We had a wonderful lineup for our April meeting here in Denver. We have an average of 22 Zoom members each month! Dave Neighbors wowed us with the Open Travelers Card Trick and Matt Brandt performed a very nice Ace Assembly trick as well. Gregg Tobo showed us a Math Trick with numbers using a score card and correctly had the exact same number of 5 spectators! Cosmo Solana showed us his original cups and balls routine that went on for 13 min. Everyone was mesmerized the entire time and he had multiplying balls at the end! James Lopez did a Coins Under Glass where the coins visibly vanished from under the glass to inside an Okito Box. Gene Gordon performed a time machine trick with a Sci-fi paperback book, a wind-up toy robot and a deck of cards. The robot selected the card, the card vanished, a page of the Sci-fi book ended up inside a box and finally that torn out page pointed us back to the book and the missing card was found at the missing page numbers spot!!! Incredible is all any of us could say.
Pocket Tricks
Pocket Tricks, magic that you carry in your pocket to perform anywhere and at any time. Twenty-nine members showed up and eleven members performed! Marty Jewel had a ‘pocket book’ she took out of her ‘pocket’ along with her ‘pocket puppet’. She pulled a banana out of her ‘pocket’ and it was already cut into thirds after her karate chop. Drew and Donna Cardella did a card trick where one card flipped over one at a time and at different times. Sometimes tricks are done with mirrors and on the back of each card was a mirror. Gene Gordon did a dice routine where the numbers would change from 6 to 5 to 1 and the dots would fall off and onto a stick. He also performed a 3 Card Monte. Gene flashed a dollar and a vacuum and the coins changed into Chinese Coins, then into a jumbo coin. It was a Dave Neighbors effect. Dave Wintermute had a wire circle that changed into a square and he felt framed! Steve Davis did an amazing coin across. Young member Collin Toepfer did his sponge ball routine where balls appeared inside an empty bowl. Glenn Proulx did Card Warp then James Lopez performed a trick where a ring was inside of a coin and an Okito box trick “The Long Goodbye” Chad Wonder did Clock Colorama, an old card trick along with a mind reading trick with an Invisible Deck and finally the Get Sharkey deck. Todd Reis did a trick with wrong, right and left cards and a multiplying banana routine along with a Monte Routine using jumbo cards. Last but not least was William Rader who did a card prediction trick.
When I walked into the Hobby store in 1973, the guy behind the magic counter was wearing a robe. With long hair and a cool robe, Eddie Goldstein was a full-blown Hippie and would become one of my best friends. Sam Kent, the owner of the magic counter also became a good friend. Between the 2 of them, I gained a respectable knowledge of magic. It was Sam who talked me into attending my first Mile High Magicians meeting. Earl Reum was the President. I had such a great time I decided to join the club. It was an important moment in my life.
I have made so many friends as a part of this club and it has been an enormous part of my life. I have been lucky enough to serve as President of the club 4 times*, Vice President twice, and as Secretary, Treasurer, and Newsletter editor. The club has allowed me to meet and spend some serious time with some of the greats of magic, including the late Mark Wilson. What a treat it was spending time with my childhood magic hero. It was my partner Connie, who I also met at the club, that arranged for Mark and Nani to come to Colorado and lecture our club.
My career in magic began in 1974 when I began performing magic in schools in a show sponsored by AAA Colorado. Every year for 6 years my show was seen by 200,000 children. A young Steve Spangler, Past President, and Science Guru was in the audience at one of the schools in which I performed.
In the late 1970’s I used magic to earn a bachelor’s degree, in theater, from UNC. After leaving Greeley I spent four years in radio before returning to magic as a career. Leaving radio, I worked with club member Larry Campbell aka Zeezo the Clown. I managed and then owned and operated Zeezo’s Magic Castle from 1982 to 1989.
From the mid-1980s into the mid-1990’s I was the house Magician at Denver Landmark Casa Bonita. When Zeezo’s closed, I started busking on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. This led to performances in The Downtown Denver International Buskerfest and The Colorado Performing Arts Festival.
On television my magic allowed me to become a featured extra on Diagnosis Murder with Dick Van Dyke. I also was the emcee for Kid TalentQuest for Showtime Pay TV and I was featured in a national television commercial for Big Sur Waterbeds. On Starz/Encore Love Stories Channel I romanced a girl with magic.
I am proud of what I have been a part of over the years, and that includes my long association with the Mile High Magicians. I am looking forward to the time we can get back together in person.
*Editors note: Dave is the only member who’s been elected President of the club 4 times.
Dave Elstuns Website: https://www.MagicInDenvrer.com
Pocket Magic March – Prizes for your Pocket Tricks
What: MHMS March Meeting
When: March 11th 7:00 p.m. MST
Where: This is a virtual meetup. Here’s the Link!
