We were saddened to learn last evening that Larry Payne, much loved by area children as Merlin the Storyteller, has suffered a heart attack. He is currently a patient at the University of Cincinnati Hospital, and is scheduled for triple bypass surgery some time today.

Our thoughts are with Larry and his family. We will provide updates as new information becomes available.

UPDATE 04/24/12 10:52 AM: The hospital reports that the surgery was a success, and that Larry is resting and recovering.

UPDATE 05/05/12 10:45 AM: Larry went home last week and is recovering well. He does admit that he is bored out of his skull right now, and would love to hear from his friends and fellow conjurors. Please contact Larry through his website or his Facebook page.

Well, we are rounding the turn and heading for the home stretch for the IBM Ring 71 2011-2012 year. Here’s what we have lined up for the remainder of the year.

On Saturday April 21st our club will sponsor the Annual Auction. So check your shelves, closets, and/or basements for those treasures you might want to auction off. You should find some great buys for your magical desires. See this earlier article for further details.

David Ginn will lecture on May 25th. David has offered to give a free DVD and trick to the first 25 members to sign up to attend the May lecture. So signup at the auction or contact me to get on this list.

Also our annual elections are scheduled in May. Mark Weichman and Mickie Pyles have volunteered to be part of a nominating committee to present a slate of officers for the elections. If you are interested in serving as a club officer, please inform Mark, Mickie, or myself. We do need candidates for both the secretary and vice-presidents positions, and there are also several board member positions available. Thanks!

We have added a special lecture on Monday June 4th. Although this is not our regular meeting night, we could not pass up welcoming Joshua Jay, as he will passing through town. I know I do not want to miss this one.

Of course we will conclude the year with a picnic on June 10th. The War of the Wizards between IBM Ring 71 and SAM Assembly 11 will be part of the entertainment at the picnic. We need three participants for the War of the Wizards. Please contact me if you want to perform.

And as the magic year draws closer to a close, if you are not a paid up member, we offer you a membership special. If you rejoin Ring 71 now, we will extend your membership through the 2012-2013 year for the amount of only Thirty Five Dollars.

President – Ring 71
dhinton@cinci.rr.com
513-248-0773

Vent Haven Museum is thrilled to announce Double Talk 2012, a family friendly public show featuring professional ventriloquists. The event will be held at the Notre Dame Academy Performing Arts Center, Park Hills, KY, on Saturday, April 21st, with two shows at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The venue is a 400 seat recently constructed theatre and is located at 1699 Hilton Drive, Park Hills, KY 41011, about a mile from Vent Haven Museum.

Double Talk 2012 will feature four of the finest ventriloquists in the business. Megan Piphus began ventriloquism at the age of ten and just a few years later was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Mike Hemmelgarn incorporates magic and juggling with ventriloquism to create one of the most unusual acts in the business. Kevin Johnson is most recognized from his 2006 appearance on NBC’s show America’s Got Talent. He also recently appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman. Tom Ladshaw, the Double Talk emcee, is a veteran of numerous shows and has shared a stage with Regis Philbin, Whoopi Goldberg and The Smothers Brothers, to name a few.

This show will serve as a fundraiser for Vent Haven Museum while promoting the art of ventriloquism to local people and raising awareness of Vent Haven Museum in the greater Cincinnati area.

For more information about Double Talk 2012 or to purchase tickets, go to www.ventshow.com or call Vent Haven Museum at 859-341-0461.

The show will take place on Friday May 18th at 7:00 PM, at the Anderson Hills United Methodist Church in Anderson Township. All the performers will be members of the local SAM assembly. Close-up magic will be presented in the lobby before curtain call.

Last year’s show was a huge success, and this year’s show should also be great.

Don Hinton will have tickets available as soon as they are printed. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids. Let Don know if you will want tickets.

More details will be available shortly.

Here’s the information we have so far:

Daryl’s lecture will be at the Crowne Plaza Hotel – Campbell House (yep, that’s the new name of the Campbell House) at 1375 South Broadway — at the intersection of South Broadway and Mason Headley Road.

HOW TO FIND THE LECTURE ROOM:

There are two entrances from Mason-Headley Road to the parking lot behind the hotel, and the one farthest from Broadway is the one closest to the entrance near the lecture room. Go in at Entrance Door 3, near the back of the hotel. The lecture will be in the Mason Headley Room, to your right just inside Entrance Door 3.

Members of IBM Ring 198 in good standing and members of the Louisville Magic Club will be admitted free. Admission for all others – visitors and guests – will be a nominal $10 each.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see Daryl, the Magician’s Magician, a professional entertainer in every sense of the word.

Frank suggests that you leave a comment on this post if you are interested in arranging a caravan to see Daryl’s lecture.

Sellers’ set-up begins at 10 am; buyer preview at 11 am; auction begins at noon. Food and beverage will be available for purchase. The entry fee is $5.00 per person (proceeds help us plan additional lecturers) with paddle.

We also have a few volunteer (runners and food helpers) slots open. Sellers and volunteers are encouraged to contact Chuck Arkin (513-936-8446 or carkinlaw@aol.com), so we can help promote the collections.

Hope to see you there!

February 16, 2012

IBM Ring 71
c/o Ms. Betty Winzig
Haines House of Cards
2514 Leslie Avenue
Norwood, OH 45212

To International Brotherhood of Magicians Ring 71:

I am writing to thank IBM Ring 71 for their support of The Dragonfly Foundation. Four Cincinnati magicians, all members of IBM Ring 71, entertained the attendees of our “Hearts for Dragonflies” Gala on Saturday, February 11, 2012. We heard many admiring comments, both during and after the event, from the attendees regarding the skill and showmanship of the performers. The performances were jaw dropping! They added such personality to our event and really helped us to set it apart from other fundraisers held throughout the year – especially important since this was the first gala event ever held by The Dragonfly Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to bringing comfort and joy to kids and young adults with cancer and blood diseases.

The Dragonfly Foundation thanks the following performers:

• Chuck Arkin
• Jeff Brown
• Rick Gaffney
• Bill Pryor

We are grateful for the support of IBM Ring 71 and the Cincinnati magic community for supporting our mission. We hope they will want to participate in our 2013 event. We know we want them back!

Sincerely,

[signed]

Ria Davidson
Vice President and Co-Founder

(click for full size view)

In the last half decade, magic—normally deemed entertainment fit only for children and tourists in Las Vegas—has become shockingly respectable in the scientific world. Even I—not exactly renowned as a public speaker—have been invited to address conferences on neuroscience and perception. I asked a scientist friend (whose identity I must protect) why the sudden interest. He replied that those who fund science research find magicians “sexier than lab rats.”

I’m all for helping science. But after I share what I know, my neuroscientist friends thank me by showing me eye-tracking and MRI equipment, and promising that someday such machinery will help make me a better magician.

I have my doubts. Neuroscientists are novices at deception. Magicians have done controlled testing in human perception for thousands of years.

Read the full article.