Well, we finally met in person! Yippee! We had our Holliday Banquet the end of December and had about forty people show up for food and magic. Gene Gordon was our Emcee and plucked coins out of the air, vanished them, then pulled a saucer out of his knee. Bubbles appeared and then turned into a glass sphere. Gene performed a Cut and Restored Rope, Egg Bag routine and a very nice Linking Ring routine using three rings. Lastly, he had a paper bag that when inverted had a paper ribbon flow out of it.

William Rader had a spectator hold an envelope with a pre written script inside. After the objects were selected, they script correctly stated what object would be in which place. William also performed a nice cards across.

Colin Toeper performed a nice Hot Rod routines explaining how Santa knows if you are on the Naughty or Nice Christmas list.

Stuart Hayner pulled out four Aces from a shuffled deck of cards all from a different part of the deck. During a drum roll, the second trick had a selected card pulled from the deck only using only one of Stuart’s hands! Unfortunately it was the wrong card but using an Insurance policy the correct card was found.

Glenn Proulx performed Steve Fearson’s Anti-Gravity box and levitated in front of all. Using an umbrella and fan, along with the help of the audience’s waving their napkins he successfully levitated.

Incoming new President John Luong did a salt pour and vanished a signed $100 bill, which ended up inside a bill tube. John also had two die on a pedestal change places.

Table Magic, Betchas, and Flim Flam

Gene Gordon started us off with matches that traveled from had to hand and only one match was unburned in the book after it was lit on fire.  He also did a nice cocktail napkin trick where the paper balls went across, vanished and restored the napkin into one piece.

Next he had Colin pick his poker hand sight unseen and Gene won.  Finally he had a t-cup routine where olives and grapes changed places and the final loads were a large sponge ball and a potato.  Steve Davis had a pile of cards on the table and since it was virtual he had a 6^thfinger lying on top of the pile.  The chosen card transferred from one pile to the other.  Drew Cardella performed a card trick with 8 cards and used his powers to make Steve discard all of the cards but his chosen card.  Glenn Proulx had a flower bloom while he passed a ring around it to show there were no wires helping it open.   He also performed a marked coin vanish that ended up inside a ball of yarn, pulled money out of the newspaper stock quote section and a scarf from the weather section as well since it was going to be a warm week in Denver.

We are still, virtual here in Denver but had a great time as usual.  Bob LaRue zoomed in all the way from the Philippines.  He asked Collin to think of a super hero who could get revenge. On 6 cards he had Voodoo doll printouts. When the trick was finished, inside of an envelope there was a sword through the bad Voodoo doll.  Glenn Proulx found a box at an old Ghost Town in Colorado and inside was a spiral notebook, hatpin, slates and blank cards. Once the cards touched the notebook the pin moved all by itself and the cards printed images on themself.  The slates were asked the question like an Ouija Board, “Who’s cards where these?”  The slates answered that they belonged to Baby Doe Tabor who owned a Silver Mine.  Gene Gordon performed a card trick and also had a ghost trap babushka, which found the selected cards.  That babushka was a portal to the spirit world. Gene is a fan of scary movies such as; The Blob, The Thing, Wolfman, Godzilla, Curse of the Mummy and Creature of the Black Lagoon.  The cards were mixed and Frankenstein found the only card in the group that didn’t have a black X on the back of the cards.  Collin Toepfer performed a ghost card trick using the Ace of Spades to find the chosen spectators card.  Steve Davis told a tale of different methods of getting the truth out of a suspect. He showed us the Spikes Through Coin trick.  If the coin wouldn’t cooperate another spike was thrust through the coin.  The coin had blood on it when it was over.  Gregg Tobo, wow! Two decks of cards were mailed to a couple members, Glenn and Gene.  Gregg instructed Gene to open his deck and a card matched Gregg’s 12 down from the top.  The back of the cards where marked BUT the markings were on the wrong cards! Magician in peril, 4H was written on the back of the 9D but Glenn and Gene had 7C on the back of both of their 9D! What a match in the end.  Drew and Donna Cardella, had Gregg select a card and double the value.  When Drew counted down that value in his deck over Zoom and it was the same card Gregg had!

Teach A Trick 9/9/21 MHMS

Gene Gordon opened with a die trick with a paddle move. Drew Cardella did Rick Lax’s “Reverse Psychology”, a fun version of 8 Card Brainwave and predicted Mike Anger’s card choice as the only one without an X on the back. Bruce Spangler explained Thayer’s Dove Bottle (sometimes called Rat Bottle) where a ring is borrowed, ground up and lost. Drinks are then poured from a bottle for six people-each different and it becomes an “any drink called for” trick. The bottle is then broken and the dove (or rat or guinea pig) comes out with the intact ring tied around its neck. Glenn Proulx was the highlight trick of the evening where Glenn performed the most amazing vanishing act (as the power in his house went out and he missed the entire meeting)! Gene Gordon did “Numbers” a trick published in Card Corner in The Linking Ring several years ago. There is a prediction card shown, the spectator picks a number of cards between 10 and 20, subtracts the number of cards his two-digit number adds up to and the prediction matched! Don Zellner had to deal with babysitting his kids, but taught us how to escape from handcuffs. Gene Gordon taught a Benson Bowl routine by Patrick Snowden in the Paul Harris books. Collin Toepfer showed 3 colored balls in a tube and after being covered by a cylinder, the order of the balls changed. He then showed a “magic drawer” that produced objects when opened. This was part of a “magic” postage stamp set. Lewis Peacock showed a disappearing flower eaten by his rabbit puppet. He uses this in his kids shows to get all the kids to come back to the show and settle down. Gene closed with a 4 Ace production.