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3863379552
Join the MHMS members for a behind-the-scenes peek into your pocket… OK, not really, that would be hard, especially virtually. We want to feature everyone’s pocket trick… and we want you to WIN prizes!
To give everyone incentive to perform, we’re awarding prizes for performances in over 85 competition categories. Below we’ve listed but 6 categories from our list of over 120 competition categories. You may pick one of the six below or perform your favorite pocket trick and find out if you win a prize from one of over 235 competition categories we are awarding:
- Best pocket trick using a prop made of food that’s been in your pocket for the day.
- Best pocket trick using at least 3 objects that are sticky or slippery or both.
- Best pocket trick using something you might find in your pocket after drinking too much.
- Best pocket trick performed using the phrase “is that a magic trick in your pocket?” that’s not dirty.
- Best pocket trick that would later need to be explained to your landlord.
- Best pocket trick using your pocket for absolutely no reason but convincing us it makes sense.
To clarify, feel free to compete in a listed category above or perform anything because we with over 360 competition categories we can’t possibly print because we don’t want a member to train a guinea pig or buy snowshoes etc. just to win. So let’s all compete and hopefully win a prize in one of our 475 competition categories.
Prizes awarded for any of the 545 competition categories may include magic tricks and/or magic books and/or magic items like silks etc. in new and/or used. Prizes won from any of the 605 competition categories will not be mailed to you. You may pick them up in Lakewood or wait until we meet again in person.
We really hope you decide to compete in one of the 700 competition categories so start practicing and please reach out so we know you’re not chicken and have the guts to perform and win a prize in one of 1,250 competition categories! Click here to email us you’re in!
Join the MHMS for a virtual magic show and then a behind-the-scenes peek at what it takes to make it successful and entertaining.
Max Davidson, this month’s member spotlight magician will pull back the screen and show us what goes into planning and staging a virtual show. He’ll begin with a short version of his In Your Head in Your Home show and then share some tips and tricks, technology, and experiences with performing this newer magic type. We’ll also hear about other virtual experiences and then we’ll open the floor to any member who would like to share anything about virtual magic, from tricks to tech.
If you’re interested in sharing or being a feature during the meeting with a more structured presentation, that would be great, please reach out.
As will be customary, everyone is welcome and encouraged to share some magic, all we ask is you keep it brief or, let us know in advance so we can schedule your time. See you next week!
This month we had member Max Davidson, who at one time was 10 years old when he joined the club and now is all grown up and doing very well in the magic world. He performed an amazing book test virtually where any book was selected and he successfully knew the thought of word! The cool thing was that his prediction was in his mouth behind his mask! Next, Max had Drew and Donna back east; draw a picture of a random thought of card. There was a Tannen’s Mystery Box on the shelf behind him the entire time and inside the box was a picture that matched the one they drew miles away! Gene Gordon performed a Knot a Rope Routine using a red and white rope where the knots changed places on the opposite colored rope. He also had a red bag in which a deck of cards was inside. Upon opening the deck there was only one card face down with a different colored back from a different deck. Gene mentioned that for zoom meetings, matrix’s and mentalism work well and always think about what tricks will work on zoom. Don Zellner talked about how he has been doing zoom magic for his clients.
Joe Diamond made the statement; just do a great show and that is the best thing you can do to get more business! He performed and shared his Paranormal Cloth trick, taking 10 cards and after a mix and a little bit of spelling your card was the last one held in your hand…pretty cool. Joe has always been interested in the bizarre and spooky magic so he performed a DVD movie trick. His helper thought of a movie that he would like to watch on Halloween. Blank DVD movie cases were mixed and eliminated one at a time. As they were eliminated they were opened and the movie inside was shown. Finally, with one case left, the spectator named the scary movie he wanted to watch. He named the movie he THOUGHT OF and inside the case was that EXACT movie! The trick stunned all of us! Last he showed us a Palmistry trick where no matter how strong you were you could not separate your ring fingers.
This month’s theme was what did Santa bring me, so anyone who received some magic and wanted to perform could. Steve Davis did a wonderful Three Card Monte, Glenn Proulx showed us his new trick where a bottle of OJ turned into a bottle of Coke-Cola. Annamya George told us how practicing card magic helped him strengthened his fractured wrist. He showed us how he found four aces in a brand new deck and produced cards from mid air. Peter correctly matched 12 pop star musicians while face down on the table. Then, Dan Rodriquez, the first Ronald McDonald in Denver performed a Jumbo Card trick where the helper had a ‘free choice’, not really, we all thought and then the Jumbo Card completely changed into a totally different card and fooled us all. Brad Montgomery showed us his cardistry skills. Gene Gordon performed a ‘Coins in Cylinder’ trick that was very good and finally Chad Wonder had a plastic frame where psychic symbol cards were placed in slots and they perfectly matched each other and did a linking ring made out of barb wire trick.
