“Tada!” says former coal miner Richard Bachman, as he pulls a dead canary out of his top hat.

We are at the Mine-Freak Academy of Illusion and Stage Craft in Pineville. It’s the testing ground for a new program that would retrain former coal miners to be working magicians.

“We owe these people a debt that can only be filled with full employment,” says Representative John Minglewood, co-sponsor of the legislation behind the school. “They need opportunities. Computer Coding is fine but who knows how long that will stay in demand. You know what is consistent though?” he asks. “Birthday parties.” Then he fans a full deck of cards in front of his face.

The miners at the school do seem enthusiastic about their new careers. Some incorporate elements of their old work into their acts with bedazzled denim coveralls and big placards announcing the Mystic Secrets of the Appalachians.

“It’s not just the miners that benefit, but also the kids of this great state,” Minglewood said as a recent graduate walked out in front of a group of kids to begin pickaxing a woman in half. Another man made some amazing shadow puppets with his old headlamp.

Some are going with a more David Blaine-style daredevil approach, such as Daniel Heathcliffe who was preparing his act of escaping a straight jacket while being lowered into a coal slurry.

“I got a bit of a background in this type of stuff. My cousins go to a snake-handling church and my step mom’s kind of a Painted Lady.” He hands us a card for a beauty salon called “Polly’s Permanent Makeup.”

While enthusiasm has built for the program, the future of it remains unclear. This week in Las Vegas, David Copperfield unveiled his first robotic magician’s assistant.