Magic You Learned From a Book

Glenn Proulx started off the evening performing a card trick from Jim Steinmeyer’s Conjuring Anthology; he had a Evidence bag with the cards bolted to preserve the order.  He still bound their card at the number specified by the spectator.  Gary Jenkins performed a Larry Becker baseball card tyrick from the book Stunners. The prediction was hanging in an envelope behind Gary and was in full view the entire time.  Jean-Luc Romano did a card trick with a business card that was sandwiched in between the found chosen card.  He learned this trick from Magic and Conjuring.  His prediction said, “You will place this card in between the QD and the 2H”.  That is where we found the card!  Gene Gordon did his version of Currency Money found in Tarbell #3. He performed a John Scarney bill change trick, Copy Cat cards from the book TKO’s and did an amazing Okito Coin Box where 4 coins leave the box one at a time then ends up with a large coin coming out of the box.  Steve Davis did Daryl’s “Whole Hole Card” trick.  It was a splendid night.

Eric Jones passed through town and stopped in Denver, Estes Park and Castle Rock.  While in Denver he did an amazing three flight routine without a gimmick.  He performed his Fool Us routine of coins across and also a card trick where a couple of cards changed places.  He demonstrated how with card control you can secretly place three cards onto the bottom of the deck.  Eric stated it is very important to practice your routines while seated and standing because you always need to be prepared.  Just by moving your hands or standing or being seated it will or could change how your audience views the magic.  Basically, make sure you don’t flash.

Hello!

This month’s theme is… “Tricks you learned from a book.”  Some tricks we read in a book are easy, medium, difficult, and ‘way over my head’ hard to comprehend or even learn.  Hopefully, each and every one of us has had some success learning magic from a book.  So, I am asking each and every one of you to go to your magic drawer or box and dust off a trick you made or learned from reading (or even watching and old VCR or DVD) and perform it at this months August 12, 2021 meeting 7PM.  I am hosting the Zoom Meeting so if you would like to volunteer to show or perform the “Trick you learned from a book” please contact me at glennproulx@gmail.com and I will put you on the list.

Performers so far:  Glenn Proulx, Gene Gordon

Mile High Flea Market

We had a great turn out for our Flea Market, which was postponed from last year’s COVID-19 restrictions.  It was nice to be all together in person. Fifteen magicians sold their tricks that were collecting dust or just not needed anymore.  The Ft. Collins and Colorado Springs magicians showed up as well as a lot of the Denver group.  There were floating tables. Multiplying bottles, sword through head and vanishing head apparatus for sale.  Rare decks of cards. Books, DVD’s and yes some VCR’s were for sale!  Stage illusions, silks, large 3 shells, normal 3 shells, hand choppers, magician’s tables that had Bluetooth speakers built in, straight jackets, rabbit production boxes, and of course, every magician’s favorite, thumb tips were also available.   Everyone enjoyed seeing everyone in person, the camaraderie, and hearing about what new tricks they learned and looking forward to meeting more in person and having live shows were part of the topics.  Light refreshments were also part of the evening.

Hello Compeers..Member Stewart Hayner is having surgery and if you would like to contribute to his medical expense please contact him at 303-917-5241

Old Timey Magic Night was a lot of fun!  Glenn Proulx brought out some old magic a teacher colleague gave him a cigarette catcher, gag kaleidoscope where you look into it and get black rings around your eye, mini magic wands, and the group helped him figure out the names of the some tricks he had no clue what they were, a Kennard Mystery Box, Shur-Shot Dice Box, and a Candle Lite.  He also performed an old timey cups and balls routine.

Chad Darnell performed a Thayer Checker Cabinet and he has Thayer’s hand written instruction on how the cabinet works!  Chad showed us his Mr. Skunk, a Razor Blade Trick EZ version, and a third hand made out of wax!  Steve Davis showed us a card trick about the Dead Man’s poker hand using A’s and 8’s which then changed into J’s! He also explained a little about Wild Bill Hickok and his poker games.  Lew Wymisner showed us his jumbo card plastic houlette which made a selected card rise out of the deck.  It was a Joe Fenichel trick. He also poured milk into a paper cone and showed us a cat that drank all of the milk.

Steve Spangler showed us his Presto Clock Vanish  “How Time Flys” trick where he made a clock vanish along with Multmum in Parvo (much into little) trick where liquid from a large glass could fit into consecutively smaller glasses. Last he had a die on a pedestal and the die and the silk changed places.  Gene Gordon pulled out his Orville Meyer Book and performed the “Restless Colors” card trick.  He had a different version of a Silk Cabbie that was cool along with a magician’s table that had a secret compartment.  Didn’t know they made those!  Bart Landry performed his Kuma Tubes.  Lastly, Steve Aldrich showed us his 1851 Saturday Evening Post cover page of McAlester Wizard and Magician.  Steve also showed us his September 25, 1850  Professor Anderson, “Wizard of the North” pen and ink drawing!  He also had a 1900-1901 paper from “Richies Unique Entertainers.”  It was fun to help the members with magic that they had and didn’t know how some of the tricks worked.