Mentalism night, who would have thought that eleven members would perform and 23 would show up? Only the mentalist! Elliott Baskin had his helper say stop and then he cut a paper in half. On the other side it was cut on the prediction ‘cut here’. Glenn Proulx did a tossed out magazine where a random page was chosen and he read the persons mind and knew one random word on that page. Gene Gordon one card was chosen from a jumbo deck and it matched the card in a box! Also, the numbers where added up on a dice and matched a prediction made by Gene. Anthem and Aria had a prediction hidden inside one of four balloons and a pendulum was used to find the hidden prediction, Wow! William Rader had a spectator pick a random card and it was the only card with a different color back. Dave Neighbors used his powers to bend keys and Steve Davis had someone pick one random queen, then when the other queens were turned over they were really blank cards! Bob Brown had his spectator think of a person. Bob drew a picture of the thought of person and it was a stick figure! The likeness was amazing he nailed it! Rodney Housley asked members to give him a 4 digit number which after using a calculator the grand total was his cell phone number. Matt Brandt has a bunch of socks, which he randomly put in boxes and spelled, out “which box of sox”. Through elimination two boxes remained and when the boxes where opened both sox matched! Gregg Tobo did a fine billet trick where he successfully read three spectators minds and told them who wrote what on each billet. Gregg also had someone pick a random number and while reciting a poem filled in the magic square paper where all numbers equaled 84.
Marcus Eddie, Impromptu Magic night and Chris Randall
Marcus Eddie came to Denver and performed for us a lot of the effects he has created using found objects from around the home or restaurant. On the way in to perform he got a huge splinter in his finger and he pulled it out with his teeth, it was two inches in length! What an effect. He also gave out his last breath mint only to have the container fill back up again before our eyes. Marcus floated a bottle of water, changed pennies into dimes and showed us his progression of how he has improved an empty card box to produce not one but TWO decks of cards from the same box!
Impromptu Night was a lot of fun too. Magicians brought in various tricks and let the members pick a trick off of the table and they had 15 minutes to come up with a routine to perform. It was nice to see some of the members perform for the first time. We also had a guest from the San Francisco Bay area visiting and he even jumped in and performed. Thank you Suyash for sharing your talents! We had card tricks, silk magic, change bags that made a light bulb appear, cups and balls, street cons, quarters ending up inside a shoe and inside a sock! Burnt matches vanished out of the book then reappeared, a zipper transformed from one, to two linked, then un-linked, then became big enough to fix a pillow. Dissolving knots ended the night and at one point broccoli appeared!
Chris Randall borrowed a $100, which was signed, and then he vanished it then went on to perform his version of the Professors Nightmare. Eventually he pulled out a lemon, cut it open and the signed bill was found inside! He also performed the Hover Card and explained how easy it really is to perform and showed the members some small nuances to make it look and feel better when performing his great effect. He recommended making a bunch of cards ahead of time and Chris has them all ready to go when he needs them.
April was a busy month in Denver, we had three events so we definitely got our fill of magic this month. First, we had Bronson Chadwick perform his original chopstick and Chinese coin production from mid air. He also suggested to keep you patter short to help keep peoples interest and attention when doing any trick. Bronson did a 6-card repeat and made silks escape from a corked bottle.
Next we had our Plastic Magic night. That is always a fun night and this time it was extra special because some of our members did a father and son and father son and daughter magic trick performing together for the first time! Plastic cups and balls, ball in vase, plastic cut and restored rope, sward and ring penetration box, hot rods, a plastic compass that always points to the spectator and the Spangler’s brought in some antique Anverdi plastic wine bottles. Those were so cool to see the construction and method.
Finally, we had long time member Steve Aldrich perform his last show/lecture in Denver before moving to Montana. Steve showed us some of his favorite tricks. His Miser’s Dream load system, different gimmicks he has created, a two ring separation, six card repeat, card at any number and he did three deck switches that none of us caught! He also had a couple magical apparatuses for sale and did a couple versions of a trick called Cosmic Blue Ray along with a Chink a Chink performance. We also honored Steve with a Life Time Membership to the Mile High Magicians’ Society for all he has done for Denver and Colorado.
Club members look forward to the Teach-in. Everyone learned four new tricks that night and we had a lot of members show up. Tommy Walker taught us about Rubber Band magic and gave us rubber bands to practice with and take home. Matt Brandt taught us an impromptu torn and restored bill routine that can be used anywhere and how to make writing appear and disappear on a Sharpie. Dave Neighbors explained and demonstrated his Coins in the Corner routine. What a master coin manipulator! He gave us suggestions of books to read to get more information on coin handling, switches and palming. Gene Gordon taught us a couple of amazing card tricks using a normal deck of cards. One in which the spectators card was found between two Joker’s at each end of the deck. When the deck is closed up and re-spread open the Joker’s are closer together with less and less card in between. The next time the deck is closed and re-opened the Joker’s are eventually right next to each other with the spectators card sandwiched in between. The other card trick taught was having any random card chosen, replaced in the deck and thoroughly slop shuffled. Next, the magician was in trouble and couldn’t find the card, but being a magician the card was successfully found in a different part of the deck. With a little practice this will be a killer routine. The great thing about this teach-in is, everyone goes home that night with new tricks they could practice and perform within a week, many times with supplies they already have at home.
