Magi-Whirl 2008 Just Around the Corner

“The best little convention in the National Capital Area”

Don’t miss International Brotherhood of Magicians, National Capital Ring 50, Magi-Whirl 2008, March 28 & 29, 2008. There will be four lectures, plus three close-up performances, and a Gala evening show. Magi-Whirl is being held at Bishop Ireton High School, 201 Cambridge Rd, Alexandria VA. Only $45 until March 16th. After March 16th it’s $60 for everyone. You can register and pay on our website: http://www.magi-whirl.org/ or download the registration form and mail it in.

Come to IBM Ring 50’s Magi-Whirl 2008, and hang out with other magicians and people devoted to magic. You may learn new tricks, ideas, presentations, and of course see some great performances. You won’t want to miss these great lecturers: Kenrick ‘ICE’ McDonald, Aldo Colombini & Rachel, and Eric Jones. A Question and Answer Session with Richard Kaufman, editor of Genii Magazine, and close-up magic with Wild Man Bob Little, Richard Kaufman, and Brian Morton.

We have twelve dealers scheduled for the dealer room. You can see and talk to professional magicians and look at new magic items for sale. On Friday night, March 28, there will be a dealer’s show with the dealers demonstrating the latest magical items, silks, accessories, and supplies. The dealers are: Wild Colombini Magic – Aldo Colombini, Sorcery with Class – Scott Correll, Guaranteed Magic – Bob Little, E-mmaculate Deceptions - Eric Jones, Magic Goods – Pravin Ponnuri, Hughes Magic – Richard Hughes, Fred’s Books – Fred Mitchell, Magic Enhancer – Robert Haas, Immagicnation – Bernardo Del Ray, KozmoMagic, Inc – Ted Brainard, and Magic, Balloons & Dave Cresey Products - John Reid, and SASCO - Sharon Wasserman.

The Saturday night Gala Evening Show includes: The Magic of Kenrick ‘ICE’ McDonald, Aldo Colombini, Swami Yomahmi, and DC Magician of the Year Noland Montgomery, with Magical Master of Ceremonies – Rich Bloch.

For details go to: http://www.magi-whirl.org./ Come and join the fun and meet new magical friends.

~~ Bob Patterson

Professor Hass Lectures at February Meeting

Prior the lecture, President Mike Taggert encouraged members to sell tickets to lay people for Ring 50’s annual Magi-Whirl Gala show March 29 in the 750-seat theater at Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Virginia. The show will feature Rich Bloch as the master of ceremonies. The program will include illusionist Kenrick “Ice” McDonald and the magic of Aldo and Rachel Colombini, Swami Yomahmi, and DC Magician of the Year Noland Montgomery.

Larry Hass, founding director of “The Theory and Art of Magic” program at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania, urged Ring 50 members at their February meeting to “make performances more magical” in a new lecture he has developed.
Hass, a philosophy professor at the college who is a magician in his own right, has written a new book, “Transformations: Creating Magic Out of Tricks,” which serves as the foundation for his lecture. He pointed out that experiencing magic is not commonplace but rare. “It touches your heart,” he stressed. Hass noted he personally experienced a feeling of real magic that made him exclaim “Wow!, when he saw the late Tommy Wonder, a creative Dutch magician, perform in Chicago. He then invited others to complete the declaration: “I will never forget the night I saw…” Former Ring 50 president Eric Henning said he would never forget the first time he saw Harry Blackstone Jr. on stage. Rucj Uffelman topped that by recalling witnessing Harry Blackstone Sr. perform. Sam Brothers added he was inspired when he first watched the late Doug Henning.

All eyes were on Dr. Larry Hass

Hass encouraged magicians to develop individual presentational frames for their own acts. He told the Ring 50 audience that frames should “come from your own imagination” and he emphasized that even silent presentations have frames. He also told his lecture crowd of more than 65 that some standard card moves such as the finger break, which has been used by magicians for a half century, may be “on their way out” because lay audiences now are quick to recognize the method. He added that frustration count and double lift also may be on the endangered list. While some methods are close to extinction “we can try to repair them,” he said.

New Members Voted Onboard Ring 50

Two new members were inducted as new Ring 50 members at the meeting. They are Peter Zawadzki, who has been a Yogi Magic Mart student in Baltimore and was inspired by Jeff McBride, and Brandon Tucker, a junior member who started doing stage magic when he was 9 years old. He is now interested in close-up and street magic.

~~ Jim Flanigan

"Holiday Party Magic" at January Meeting

Ring 50 members and guests were in a joyful mood for New Year 2008. Performers staged a holiday show at the January meeting that had been postponed from a canceled gathering in December caused by a fast-moving winter storm. John Roberts started the lineup with the assistance of two audience members. He plucked colorful silks from a metal stand and stuffed them into a rolled up tube fashioned from various hued pieces of “gift wrap”. He then asked his assistants to grab a silk from either end of the tube. When they pulled on them, the single silks had blended into a long multi-colored streamer.

Jim Flanigan, sporting a jester’s hat and a red sponge nose, greeted everyone with a “Happy New Year” cheer. With the help of Laurie Curry, he then pulled a white rabbit out of the funny hat followed by a 6-foot-long No. 2 yellow pencil. When his act continued minus the clown outfit, he sketched a card chosen by a young audience member. The hit of the evening was his producing a virtual rainbow fountain of silks from a square circle.

