May 9, 2024 Notes

The Mile High Magicians Society hosted a teach in meeting for members to share or learn new tricks to incorporate into their routines. Jeff and Karen Wake brought delicious homemade muffins as a snack.

Jude Griffin taught two simple coin routines that are excellent for walk-around and close-up. The first trick was the penny and dime trick. The spectator places both a penny and dime in their hand. One coin is removed from their hand and the magicians magically causes them to switch places. In the famous twenty-six cent trick, a penny and quarter are placed into a magician’s hand. The penny is removed but jumps back to their hand. Eventually, both coins vanish. These coin tricks do not require special props or advanced handling and can be taken anywhere.

Gene Gordon brought along his own card routine that borrows from Ed Marlo and Dai Vernon with a sprinkle of Martin Gardner. His incorporation of various card maneuvers and reveals allows him to interact with the audience while finding their card, summoning the four aces, and even drawing a royal flush to stun the audience at its conclusion. This is a modified routine that he previously taught and provided members with lecture notes to study from. The dean’s card routine is an example of pulling concepts from multiple sources and using clever pater to create a memorable experience.

Matt Brandt demonstrated an impromptu magic trick with a Sharpie. Before handing it to a spectator for signing a card, he would show that he can remove and replace the logo at will. The trick is a variation on the paddle trick. When he was finished, he demonstrated objects appearing from a bandana including a toy dinosaur. Both tricks can be done with common items, yet they are powerful and can enhance any routine.

Dennis Michael showcased his one cup and ball routine that he uses for walk-around at various restaurants. Each aspect of the routine was customized for the venue, for example the cups were chosen to match the restaurant’s aesthetic. Cooper cups are used for the Melting Pot. His use of various loads and reveals add a personal touch. His humor allows him to connect with the spectators and give them a unique performance while they wait for their food.

The Mile High Magicians Society visited the brand-new Museum of Illusions located in Downtown Denver. Members had the opportunity to bring their entire family to explore the museum. These museums are located across three continents, but we are now fortunate to have one located in our city.

Once the museum closed to the public for the night, the magicians and their families had the entire venue to themselves. The meeting started with Steve Spangler introducing the staff and the concept to the club. He has facilitated a partnership between the club and the museum to give some of our members the opportunity to perform at the venue. Spangler brought one of his own illusions: the Afghan Bands. He started with three circular cloth pieces. He started to tear one of the bands lengthwise, which produced two separate rings. However, when he repeated this procedure with another piece, the bands were interlocked. Spangler tore the last piece the same way but ended up with a larger ring. This introduced the audience to the concept of viewing something from different perspectives, much like optical illusions.

Eddie Goldstein is not just a magician; he has worked as a scientific communicator teaching STEM concepts through entertainment. He has decades of experience working in museums, so it was fitting that he was a part of this opening. He brought out a metal ring and a ribbon. The ribbon was put through the ring. He was able to magically pull the ring through the rope and place it back on. Goldstein did break the magician’s code and revealed that there was a magnet in the ribbon. However, this showed the audience how our perceptions deceive us. 

After the introductions, it was time for the magicians and their families to explore the museum’s offerings at their own pace. They were greeted with life-size versions of illusions. Unlike most museums, guests were invited to interact with the exhibits and play around with the props. They could photograph themselves holding their parents up on an apartment balcony, lose their balance in the vortex tunnel, or attempt to solve some of the puzzles. At the end of the evening, there were tons of fun photos shared by our members of these illusions and experiences. Everyone had an amazing time at the museum during this special event.

Special thanks to Steve Spangler, Eddie Goldstein, and the Museum of Illusions for a wonderful and deceptive night.

We had a night full of amazing performances, awards, farewells, and bottomless Italian food. Our outgoing president, Jeff Jenson, emceed the evening by introducing each performer and performing sleight of hand himself.

James Lopez dazzled us with his coins across routine. He invited two spectators from the audience to join him on stage and made four coins travel invisibly between their hands.

Next up was John Walker, who performed a Jim Murphy themed card trick based on luck and Murphy’s law. John found Jim’s card after going through a few lucky choices.

Lew Wymisner predicted the order of poker chips picked by spectators. He allowed each spectator to select from various poker chips. He asked three spectators to each pick one chip and hold it up. He then correctly revealed his prediction.

Gene Gorden performed the linking rings as a tribute to Dave Elston, who we recently lost. After Gene’s performance, we had a special presentation. Dan Rodriguez, the past national president of the Society of American Magicians and our incoming club president, presented Gene with an achievement award for his thirty-five years of membership and service to the club.

Steve Davis amazed the audience by predicting a phone number important to an audience member. Through help from the audience, he was able to correctly predict the phone number.

