International Brotherhood of Magicians Ring 71

The Ring 71 Annual Close-up Contest was held at our meeting on December 16, with four of our members taking part as contestants. Each contestant was to perform for between five and eight minutes. P. J. Arnold, Bill Boden, and Patty Bertsch served as judges.

(Click photos to enlarge.)

Larry Payne opened with several variations on the Hot Rod, a silk and ribbon routine that reminded me of the classic Sefalaljia, and closed with a deceptive ball and tube effect. ⇒

⇐ Don Hinton performed a Reverse Matrix effect, followed by an “Un-Card Trick” (performed with un-cards (blank cards), naturally). Don closed with a Card to Envelope effect.

Ian Adams, one of our youngest members, did a full program of card effects: a packet trick revolving around an odd back card, a behind-the-back location, a vanishing deck, and an effect using two Kings to hunt down the chosen card. ⇒

⇐ Patrick Thernes opened with the production of a glass of wine, then wowed the crowd with a five-minute Cups and Balls routine performed entirely to music. The final surprise, in which the three multi-colored paper balls merged into one, was especially effective.

After a brief break for snacks, the Ring reconvened and the judges announced their decision:

• 3rd place: Larry Payne
• 2nd place: Don Hinton
• 1st place: Patrick Thernes

Congratulations to all our contestants!

We are deeply saddened by the news that Dr. Harold Puff, long known as “The Dean of Cincinnati Magicians”, passed away on Wednesday, December 14th.

Visitation will be held Saturday, December 17th, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Oxford Presbyterian Church. The memorial service will start at 2:00 PM.

For further details, please visit the Zig Zag Archive.

Chuck Arkin, past president of Ring 71, has embarked on a project to commemorate the 75th anniversary of IBM Ring 71. Chuck writes:

As you may have seen from Zig Zag articles over the past few months, Pat Hartzel and I are creating a book to honor Cincinnati’s Legends and Leaders of Magic. These are intended as not-for-profit books (at no cost to the magic clubs or recipients), to be given out as gifts, early next year, as we celebrate Ring 71’s 75th anniversary, and will also acknowledge the 90th anniversary of SAM Assembly 11.

For the “legends” part, we invite all Cincinnati magicians who have been performing for twenty-five years or more to send me a promotional picture and a brief biography (perhaps a page of information, that we can edit down). Some people find it easier to just have me interview them.

The “leaders” part is intended to include past president’s of the Cincinnati magic clubs. We have all the names of past IBM ring 71 president’s, though we are missing the names of past presidents (and years served) for the other Cincinnati-based magic clubs. Any assistance or names/dates you can provide will be much appreciated.

Our preference is to receive your information electronically via email, or snail mail if you prefer. However, to help facilitate people who want to come in to be interviewed, Betty Winzig has agreed to allow me to conduct interviews at Haines House of Cards during its regular business hours on Friday, November 11th (it’s a Veterans Day work holiday day off for me), and on Saturday, November 19th. Please contact me (email carkinwzrd@aol.com or call 513-236-4015) to make an appointment if possible, so that interview times will not overlap.

If you meet the criteria listed above, please download this information form (Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF). After filling it out, please email it to Chuck. You can also print it out, fill it out by hand, and mail it to Chuck at the address listed at the top of the questionnaire.

The Los Angeles Times reports that a fire has broken out at the famous Magic Castle. No injuries have thus far been reported, but the club will be closed for Halloween.

Fellow conjuror Scott Meyer tells us that he will be joined by Sean Owens and Brahm Corstanje for the ‘Lebanon Theatre Hauntings’ at 8:00 PM on the evenings of October 28 and 29. Tickets are $13, and can be reserved by calling the theatre at 513-228-0932. More details at the Lebanon Theatre Company website, or see the show poster (click image at right to download).

Via Aaron DeLong, word of a very enterprising young lady who has organized a magic show to benefit special needs kids in the Columbus area:

Kelly Spangler is producing a charity magic show to benefit special needs kids. This is her project to attain the highest award in Girl Scouts, the Gold Award. Take a look at the video she made showing her work this summer with special needs kids. She performed some magic for them, and taught them a few basic tricks. Her project is called “The Magic of Self-Confidence”.

The show is scheduled for 1:00 PM on Saturday October 29, in Upper Arlington. Call 614-442-1228 or email Kelly for details.

Michael Reist of Ring 57 writes with news of an upcoming event:

I just wanted to remind all who may not have heard that the Kutztown Magic Convention is drawing close — just one month away now, on November 12! Our headliners are Joshua Jay, Gregory Wilson, Shoot Ogawa and Ed Alonzo with his illusion show. Registration is just $60 for adults and $25 for kids 12 and under, and includes an all-you-can-eat dinner (if registered by the meal deadline of November 1), magic auction, lectures, all the dealers, a close-up/parlor show and the grand evening show. If you have any questions, please call me at 610-698-0311 or drop me an e-mail.

Download the Kutztown Convention Flyer and auction submission form (both PDF files).

Ken Klosterman has put hundreds of items from his world-renowned Salon de Magie collection up for auction. Visit Potter & Potter Auctions to review the catalog and place a bid.

David Girmann writes to remind us that this year’s Abra-Kidabra show is fast approaching…

Supporting a great cause is a whole lot easier than pulling a rabbit out of your hat. All you have to do is join the Children’s Dyslexia Centers of Cincinnati for Abra-Kidabra, a night of comedy, laughter, magic, and wonder.

This family friendly and affordable event will be held on October 8, 2011 in the Scottish Rite Auditorium at the Cincinnati Masonic Center. Tickets can be purchased online, are priced at $15 for premium seating and $10 for value seating. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., and the show starts at 7:30.

This year’s Abra-Kidabra features world-class magicians and illusionists Matthew David Stanley and Donavan. Local magician and IBM Ring 71 board member Frank Johnston will present a very special performance of his act, which took the top award at the 2011 War of the Wizards, a competition between magicians from across the region.

Click the image below for a copy of the Abra-Kidabra flyer [PDF].