Ring 50 to Launch Magic Youth International Chapter

President of Ring 50, Louis Meyer, is announcing the beginning of our Youth Ring in DC. The first meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn in Alexandria on June 3rd at 6:00pm. The Youth Ring will be open for youths ages 7-17. Every meeting will teach the youth’s magic history, presentation, and a magic trick that they will practice and perform at the meeting. The meetings will run about 90 minutes. Parents can drop the children off or stay for the meeting. Every month we will have a guest magician come and demonstrate the magic trick or the magic history. Please encourage anyone you think would be interested in joining to come. The child members will need to become Junior Members of the IBM then members of our Youth Ring. There are small fees and we will go over that at the first meeting. I can promise you that we, as a club, will offer a fun, interactive, and safe environment for the youths. We will need a few volunteers to help with the meetings. Even if you can only make it to one meeting, that will help. For safety reasons we need more than one adult there, preferably a woman volunteer. But any volunteer will be greatly appreciated. Please email Louis at louis@childtimemagic.com if you are interested in volunteering or becoming a member of MYI.

Ring 50 picks Magician of Year

After President Louis Meyer opened the May meeting, accomplished IBM Ring 50 magicians competed for the annual Dan Lacey Memorial Trophy and the title of ‘Magician of the Year’ before an audience of 57 people. Dan Lacey was a former Ring 50 president (1999-2000) who was noted for promoting goodwill and fellowship. The four Judges based their selections on originality, presentation, performance, and entertainment skills. This was a top-notch contest and a very close competition by all contestants. Dick Christian was declared the winner and was presented with the Dan Lacey Trophy for his performance by Louis Meyer, and Cecelia (Lacey) Richey. Dick did his adaptation of Terry Seabrook's classic "Burned Bill to Wallet." He borrowed a $100 bill, used three envelopes and put the bill into one of them, after mixing them up he then labeled the envelopes and two were selected by the volunteer to be burned. The remaining envelope which was thought to have the bill was shown empty. Dick gave his wallet to the volunteer and the bill was found inside a stapled cardboard holder in the wallet.

Dwight Redman did a prediction using 3 different colored envelopes. The woman chose yellow, a man chose blue, and magician left with red. The Woman’s prediction in the envelope said she would choose yellow, the man’s envelope said he would choose blue, the magician’s says the woman will choose yellow, the man will choose blue, and the magician will be left with red. Then he then did a version of Sidewalk Shuffle – a 3 card monte. Next he introduced a Star Trek plot with selected Star Trek card appearing in a nest of boxes and a bottle.

Theo Rushin Jr. performed as a laid off worker who suddenly find pleasure in doing magic for the people on the street. After pulling a mug full of water from an apparently empty paper bag he began with finding and pulling an unusually long piece of rope from his sleeve and pants legs. Then he performed a series of rope and ring-n-rope tricks. He concluded with taking out a wad of one dollar bills from a wallet that was once on fire. He changed the one dollar bills into a hand full of five dollar bills.

The contest included last year’s winner Nolan Montgomery. After magically producing a deck of playing cards, Noland performed a version of "multiple selection" involving the entire audience which he divided into 6 teams. He had each of the teams pick and remember a card. He ultimately revealed each chosen card in rapid-fire succession, including, in one case, using ‘sleight of nose,’ and in another, causing a selected card to shoot out of his hat.

Tom Paxton did an optical illusion routine with business card. Two volunteers assisted with a random number divination using a dice and a divination of a volunteer’s emotional connection or experience.

Reggie ‘Supermagicman’ Rice came on stage with his Michael Jackson style dress and dancing to MJ song Danger doing productions of silks, flowers, fans, cane, and some sleight of hand with a billiard ball. Ending with a production of the USA flag and a large fan.

Arnie Fuoco used a magic light at his finger tips to change a red rose to white rose, to make color changes to a Chinese coin, and a white rope to a red rope. The magic light was also use to change the colors of a CD and a scarf. He used the finger tip light in conjunction with a coloring book making the colors appear and then having all the pages turn blank. He ended the light show by filling a bag with lights and causing them to disappear. He then produced playing cards out of thin air, ending with a double fan of jumbo cards.