Artie Fron performed the classic cups and balls with his own comedic flare. He brought up a child spectator to provide stage cues for the audience to react.

Marty Jewell thanked the club for their support and friendship through silk magic, as she will be moving to Oregon in the new year. She said that she will miss the club and the magic in Denver. Members of the club said their goodbyes.

Jason Fye put his own spin on thumb cuffs. Instead of using tiny cuffs, Jason used a regular playing card instead, which he was able to escape from and perform the trick.

The last performer of the night was Scott McCray, who performed the invisible coin. He brought up a spectator on stage with his invisible coin pouch. He then proceeded to do magic with his pouch and invisible coins.

We want to thank all the performers and the audience for making it a memorable night. We also want to thank Cinzzettis for hosting us and providing us with delicious food and drinks.

An Evening of Odd!

Our fearless leader, Mark Strivings, emceed our annual Evening of Odd. Karen Wake outdid herself with the ghoulish food and drink.

Jeff and Karen Wake dressed as the Addams Family, and Uncle Fester (Jeff) made a light bulb light up in his mouth!

Dr. Morticia Frankenstein (Marty Jewell) amazed us with her tossed-out eye, which she could use to see through a jumbo deck of cards and name your chosen one.

Mark Strivings performed a Larry Becker act about Lucrezia Borgia and her poison ring.

Louis Peacock had a silver tube where a red heart appeared and changed into a purple then black heart, and finally into a beautiful silk fountain.

Glenn Proulx showed us his Sefalaljia Box where a bell rang, a block of wood fell off a rope, a puff ball floated into a goblet, and the spirits drank some milk out of a glass.

Bruce Spangler showed us a video of Harry Anderson performing Bruce’s “You Do Voodoo” routine, which Bruce invented and sold.

Chad Wonder mixed up staple guns and his volunteer correctly picked the staple guns that were void of staples, so he wouldn’t hurt himself or his helper.

Jason Fye lost a card in the deck and only had 3 minutes to find it before a fake explosion went off. We all survived!

Gene Gordon had an empty candy bag that filled up with Halloween Candy!

Rich Nakata performed a Cut and Restored Rope trick where he cut and tied six knots into the rope and then restored it!

It was a bitterly cold night in Denver, and 29 members showed up to see Jonathan Levit perform and lecture while he was in town. We gave him 3 random numbers, and the total mysteriously appeared on a mini chalkboard! Three spectators selected 3 random cards, and he divined all of them mentally. A couple of cards ended up inside a completely empty card box! The trick was called Just In Case. Jonathan’s card at any number really fooled us. He performed different methods of his Stranger Routine, which was amazing! He also performed a nice jumbo dice and card trick where the prediction was off to the edge of the stage, and the random cards and dice matched, but the backs were different and so was the dice color.

We had a brief business meeting before our Parlor Magic Teach-In. The following individuals were discussed and approved for next year’s Mile High Magicians’ Society Executive Board, with no contested seats it was agreed to bypass the time and effort of a formal election and elect them with a motion that passed unanimously. Your 2024 Officers will be:

• President: Dan Rodriguez
• Vice-President: Shawn Popp
• Secretary: AJ Perea
• Treasurer: Shane Cohan
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Jeff and Karen Wake
• Appointed Editor: Nate Reeves
• Appointed Executive Committee Advisors: Steve Spangler and Brad Montgomery.

The meeting then kicked off with Jeff and Karen Wake showcasing two wooden boxes capable of making a shot glass vanish and reappear in the opposite box.

Dr. Ralph MacIntosh had five envelopes that might contain money. Five volunteers could either keep or trade them. Some envelopes had $1, one had $5, and the magician ended up with $100!

Gerald Robinson shuffled a deck of cards and had three selected. Ultimately, one card was picked from those three. The trick was based on Annemann’s modified Yogi Book Test and it was truly remarkable.

Gene Gordon performed a trick where a card was selected, signed, and lost in the deck. At the shout of “BANG,” a single card flew out of the deck. Gene caught it, revealing it to be the signed card from the audience, complete with a burnt-edge hole!

Chad Wonder involved three spectators who placed their cell phone in a red bag inside a blue box, a blue bag inside a green box and a green bag inside a red box. The helpers then stood on stage and opened their box that now contained a matching color bag and their cell phone.

Keir Mathur presented his Pirates of the Caribbean routine. An empty bottle was tossed into the ocean without a message inside. However, when the bottle was later found, it contained a silk with correct audience predictions, based on three random questions.

