two nerfballs," she said, still wide-eyed from the amazing experience. "How did he do that? It was...it was...it was magic."