I.B.M. Ring 9

Ring Reports

June 2009

No. 9, Atlanta, Georgia - Georgia Magic Club
3rd Monday, 7:00 PM, StarTime Entertainment, Alpharetta Hwy, Roswell, GA
DEBBIE LEIFER, President ( Debbie@MagicDebbie.com)
PAUL SPONAUGLE, Vice President (psmagic@comcast.net)
BILL PACKARD, Secretary (packardw@earthlink.net)
Ring 9 Web Site: www.GaMagicClub.com

Our June meeting began with an interesting Mini Lecture presented by Aragorn titled Marketing 101. Geared mostly for the family entertainer who specializes in birthday parties, schools, and libraries, this wide-ranging presentation included the pros and cons of print advertising in local parent magazines, websites and online listings, direct mail, pricing, and finding a differentiating factor that sets each performer apart from their competition.

Following some social time, a short business meeting included announcements regarding the upcoming Jay Sankey lecture, our annual auction, requests for contributions to the next issue of Equinox Magic News, and strong encouragement to register for the IBM National Convention. We had several guests in attendance who were asked to share a little about their background in magic and what brought them to our meeting. Then we enjoyed some entertaining rope magic from Mike Yakubek as he demonstrated his skills as the final phase of applying for membership.

Vice President Paul Sponaugle introduced the evening's amusing and challenging Magic Theme - CIGAM SDRAWKCAB, in other words, Backwards Magic. Dan Garrett performed the Collapsing and Expanding Soda Can, followed by a backwards version of Any Card At Any Number where he revealed the identity and position of a named card. Joe Morrison demonstrated a traditional pick-a-card trick in reverse, naming a card before his audience volunteer chose it.

Carey Huddlestun presented Picto Transpo, a cool routine where he and an audience member drew caricatures of each other, signed their name on the back of their own framed drawing, and their artwork magically change places. Howie Marmer attempted Card Off Ceiling, a surprising reversal of the popular stunt.

A highlight of the evening was the performance by Evan Reynolds, immediately prior to his performance in the Close-Up Contest at the I.B.M. National Convention in Nashville. We were all amused by the electronic "toys" he invented. A motorized pizza cutter was used to sever the torso of a nervous volunteer, then a remote-controlled motorized bagel cutter assisted in the revelation of a chosen playing card. The conclusion was a vanished ring appearing inside a Gozinta Box, accompanied by an amusing story.

Debbie Leifer presented a backwards version of the Phil Deck, every card had the same exact name printed on the back. When a freely chosen card was turned over, not only was it the single card in the deck with a name other than Phil, it featured the first name of the audience participant. Debbie also performed her original backwards version of Six Bill Repeat. She added three cards at a time, repeatedly resulting in three more cards magically appearing in her hands… until the original six became a total of 21 cards, and then a surprise appearance of a winning blackjack hand from a Las Vegas deck.

Backwards Magic concluded with the most amazing performance of the night, when Keith Rainey presented Francis Menotti's "Exdislycally Shunuffled". Keith's patter became increasingly jumbled as he mixed up a deck of cards. Ultimately, he revealed a chosen card as one final shuffle caused the deck to instantly magically straighten out, while his language simultaneously normalized.

For General Magic, Joe M. Turner shared a routine he designed that involves ten cards magically vanishing from his hands and appearing inside his pants pocket, one card at a time. Darryl Berman presented a Color Changing Silk and Vision Test. The magic concluded with Howie Marmer turning a handful of $1 bills into $100s, and an amusing sponge ball routine with the assistance of a high school student visiting to learn some magic for an ambitious school project.

Winner of the Coveted Royal Blue Pen Award for June was Keith Rainey.

Debbie Leifer