AJ Perea offered a lesson on thermodynamics, showing us the Bounce-no-bounce trick to explain kinetic and potential energy. He then prepared a cup of black tea using cold water and set it aside. A spectator randomly selected the 2 of Hearts, tore it, and threw it in the trash. Though the card never returned to the deck, it was later found in the cup of tea, attached to the tea bag string tag.

Lastly, Glenn Proulx demonstrated an antique Telemental Box that contained four wooden blocks with numbers. These could be inserted into another box and both boxes were locked. Using his “X-ray vision,” Glenn was able to discern which numbers were inserted and in what order.

This month, we had two fantastic nights. The first was our regular meeting themed as a lecture “How to Routine Your Magic” presented by Jeff Jenson. The second one was a great lecture given by Marcos Waldemar.

Our Thursday meeting started off with Jeff Jenson sharing how he turned his TNR toilet paper act into a well-structured routine. He emphasized the importance of selecting music that complements the flow and beats of your performance.

During Shawn Preston’s act, he realized that his music was a few seconds off from matching the timing of his performance. To quickly fix the issue, he simply rolled up both sleeves, and that solved the problem. Sometimes, the solution can be that simple. If you’re considering adding music to your act, start with walk-on and walk-off music, and then build upon it.

Joe Givan and Carole Massie emphasized the significance of engaging and connecting with the audience during your show. They explained that paying attention to the audience’s reactions, such as their “oohs” and “ahs,” can provide valuable feedback on which tricks worked well and how your patter was received. They also stressed the importance of maintaining eye contact and scripting your performance.

Tara Headberg recommended always facing your audience, standing at a 45-degree angle towards them, ensuring that both the audience and any helpers can see and hear you clearly. The key thing to remember is to always be prepared to recover when something goes wrong, as it’s a possibility that should be anticipated.

For trade shows, it’s important to highlight the key points for the company you’re representing. If the music suddenly stops, have a patter trick ready to keep the momentum going. Additionally, when using instrumental music, keep the volume low. Your music should enhance the magic without overpowering it. Always allow time for applause, greet your audience at the beginning, and express gratitude for attending your show. It’s crucial to practice and time your act and consider using video or audio equipment to help you improve your skills.

Marcos Waldemar’s featured an opening performance where he delighted us with a variety of fun magic tricks. One of the highlights was a card trick called “Card at Any Number,” where he amazed us by accurately guessing a chosen card’s position in the deck. He also demonstrated “The Tree and The Better Half,” a clever trick involving torn cards that were later matched perfectly. Marcos explained his usage of the Penelope Principle in one of his tricks and showcased his skillful handling of the Erdnase Color Change. Additionally, he astounded us with a trick using business cards and amazed our senses with a candy wrapper that smelled like the flavor we named. Finally, he showcased his unique pet fly, which miraculously located a spectator’s chosen card. ~ Glenn Proulx, secretary

Thursday May 11, 2023 Magic Teach In Night.  21 attendees including the teachers. Rainy Night. Four tables, Four Teachers:  Matthew Brant, James Lopez, Gene Gordon and Nate Reeves. Students rotated to the teachers’ tables.

Matthew Brant did the basic two in the hand, one in the pocket sponge ball trick. He likes to say, you would think there are two balls in my hand but these are magic/special balls etc. and then shows the three in the hand.  Then he did the matchbook trick, it looks more impressive if you burn the whole book and only one match is left un-burnt. Great stuff!

James Lopez taught coins. He had us shake our hands, then stopping them to look at your hands in a relaxed position. Then he taught a retention pass that you could use in a coins-across routine. Your hands need to look relaxed and as natural as possible while palming a coin.

Nate Reeves did that fun rubber band magic!  We learned the Jumping rubber band, the Torn and Restored Rubber band and Crazy Sam’s Handcuffs.  We used a #16 band.  Two different colors of rubber bands can make the visual much better for the Crazy Sam’s Handcuffs.

Gene Gordon taught card tricks complete with “lecture notes”! He showed “Prediction Caught” where the prediction card gets the mate sandwiched between two cards that end up being the mates to the prediction card also.  The effect called ‘Numbers” does the same thing of bringing the 4 matching cards together, but in a totally different way which is just as amazing. Then he started out with what looked like “Triumph” but ended with a straight flush at the end.  He calls this “Straight Flush Slop” and it is his own personal handling.

Chad Long performed Al Dente his chewed and restored spaghetti, Priority Mail and Spineless book test. We were in awe! He knitted a silk in seconds and showed us a cool new handling of Bounce No Bounce. Chad’s Now Look Here card trick and Scratch was also a fun trick.

