I.B.M. Ring 9

Ring Reports

April 2007

No. 9, Atlanta, Georgia - Georgia Magic Club
3rd Monday, 7:00 PM, Funny Farm Comedy Club, Alpharetta Hwy, Roswell, GA

DALE ADAMSON, President (daledoesmagic@yahoo.com)
ROB SPEER, Vice President (speerlaw@bellsouth.net)
EVAN REYNOLDS, Secretary (evan@evan.org)
Ring 9 Web Site: www.gamagicclub.com


Our April meeting began with New Mathematical Principles in Card Tricks, a mini-lecture by math wizard and professor, Colm Mulcahy. Our members appreciated learning new methods they can use to dazzle their audiences.

This was a special evening for the Georgia Magic Club. We held our third annual Close-Up Contest, officially called the Doyne Michie Excellence in Close-Up Magic Award. Our host for the evening was our president, DALE ADAMSON. We enjoyed a very large attendance including many non-magician guests. Our esteemed guests were seated up front, which I'm confident instantly put the performers at ease by insuring that they would be able to enjoy the genuine real-world reactions, delight, and laughs of laymen.

First contestant was KEN SCOTT. Ken's charming style was best represented with his opening piece, the production of a chocolate candy kiss from a flaming paper that featured a red lipstick print on it. He then engaged us with a funny sponge ball routine involving a young audience assistant who jumped at the surprising climax of a dozen sponge balls popping out of Ken's hand. His finale was a cute card routine honoring our Atlanta Braves. Ken displayed a drawing of a catcher's mitt, placing it into a leather wallet for safekeeping. A freely selected card magically appeared folded inside the catcher's mitt. Of course the magic wasn't complete until Ken revealed that he really magically caught the image, because it was now actually printed on the center of the drawing!

Our second contestant was ARTHUR ATSMA. A freely chosen playing card jumped under a wooden box sitting on the table. Then, after being signed by an audience member, the card repeatedly vanished from the deck and jumped back under the box. In a surprising conclusion, the signed card (while being guarded by a young audience member) changed places with a second chosen card, and the signed card actually appeared inside the wooden box. Arthur concluded his performance with a very sharp Chop Cup routine that he's obviously honed for many years. Even the long-time magicians in the audience were dazzled by his surprise climax of a large baseball appearing under the cup, followed by an even larger baseball, and then the surprise of Arthur actually juggling the two balls and the cup.

Our third contestant was KEVIN McDAID who displayed a box of playing cards severed into two halves. Screwing them together like a pool cue, Kevin proceeded to open the box and pull out a complete deck of cards. As if that wasn't surprising enough, he crumpled up the card box and discarded it, but not before he produced an 8 ball from the card box! This was followed by a card routine where four piles were briefly covered by his hands, one at a time the top cards magically turned over. With three 10s and one Ace, Kevin performed an entertaining four card monte concluding with a surprising display of three Aces and one 10. This strong sleight-of-hand set wrapped up with a nice Wild Card routine featuring a gambling theme. Six Jokers were laid out on the table, and Kevin displayed a 3 of Hearts. Transforming the Aces into 3s one at a time, the cards then equaled 21, and since "21" is a winning hand, the cards turned into cash.

Our next contestant was KEITH RAINEY. He made three silver dollars appear from his tie and elbow. The silver dollars vanished, and then magically returned. After bringing up four audience members who each chose a playing card, Keith mentally discerned the chosen cards. After one of the cards was signed, it magically appeared between two other cards although they were previously placed between the palms of one of his audience participants.

Next, we enjoyed LYNN FOX who produced a sponge rabbit, then surprised us all with the appearance of a glass ketchup bottle. Lynn covered the bottle with a scarf, and amazingly penetrated the bottle through the center of the table, instantly pulling it out from beneath the table. A borrowed finger ring penetrated through a string while being held by a spectator, then after the ring was tied to Lynn's hand it escaped to his other hand.

Our final contestant was DAVID SMITH, opened with fire eating. David shared his uplifting Georgia rainbow routine with a colorful silk streamer. He then called up a young audience member from whom David produced some coins and even a fork from the boy's ear. His routine concluded with some impressive fork bending first in his hands, then in a spectator's hand, and finally the tines became twisted and bent by David's mind.

A surprise highlight of the evening came when guest of honor DOYNE MICHIE entertained the audience with his famous Texas Penny, followed by the transposition of a one-dollar bill and a five-dollar bill inside a spectator's hand.

While the judge's votes were tallied, HOWIE MARMER entertained us. The audience loved a beautiful routine in which two audience members signed their chosen cards, one on the front and one on the back, then Howie magically melded the two cards into one! A chosen card repeatedly vanished and appeared between two wooden boards, and when a young audience member pounded on the boards, his chosen card transformed into a jumbo card.

The competition concluded with Dale announcing the winner of the 2007 Doyne Michie Excellence In Close-Up Magic Award - KEN SCOTT! Congratulations my friend!!

Debbie Leifer, Ring Scribe