Eric Henning opened with a dollar bill that multiplied, into many bills. The last bill was a million-dollar bill which he then ripped it up, ate it, and it became a 50-foot money streamer. Next Eric did a strong elegant Linking Ring routine with Japanese music from the early 1900's. His finale was a story about bubbles ending with a bubble visibly becoming solid.

Rick Beatty ended the competition with an ugly, rainbow-scaled fish that he called Sebastian the Psychic Salmon to predict the name of a playing card chosen by a young audience member. The first attempt was wrong, but the regulation size card grew to about a foot in length with enough pips to be correct.

JUNE 3rd MEETING - Winton Carroll Contest

Get ready for the June 3rd meeting and present your comedy magic material for the “Most Humorous Magician” contest and win a $100. This Winton Carroll Contest is open to all Ring 50 members. This contest and meeting will be conducted in the Dinning Room of the Hotel. Winner will be chosen by popular vote (please bring a pencil or pen to mark the ballot). Contact Louis Meyer (louis@childtimemagic.com or ph. 703-765-1923) if you want to compete in this contest. Let us know a week before the meeting so the ballots can be printed.

Also at the June 3 Meeting - New Officers to be Installed

The newly elected Executive Committee shall be installed during the June 4th meeting. Officers are: President, Louis Meyer; Vice President, Arnie Fuoco; Treasurer, Bob Patterson; Secretary, Eric Henning; Sgt-at-Arms, Tom Paxton. The Board of Directors are: Don Freedman, Dwight Redman, and Michael Taggert. Jim Flanigan, IBM Territorial VP, will conduct the installation.

~ ~ Bob Patterson

Magi-Whirl 2009 - A Smashing Success!

Comments received on the surveys: “Jeff McBride was fabulous”, “Jeff’s lecture was the best-great!”, “Loved Sam Brothers lobby close-up”, "Best magic convention I ever attended," Mike and Bob really did a great one!” If you didn’t get to attend Magi-Whirl 2009 you missed a really great convention. You can see more photos and stories in the May Magi-Gram. (Just click on the "More" tab in the frame just above the "M" in "Magi-Gram" to print it out.)

145 magicians and magic enthusiasts descended on Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria Virginia to participate in the IBM National Capital Ring 50’s annual Magi-Whirl. The honored guest was Joan Caesar, International President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and Bruce Kalver, National President of the Society of American Magicians. Mike Taggert, Event Producer along with Bob Patterson, co-producer orchestrated the attendees through three lectures, three close-up shows, a question & answer session, and a Gala Evening Magic show.

Paul Green, Magic Castle’s 2008 Close-up Magician of the Year; Jeff McBride, The Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle) 2008 Lecturer of the Year, and Bruce Kalver, SAM National President presented outstanding lectures, which the attendees took away many ideas and techniques to enhance their own act. The lectures were a great way to start off the convention. Close-up shows were presented by Jeff McBride, Paul Green, and Bill Warren.

Between events, there were ten excellent dealers to provide the latest magic props, supplies, and equipment for every magic buff from beginner to the seasoned professional. The dealer’s show was an excellent show within itself demonstrating the latest in magic. The dealers were Jeff McBride, Bob Sanders, John Reid, Mark Reed, Pravin Ponnuri, Richard Hughes, Scott Correll, Fred Mitchell, Bruce Kalver, and Paul Green.

This year’s Question and Answer Session with Joan Caesar, I.B.M. and Bruce Kalver S.A.M., was very interesting about the ways they got into magic. Mike Taggert served as moderator for the session. Joan, from Eastern Canada and has traveled the world since assuming the helm as the IBM’s International President, confessed she loves magic conventions. SAM President Bruce Kalver was literally born into a world of magic. His grandfather, Samuel Woolf, was a magician who built magic for Harry Houdini. Volunteers from Ring 50 helped in various areas to contribute to the highly successful convention. Other honorees appearing at the convention were Al & Rita Cohen and Magic Castle Performing Fellow Howard Schwarzman & Patty Moore-Ott.

Strolling magicians, under the direction of Dwight Redman, were in the lobby of the theater performing feats of magic for the 600 people as they waited for the doors to open to the Gala Show. Magicians working the lobby were Captain Token (Louis Hofheimer), Dwight Redman, Rick Beatty, Eric Redman, Sam Brothers, TEO (Theo Rushin), and Lorenzo the Great (Larry Lipman).

