Sunday, June 10, 2007

Winton Carroll Night Brings Out The Magicians With A Unique Bit Of Humor

Fifty-three members and guests attended the June meeting. Jim Flanigan, TVP Washington, DC conducted the installation and oath of office for the new officers for 2007-08: President, Michael Taggert; Vice President, Louis Meyer; Treasure, Bob Patterson; Secretary, Laurie Curry; and Sergeant-at-Arms, Reggie Rice. The Board of Directors are: Dwight Redman, Bill Wells, and Don Freedman.

Three new members were voted into the Ring: Gabriel Brehm, Alexandria VA; Jay Krasnow, Arlington VA; and Terrance Moran, Fairfax Station VA. This meeting was the Winton Carroll Contest Night. A contest to find the magician showing a unique ‘bit of humor’ in his act. There were 9 contestants vying for $100 prize donated by the Emma Carroll the widow of Winton Carroll, “The Magical Major”. This was a comical evening that won’t be forgotten.

Reggie Rice Wins Winton Carroll Award

Reggie Rice entered and produced a bowling ball from his brief case. Through a series of dialog he took a lengthy worded sign and finally created his real story, “Will Do Tricks For Food”. His disappearing coke bottle had the kids amazed. With the help of Becki Wells, Reggie does a paper trick using a roll of toilet paper. Reggie has the crowd laughing as Becky assists him with a "do as I do routine" and much to Reggie's surprise, she was suppose to follow Reggie and eat the paper. Although the crowd sees her stick it in her collar, Reggie doesn't and the audience is howling with laughter as Reggie circles her looking for the paper. After Reggie eats his paper it is pulled from his mouth in an extremely long colorful streamer. Reggie was voted by the audience as the magician showing a unique ‘bit of humor’ and was awarded the $100.


The Legendary Rick Beatty, as Mr. Memory, (in his shorts) had the crowd in stitches when he performed a memory test using a 400-page telephone book. With his back to back with Michelle, a member of the audience, Rick gave her a copy of the phone book and asks her to turn to any page and he will read from his memory what is on that page. This was repeated for several random pages. Unbeknownst to Michelle, Rick is reading from a copy of the phone book not his memory. Michelle is totally amazed until she turns around and discovers that Rick is reading from his own book.

John Roberts showed how a stuffed orangatang that could be thrown like a boomerang, called a boomerang-a-tang, and return to the thrower. Then he did a three ‘Singing Frog Monte’ in which one frog was silent and challenged the audience to keep track of it. Sadly, the silent frog expired but then was revived through the supportive audience members a la tinker bell.

Geoff Weber, (aka Geo) performed a comedy vanish illusion. With the help of the audience, he attempted to convince a volunteer that they had disappeared, when in fact she didn't go anywhere. The audience tried to stifle their laughter long enough to provide convincing gasps of amazement. At the conclusion, Geo confessed that it had all been ruse, because if she had truly vanished the audience would have reacted like this.... with a whisk of a silk sheet; he revealed that the spectator actually vanished.

Noland Montgomery opened with an effect in which he produced a bowling pin from three colored scarves, and then performed a "bill to impossible location" effect involving two spectators, and two borrowed bills. After "accidentally" tearing the two bills into two, the halves of the two bills were made to disappear and reappear in a sealed envelope inside his wallet. The half bills inside the envelope matched the halves retained by their owners.



Jim Flanigan produced his own special presentation of the Mismade Flag to stage a patriotic play about the creation of the first American flag. He cast Bill Wells, a former IBM president, as George Washington. He selected Betty Smith, wife of former Ring 50 President Buddy Smith, to play Betsy Ross. With Jim feeding the cast members their lines, George Washington asked the Philadelphia seamstress, "Oh say do you sew?" "Oh, yes sir," she replied. "From the dawn's early light to the twilight's last gleaming." Jim, after several attempts, finally made a US Flag in the proper colors.

Buggler (Scott McDonald) attempted to mystify the audience with his amazing prowess of ESP to correctly identify four cards randomly chosen from a deck of 52 by four assistants. But alas, things did not go well for Buggler as his attempt to locate the four cards failed and he sent the spectators to their seats and went on to a cut and restored newspaper. After his first cut, to remove the middle of a folded newspaper, his assistant helped to open it up to show the audience the results, the newspaper look like a very large rendition of the eight of diamonds; one of the previously chosen cards! This continued as Buggler cut at the newspaper to create all of four of the previously chosen cards. Alas, Buggler "restored" the faith of the audience in him as a magician by simply cutting up a newspaper.

Glenn Gary gave his impression of David Blaine escaping from a strait jacket to the music of “Saber Dance”. Like David Blaine some of the action was not visible. During his comedy escape routine in which he lost many things including his toupee.

Tim Cannon entertain the kids, by first removing his thumb and then transferring one finger from the right hand to the left hand. Then using Pixie, the birthday girl who turned 29 (again) today, fooled his volunteer, using the skills of his hands, did a funny job of vanishing pieces of paper several times (over the volunteers head).

