“Growing up somewhat poor, we learned how to get creative and use different things to do magic with,” said magician and ventriloquist Craig Browning, holding up a piece of yellow rope. “I went to a carnival when I was about 5 years old and saw a magician with a piece of rope, and he explained that rope has two ends and a middle. The magician can actually bunch up the ends, give them a little tug, and pull them off, and that leaves you with one continuous loop of cord, which really does nothing until you put the ends back on it,” he said as he broke the rope apart with a flick of his wrist, then magically put them back together to create a single, straight line of rope. And on he went.

Browning has been interested in magic since he was 4 years old, watching “The Magical Land of Allakazam” on television. He also became interested in puppets around the same age, thanks to ventriloquist Shari Lewis and her puppet, Lamb Chop.

As a young adult, he lived around the country as a professional magician and ventriloquist. He used to work with Creative Illusions in Las Vegas, where, he says, he helped design magic tricks for some of the biggest names in the game, including David Copperfield.

On Sat., Aug. 17, he’ll debut his family-friendly show, “Imagination,” in one of three free performances at the Liberal Arts Pop-Up Gallery at 236 Pleasant St. in Northampton at 2 and 4 p.m. He’ll also perform at the same times and location on Aug. 24 and 31 (weather permitting).

He won’t be alone; he’ll have puppets at his side including Harvey O’Hare, the three-foot-tall white rabbit who will perform feats like mind-reading.

“Before all this (ventriloquism) began, I was known as a mentalist, or mind reader,” Browning said. “I’ve written several books on the subject. So what I’ve done is taken my knowledge of mentalism and applied it to three different puppets; Harvey, being the more amateurish persona, his stuff is very silly,” creating the perfect family show for magic lovers of all ages.

“The idea is to show kids how you can be inspired when you’re very young by little things as you go through life gathering information,” Browning said.

In “Imagination,” Browning performs both original tricks and his own spin on some of the classics; for instance, there’s a well-known trick called the “egg bag” in which an egg appears and disappears, but in Browning’s version, he produces three different colored eggs.

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“I added the two extra eggs to the routine and figured out how to stage it to make the trick more impossible than it normally is,” he said. “We’re talking about a trick that’s almost 100 years old.”

The show ends with a lesson in magic, in which he recruits a member of the audience to help perform with linking rings. “It’s simple, lighthearted stuff,” he said of the show.

In addition to the free shows, Browning is in the planning stages of a months-long tour in 2025, when he aims to perform at campgrounds and public attractions throughout Massachusetts. This could expand to other New England states, too, he said; he’s had inquiries from places in Connecticut and Rhode Island already. And it will all be done with an enclosed, power-assisted (electric) recumbent trike pulling a 12-foot trailer that pops up into a portable stage.

Browning has had his share of triumphs and struggles. He joined the Academy of Magical Arts & Science in Hollywood in the early 1980s, which he said was one of the most important learning opportunities in his career. He’s met — and befriended — several of his heroes, including magician Kirk Kirkham. He said that during his time in Las Vegas with Creative Illusions, an illusion he worked on, known as “Shadow Vision,” was nominated by famed magician Harry Blackstone for “Illusion of the Decade” to the Academy of Magic.

He moved to Northampton in 2003. Soon after, he lost about 30% of the strength in his left leg to multiple sclerosis, which is now in remission, he said. While he still uses a wheelchair to cover distances, he’s excited about performing on the road, he said.

Browning also produces magical birthday parties for kids, which can be booked through his business Pioneer Valley Puppet Company.

“The kids walk into a room like this,” he said, motioning around, “and there’s no decorations, there’s nothing — there’s one box in the middle of the room, and me and the rabbit. So we get all the kids together, and out of that one box we produce the entire party. We produce the hats, the decorations, the games, the balloons, and ultimately ice cream and cake and punch.”

He hopes to teach this routine to younger magicians, too. There was once a chapter of the International Brotherhood of Magicians in Springfield, and although that chapter closed (“everyone got old and quit,” Browning said), he hopes to revive it locally and establish a group in Northampton, where young magic enthusiasts can learn the ropes and established magicians can socialize and learn from each other.

This fall, Browning will focus on his Halloween-themed show, “Night of the Paranormal Puppets,” which will not be appropriate for kids’ parties — instead, it’ll be “more on par with Jeff Dunham’s gang,” he said.

To contact Browning and learn more about his work, visit pioneervalleypuppetcompany.com.

Elise Linscott is a freelance writer living in Northampton. She can be reached at elise@eliselinscott.com.