Past President (2003-04) Eric Henning did a "Marked Coin in Nest of Boxes" routine involving a boy, Justice, and a girl, Tesha. Tesha chose a golden dollar coin and each of them marked it with a permanent marker. Eric placed the marked coin into a handkerchief and the boy held the coin through the hank. Eric handed a miniature "Harry Potter" style wand to the girl; he then brought out a locked miniature treasure chest. The girl waved the wand and Eric said the magic spell. After some by-play, the coin vanished from the handkerchief and the boy opened the locked chest to find a smaller box inside, which contained jewels and the marked coin! Eric gave the coin to the boy and the wand to the girl and the audience gave them all a big round of applause.

Arnie Fuoco opened his segment by displaying a framed photograph of himself as a young boy sitting on Santa’s lap. He demonstrated how Santa showed him how to vanish of three Christmas colored handkerchiefs. Only to have them combine and appear as a much larger silk handkerchief showing a picture of Santa. He then introduced Herman the Christmas mouse who ran up and down a magic wand and vanished. The mother mouse, Monique, appeared eating cheese meant for the youngster and took a bow. Finally, Arnie performed an ancient Austrian custom of marriage proposal that occurred during Christmas Eve. He borrowed a bachelor's ring from Sam Brothers. After grinding the ring to powder, he had it magically appear on a sprig of Holly, indicating a future life of marital bliss for the bachelor.

Captain Token (Louis Hofheimer) orchestrated a routine to mark Hanukkah. In order to show how olive oil burned miraculously for eight days, Louis displayed a container from which liquid continued to flow even after the vessel seemed to be empty. He also invited a female assistant up from the audience to help restore a Hanukkah candle which he cut into three pieces. He ended with the aid of Cassandra showing her three cards—two 10s and a jack. One of the cards vanished only to be replaced by another card showing a Hanukkah lamp.

Ring 50 President Mike Taggert was the show emcee. During the evening, he also drew winners for some seasonal gifts including a nest of boxes, a gift pack of salmon, holiday popcorn and a canister of treats.

Shrive Paul Beck, a newcomer to magic, was voted in at the meeting as Ring 50’s newest member.

-- Laurie Curry and Jim Flanigan

Ring 50 Treasurer Collecting Dues for 2008

Ring 50 dues are due in February of each year. The annual dues of $15 are due by the February 6th meeting for all members. Anyone, wishing to do so, can pay their dues at the February 6th meeting. The Ring 50 Treasurer, Bob Patterson, requests that you pay by check, as this eases the record keeping. Make checks payable to IBM Ring 50. Cash will be accepted providing you have the correct change. If you are unable to make the meetings, you can also send a check to his home address at 3450 Wainscott Place, Lake Ridge, VA 22192. Enjoy your Ring activities throughout 2008 by paying your dues now.

‘Holiday Party Magic’ for January Meeting

President Mike Taggert had to cancel the December meeting due to the snow and hazardous road conditions around Washington DC. The ‘Holiday Magic’ program scheduled for the meeting will be presented at the January meeting as ‘Holiday Party Magic’. The Ring members wishing to perform at the January meeting should contact Mike by email: President@IBMRing50.Org or phone: 540-370-0752. Be sure to purchase a 50/50 ticket for some additional prizes.

President Taggert has a proposal to launch a Youth Affiliate program for the Washington DC area. He would like to urge each and every Ring member to do their best to attract and retain members from ten to eighteen years of age to come to the Ring meetings. They would be non-voting members, but would assist on committees, participate in shows, attend Ring seminars, learn magic skills, or improve their magic techniques.

Be sure to get registered for Magi-Whirl 2008 before the price increase on March 16. Magi-Whirl 2008 will be held March 28 & 29 in Alexandria Virginia at the Bishop Ireton High School. It will feature four lectures, three close-up performances, ten magic dealers, and a Gala evening show. For details see the Ring 50 web site: www.Magi-Whirl.Org.

Bob Patterson

Members Perform for “Wounded Warriors”

Magicians Bert Udovin, Eric Henning, Jason Goldberg, and Brandon Tucker on December 10 performed strolling magic for a NASA "Tribute To Our Wounded Soldiers" program at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Springs Maryland. The strolling magicians were will received and enjoyed by all of those attending the tribute.

DECEMBER MEETING CANCELED!!

December's Ring 50 meeting has been canceled due to hazardous road conditions.
We'll see you in January!

The National Weather Service has issue a Snow Advisory for the entire metro area from Baltimore south to Fredericksburg, Virginia, calling for steady snowfall from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. EST. Although less than 2 inches of snow is expected, temperatures will rise to the mid-30's by afternoon, meaning that the roads are likely to melt and then re-freeze by sunset at 4:44 p.m. For the safety of our members and guests, and given the likelihood that traffic will be as chaotic this evening as it was this morning, President Michael Taggert has decided to cancel tonight's meeting. Stay safe and warm! The Board is currently trying to get an email out to all members.
- Eric Henning, Web Master