Matt Fore also did a zoom presentation and talked about his KIOS system (killing it on stage). He wowed us by doing gags, stuck beans in his eye, mouth and nose and after some snorting all the beans regrouped in his mouth and he spit them in his hand. Rubber bands jumped through his wrist, a birthday kid would win the full bag of Milky Way candy bars. He also pulled a rope through a ladies neck. Matt said that opening lines and Segway’s are very important to keep the show going fast and fun. A call back is when you first show an object empty container and then you go back to that container and low and behold the missing object is inside after all! He did this multiple times and his hands never went near the container.
Brad Montgomery talked about his time at he Magic Castle, how he dropped a prop his first night and how fortunate he was when he was asked back to finish his night. Two card backs blended together when rotated and an ESP test was given and the prediction all matched. William Rader used his new Tarot cards and had us spell M-A-G-I-C-I-A-N with cards and as cards are eliminated you are holding your card at the end! Rabbi Eliot Baskin told us some history of the Menorah, the candles, and he demonstrated how oil for the lamps kept refilling after it was empty from a Lotta vase. A box was shown empty then when the box was opened again, the candles were in there. Using the four Kings we spelled the suits and ended up finding the real Santa King after Wendy Wylde’s directions were followed. Gary Jenkins showed us his dollar bill with a door and the bill turned inside out while we held onto the door handle. Then after mixing up a Rubik Cube it was quickly solved with a Bruce Lee karate chop. The Queen of Puns, Marty Jewell had her ‘ear drum’ jewelry, a ‘head light’ head band and did a fun trick with mixed up Christmas cards that eventually matched her prediction. Coin manipulator James Lopez made coins fly from hand to hand and once a card was selected over zoom it was the only card reversed in a normal deck. Lastly, James did a remarkable TNR card routine that was really impressive. Two Santa’s in a different chimney changed places numerous times with the skill of Chad Wonder. Shane Cohen had a gift bag for Santa, a bite out of a pumpkin flavored Oreo, swimming, a golf ball on a vase that turned into a silk and on his Wish Lish it was written that we would leave the above items for Santa on Christmas Eve. Very impressive. Gene Gordon used Dental Floss that was torn off into pieces and restored along with a torn up card and everything vanished while wrapped in a silk except for one corner. Inside of a bag that was inside a box, which was inside an Altoid box was found the restored card with a corner missing! The missing corner fit perfectly! It was a perfect end to a Crazy Covid year. Like all magicians around the world are all hoping we can meet in person before a live audience and commiserate with all our friends in the New Year.
To celebrate the magic, we’re asking all the attendees to perform a short magic trick regardless of skill level. This is not American Got Talent, it’s a society of magicians or in simpler terms, a magic club… It’ll be fun to mess up, be willy or amaze and astound.
November News
Virtual Meeting again…This month we had the pleasure of hosting Jamie Salinas. Jamie shared numerous tricks and mentalism with us this month. His M&M Candy Prediction was yummy. Wow, you need to see his Lotto Fever trick too! A ton of thought went into this trick. His version of a Zoom Bullet Catch was amazing and received wonderful praise from the audience. Jamie also explained Perfect Readings with five different people in attendance. He sure set the scary stage with his Paranormal Experience for a setting up a séance. The key to a successful séance is the build up in a persons mind.
We also had our normal lecture with many puns…like a picture of a pumpkin and the Pi symbol for pumpkin pie. Steve Davis did a nice red in his hand and a yellow out silk trick. Gene Gordon had a spooky trick or treat bag that had lots of candy appear. Then the bag was torn open and all the other candy disappeared except his favorite, Twix. He also had a ‘coiniverous’ sea shell and coin purse where coins moved around. Chad Wonder had five glasses of milk that kept filling up all the other size glasses and a Blank Deck routine. Gary Jenkins performed a mixed up Rubik Cube trick that solved itself quickly! Marty Jewell, our Queen of puns had a prop with a real rock and real roll(dinner), She had a grey-V cutout and a pill-gram. Glenn Proulx performed Quarte, stuffed an apple into a 2 liter pop bottle.
Ring 131 and Assembly 37 meet the second Thursday of the month at Riverpointe Senior Community 5225 S Prince St, Littleton, CO 80123. https://www.milehighmagicians.comGlenn Proulx 303-794-5208, glennproulx@gmail.com