~~ Bob Patterson

President Receives Award

At the meeting on June 6th, Michael Taggert presented the outgoing president, Dwight Redman with an IBM Past President medal and a beautiful IBM plaque in appreciation for his leadership for 2006-2007. The plaque reads: Presented to Dwight Redman In appreciation for Services as Ring President International Brotherhood Of Magicians National Capital Ring 50, 2006-2007.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Winton Carroll Award

The June 6th meeting will have the Winton Carroll Award for the “Most Humorous Magician”. This is a $100 award given each year for the next 5 years to the magician showing a ‘bit of humor’ in his act. The contest will be held separate from any other contest. The winner is determined by "people's choice", in which each member of the audience has the opportunity to vote for the magician showing the best “bit of humor”. The one with the most votes wins. Ballots will be made up the day before the meeting once all the contestants have applied. Your registration for the contest must be submitted by Tuesday, 5 June to insure your name is on the ballot. Submit your intent to perform to Bob Patterson, Treasurer@ibmring50.org.

Friday, May 04, 2007

Magi-Whirl 2007 Benefits Bishop Ireton High School

Mike Taggert and Dwight Redman presented Kevin Curry and Jessica Seeley of Bishop Ireton High School a large check for $2,210, the school’s share of the Magi-Whirl Gala Show. The Gala show incorporated the best and most original top line performers performing for over 400 patrons. Karen James, IBM TVP Maryland said: " We had the best time, in a long, long time!" Jim Flanigan, IBM TVP Washington DC commented: "I think Magi-Whirl 2007 in general was perhaps the best in my memory--especially the stage show. "
~ ~ Bob Patterson

Noland Montgomery Wins Again!!

Accomplished IBM Ring 50 magicians competed for the 5th annual Dan Lacey Memorial Trophy and the title of Magician of the Year. A bequest from Dan Lacey’s family and his work place help obtain the trophy. Dan was a former Ring 50 president (1999-2000) who was noted for promoting goodwill and fellowship. Judges based their selections on originality, presentation, performance, and entertainment skills. The winner will be performing at Magi-Whirl 2008.

This was a top-notch contest and a very close competition by all contestants.Noland Montgomery was declared the winner and was presented with the Dan Lacey Trophy for his performance. This is the third time Noland has won the title “Magician of the Year” (2004, 2005, and 2007). Noland claimed he use to work in an orange juice factory, but got fired because he could not concentrate. After vanishing a silk, he presented a “street version” of the cups and balls. He wrapped up his routine producing two large balls from under the cups and a coconut from a seemingly empty hat.
The contest included last year’s winner Dwight Redman. He lightened the tone with whimsical and multiple egg productions from an empty egg bag. Finally Dwight placed the egg on the table and magically a dove appeared. Our audience love it.

Arnie Fuoco proceeded to keep the crowd chuckling with his acronyms. He gave CPR to a small rope and using BSEE he ended up with yards of rope. His showed us his CD (Card Diet) for the large King that was place between jumbo cards and was squeeze to normal size. After vanishing and eating several marshmallows he extracted them from his mouth as a long steamer. His lighthearted humor kept us in stitches.

Don Freedman displayed his own originality by demonstrating his “Masters of Fate”. Four members of the audience stood on a different unknown plaques and each of the four people randomly selected a foil wrapped packet from the six offered. As each person’s packet was opened it revealed a colored poker chip. There were three blue and one red. A fifth person had a stack of signs which when revealed matched the amount of blue and red chips selected and those remaining. Next the plaques were turn over by each member and found to match the colored chip they had randomly selected. Was it luck, fate, or pre-determined?

Geoff Weber straight in from the orchard brought us apples and oranges. He explained that you could mix apples and oranges and get a pair. He placed the pairs into boxes held by two spectators. Each getting a pair. One orange remained and was placed in Sam’s box. Invisibly Geoff made the orange fly thru the air into the box Jessica was holding. When the apple and orange pairs were removed it was discovered the orange really did travel from Sam’s box to the one Jessica was holding. Did you see the fruit fly? Next Geoff borrowed a $20 bill, had it marked, made it vanish while a volunteer was holding the silk with the bill in it. The volunteer selected one of the oranges and Geoff cut it open and there was the missing $20 bill.
Jason Goldberg caught the magical groups attention when he put on his cool x-ray glasses. A volunteer selected a card and Jason through a thought process attempted to name the volunteers card. He failed, but when he took off his x-ray glasses, on the inside of the glasses was the selected card. Next he led us through a story line on the metro using linking rings.

Our final act of the evening was Sam Brothers. Sam travels a lot and collects playing cards from around the world. He made a deck of the cards with the backs all different, no two were alike. A spectator was asked to deal the cards face down and stop anytime they wished. At that point a marker card (3S) from another deck was placed face up. The pack was squared up and the spectator again deal cards face down and stopped anytime they wished. Again a marker card (3C) was placed face up. When the cards were fan spread on the table the card facing the marker cards matched the card exactly. When the remaining deck was turned over, all the cards were Jacks. Next Sam had a volunteer shuffle a jumbo deck and the randomly reversed some of the cards. He then made several predictions about the face down cards. All the predictions were true, except one and it was corrected by a note that was found in the card box.
~ ~ Bob Patterson

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Officers 2007-2008

President - Michael Taggert
Vice President - Louis Meyer
Treasurer - Bob Patterson
Secretary - Laurie Curry
Sergeant At Arms - Reggie Rice

Director - Don Freedman
Director - Dwight Redman
Director - Bill Wells

Magi-Gram Editor - Jim Flanigan
Webmaster - Eric Henning