The closing Gala Show performance was out of this world. The emcee for the evening program was past Ring 50 President Eric Henning. Four-time DC Magician of the Year Noland Montgomery, was the opening act. Up next was Bruce Kalver with Joan Caesar followed by Eric Henning. After the intermission Jeff McBride put on over an hour of great magic with his excellent stagecraft and sheer mastery of illusion which astonished the audience. A young boy named C.J. selected by McBride from the audience was brought on stage by the superstar. The youngster caught the performer off guard as he mimicked his every move and drew loud applause for his delightful bows.

On Sunday, Jeff McBride presented his Masters Workshop to the pleasure of 32 magicians. Jeff shared his own life story and lessons learned along the way to becoming a Las Vegas headliner and noted performer around the world. Everyone gained exceptional techniques and knowledge from the teachings of McBride. His acclaimed workshop combined magical performance, interactive participation and fascinating insights and stories to teach the attendees how to think and perform like a magician. McBride revealed inside secrets of how magic REALLY works. Not merely an explanation of tricks, but the psychology that can be applied in the everyday business world to achieve magical results. Picture are Jeff McBride and Danny Selnick.

(Photos by Becki Wells, Dwight Redman, Bob Patterson, and Jim Flanigan)

~ ~ Bob Patterson

From the President of Ring 50

Hello all. This email is announcing the beginning of our Youth Ring in DC. Our first meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn in Alexandria, where we normally have our meetings, on June 3rd at 6pm. The Youth Ring will be open for children ages 7-17. I will run the Youth Ring for now. Every meeting will teach the kids magic history, presentation, and a magic trick that they will practice and perform at the meeting. The meetings will run 90 minutes. Parents can drop the children off or stay for the meeting. Every month we will have a guest magician come and demonstrate the magic trick or the magic history. Please encourage anyone you think that would be interested in joining to come. The child members will need to become Junior Members of the IBM then members of our Youth Ring. There are small fees and we will go over that at the first meeting. I can promise you that we, as a club, will offer a fun, interactive, and safe environment for the kids.

Now, I will need a few volunteers to help me with the meetings. Even if you can only make it to one meeting, that will help. For safety reasons we need more than one adult there, preferably a woman volunteer. But any volunteer will be greatly appreciated. Please email me at louis@childtimemagic.com if you are interested.

In addition, if you belong to any of the other clubs could you mention it to your members?

Thank you everyone.

Louis Meyer
President Ring 50
louis@childtimemagic.com

April Auction Activity

Fifty-three members and guests attended our annual Ring 50 auction. Auctioneers Dick Christian and IBM Past President Bill Wells did a fantastic job demonstrating the live auction items and coaxing out the best dollar. Overall lucky bidders bought some great magic equipment, videos, and publications. A Berglass book drew very active bidding but Wayne Alan gave the final bid of $250 and walked away with it. A head twister was another piece of magic that was won for only $175. After escalating bids Reggie Rice succeeded in winning a ring to gumball machine. A lot of active bidding took place on the 25 items that an anonymous magician donated to Ring 50 for the live auction. He also donated 48 items for the silent auction. Mike Wolfson took home Double Coincidence and Kevin Sievers was top bidder for a vintage Tannen’s Stars of Magic book. Altogether, it was a very busy night with a total of 272 items being sold of which 121 items were bought in the live auction and 151 magic items sold in the silent auction.

President Louis Meyer encouraged members to compete on May 6 in the Dan Lacey ‘Washington Magician of the Year’ contest held annually in memory of a former Ring 50 president. Entrants will perform following the election of officers for the coming year.

The June meeting will be a comedy magic contest in honor of Winton Carroll for the most the Most Humorous Magician.

Magi-Whirl Is Just a Few Days Away!
If you haven’t registered for Magi-Whirl 2008, do it today! The registration price is $65 for everyone. You can register and pay on our website: http://www.magi-whirl.org/ until April 14th. After that pay at the door.

The doors open at 6:00 PM on Friday for registration and Paul Green’s lecture starts at 6:30 PM. Dealer’s room will NOT be open until after the lecture. On Saturday the doors open at 9:00 AM for registration, admission, and Dealer room. Jeff McBride’s lecture starts at 10:00 AM.