David Parr performed the 21-cent trick, showed us a cool way to use a Svengali deck for ACAAN. He taught us his Fast and Loose string trick and ended up performing his Hand of Fate poker hand trick

April was Can You Fool Us Night? Our emcee was Brad Montgomery, the fool us board was Bruce and Kitty Spangler, Nate Reeves and Cosmo from Colorado Springs.

Nate performed a Head and Tails coin trick and FOOLED the panel!

Shane Cohen performed a card trick from the book 52 Amazing Card Tricks.  It was an ACAAN trick. The 2S was selected, shuffled, cut, re-shuffled  and lost in the deck  It actually vanished and was found folded up inside the book!  FOOLER!

Vesper performed a Silk to Egg and got an Honorable Mention Award!

Ned Nedbalski was there and he did a nice multiplying balls routine and was honored to all the help, guidance, friendship, mentoring he has giving the club members all the years he has been a magician. Honorable Mention Award.

Mitch Zeal had an invisible magic poker chip witch ended up on the spectators shoulder numerous times  It finally vanished for good and ended up inside a bag on the spectators shoulder FOOLER!

Mark Weidhaas had a wood apparatus with four wood blocks. We got to pick the order of the numbered blocks, hidden inside the holder and low and behold, they changed order! FOOLER!

Steve Davis had a card selected and lost in the deck. Packets of cards were peeled off and after a little of divination, Steve could sense which packet the chosen card was in. After looking, only her card was the only one face down! Honorable Mention Award.

Last up was Shawn Preston. Shawn had numerous cards for us to read with the directions for his trick.  There was mystery, laughter, and a spectator selected a card. The next thing we knew, the spectators card was stuck to the back of Shawn’s suit coat!  It is his own invention and he call’s it Back Treatment! FOOLER!

Plus Guy Bavli…need I say anything more? What a lecture. He demonstrated his Wami Writer and Board which allows you to do amazing mentalism. PK Touches, Erasure with his cool Tell’s Bell, Spoon Bending, Perfect Key Bending, Card Bending, and Incredibly Clean card trick, Perfect Location and amazed us with his Capture Routine. His Finale trick’s prediction was found wrapped inside a scroll AND inside a balloon!

It was a very fun month in the Mile High City!

Our annual Flea Market was a huge success!  Twenty-two tables and over 50 members showed up to buy, see and trade.  There were lots of book, pamphlets and book test books.  Plenty of gadgets, gafts, regular cards, magic decks, pocket tricks.  There were parlor, strolling and stage magic for sale.  Also for sale was were various illusions, and magic for beginners, advanced and professional magicians.  Several members met afterward for food and gathering at the local Chili’s to look at and brag about their latest findings and treasures.

Since February is the month of Valentines Day we had a Stuck on You meeting.  Anything that sticks is what you perform, Velcro, magnets, double sided tape, sticky notes, rubber cement, glue, etc.  As a performer you could perform or reveal the method of the magic.  Jeff Jenson suggested using magnets on the Twentieth Century Silk trick.  Tape can also be used to accomplish a double lift.

Gene Gordon performed Dave Neighbors coins across to his pocket one at a time.  He did a nice card trick where the spectator could lie, tell the truth or do both.  The card was found by spelling. Next he did a nice card to impossible location.

Glenn Proulx performed the Appearing Car by Hyde Ren. Demonstrated how he rewired a flameless candle to turn on with a PK ring, made three different color ropes link, changed a spoon into a fork and finally did Pavel’s Flash Rope Restoration.

Matt Brandt made 3 coins appear and disappear.  Then he had a sticky note signed and wrapped around a bill.  He shoved a pencil through it and the hole was only in the sticky note and not the bill!

Dan Rodriguez suggested a way to use car door magnets to help your marketing and also suggested if your logo was painted on the car to use door magnet placard’s to cover your logo to be in compliance with your local HOA.  Especially, if you park your car in the driveway.  Another nice thing would be to make a refrigerator magnet of the birthday child as a give away.

Marty Jewell, the Queen of Puns in our club did a nice card stab with a balloon!  She had a stick in her hair, please stick around (because most sticks are round and you wave it in a circle!) stick to your routine, she had tape stuck to a deck for her tape deck, and make sure you stick-it-to-em.

New member Vespa, performed Ron Frost’s trick from the Wax museum using magicians wax. He had a box to trap daemons. Cards were selected from a tarot deck and by using a Devil puppet the Evil Eye found the spectators card miniature in size!

Ralph MacIntosh did a nice tossed out deck prediction with the help of some bricks.  It was a trick by Cody Fisher, $100 Bill Trick.

Steve Spangler talked about how magnets are used in vending machines to make sure bills are real. How to use a neodymium magnet to check a bill, how Malt-O-Meal and Wonder Bread are fortified with iron.  It was a magnetic night of magic that held our attention!