Forty plus members and family showed up to the first meeting of the year our Past Presidents Night for a magical evening. Past National President, Dan Rodriguez swore in the new board members Matt Brandt President, Jeff Jenson Vice-President, Glenn Proulx Secretary, Chad Darnell Treasurer, and Gene Gordon Sargent-at-Arms, along with Dick Bowman’s help. Matt Brandt performed a card trick where the Nine of Diamonds vanished out of one deck and it ended face up in another deck. Jeff Jenson did a torn and restored paper trick with the help of two kids. Andrew Bates taught us a lesson that his dad taught him “Don’t let your sister get your goat” where five people picked different colored envelopes and inside were different animal names, the goat was chosen last. Gene Gordon and Matt Brandt did a comedy Professor’s Nightmare routine and then Connie Elston used a duck bucket where a chocolate candy rabbit appeared then a real one appeared. Chris Manos did a $6 repeat where at the end the money changed into Chinese money. Up again was Gene who had silks change colors in his hand and then he did a card trick where the chosen card melted through a large silk. Another chosen card was then torn up and the pieces vanished. One card piece ended up inside a Linking Ring magazine and matched the other restored pieces! Dave Elston had ten random cards chosen and placed into a sealed envelope. Four more cards were shot from across the room and ended up inside the sealed envelope. Dan Rodriquez told us a story about three bears using ropes of different lengths and also made a table float around the room. Last up was Steve Aldrich who had a length of chain where the links would unlink and visibly slink down the outside of the chain and reconnect to the bottom link. It was a sight to be seen!
Jared Kopf was our guest lecturer and he wowed and amazed us with his linking rings, card handling and mentalism techniques using a deck of cards and even business cards. A person would swear that you inspected and handled all six steel rings and yet, they melted together and apart! His false shuffles were spectacular. What a great start to the New Year, and next time you are in the Denver area please join us for this years magical meetings and lectures.
Our end of the year Banquet was well attended by sixty members, family and friends. Our Past Board Members and the New Board Members provided our entertainment. Matt Brandt performed his version of cups and balls with a new, never before seen twist on the ending. He even has some memorabilia signed by Dai Vernon and Goshman in his collection. John Luong had a clear water bottle lid and stuff appeared out of it from thin air. He did his salt pour into a mini wok, color changing knives and a signed dollar bill ended up in a bill tube. Dan McMillan made metal rings link and un-link within within 6” of two spectators eyes…It was amazing. Glenn Proulx had a corner torn off of a bill and left in plane sight while a lemon was selected and held by a spectator. The remainder of the bill vanished and the bill was found inside the lemon with a corner missing. The torn corner was a perfect match and so was the serial number. Andrew Bates had a mixed up bag of white and black balls. If you selected a white ball you tell a white lie. If you got a black ball, tell the truth. He correctly predicted who was telling the truth or not then he gave out gifts to each participant and one got a pair of handcuffs! Mysto the Magi did Professor’s nightmare that hypnotized us and poured water from a pitcher which would start and stop under his commands. Chad Wonder has cards with famous names on the back of every card. Leonardo DiCaprio was selected and matched his prediction, his baby picture and when it was turned over it was his real picture. Gene Gordon took a napkin and tore it into a snow flake which turned into an egg. He made bubbles turned into a crystal ball, his helper kept picked a card which ended up on his Gene’s forehead. Finally, the torn up a card which vanished out of a hanky and ended up in a box of Fruit Loops. What a surprise when a card found inside with its corner missing matched the torn off corner Sean was holding. Jeff Jenson performed a card’s across from one spectators pile to another with ten feet of space in between. He then performed his card manipulation routine which was amazing and skillful. What a Night!!!
Magic Beyond Belief was our 11th year of providing a family friendly public show this month. Dan Rodriguez performed in his golf attire and produced many golf balls and clubs! Poor Dan’s shoes would fill up with sand and he would empty them just to have them fill up again. Rod Wayne produced a gorilla from a doll house with a banana wand. With his two helpers he lost a helium balloon, found it, and did a nice job with a gypsy balloon. He even perform the Kate and Edith card trick. Gregg Tobo multiplied numbers in his head out to the 5th power using random numbers from a Bingo Ball mixer, he is a human calculator. Steve Aldrich hypnotized silks that would untie themselves and fall to the floor as picked by a spectator. Next was his egg and silk routine. Finally his empty box kept producing silks and they would vanish and appear elsewhere. Gene Gordon did the Miser’s Dream and twisted balloons with kids. Jeff Jenson produced colorful umbrellas umbrellas and finish of with his wonderful card manipulation with a snowstorm ending. Our MC, Matt Brandt amazed us in between set-ups with Bounce, Visine and a fantastic rope routine. William Rader a mentalist played the which hand game and ended up finding the objects hidden in their hand every time. He also had a helper pick a random city, food, and attraction they would travel too. His final written prediction matched perfectly! Mysto the Magi produced numerous silks, doves appearing and disappearing followed by a nice Egg Bag routine. The floating table he purchased from and estate sale got a thunderous applause. Tommy Walker did magic in the lobby with Gene before the show and at the intermission. Special thank you, Director, Andrew Bates.
Table Shenanigans and Bet-ches Night. Gene Gordon had a bouncy ball but the wand took out the bounce! Glenn Proulx moved a beer bottle with a $20 bill. Jean-Luc Romano did the squirting mustard gag. Gregg Tobo’s bar bet was can you turn 3 cups mouth up in 3 moves? Larry Betz showed a lot of funny dinner gags. Dan MacMillan vanished a saltshaker! John Luong made an American flag appear from half a clear water bottle! Will Rader found a person’s card from their thumb print and Jeff Jenson poured a sugar substitute in his fist and turned it into a Hershey kiss plus he performed his adorable sponge bunnies!
Evening of Odd
Every October we have our Evening of Odd club meeting where members will perform odd magic. We were not disappointed this time either! Karen Wake made ghoulish treats for us to eat and Jeff was our MC, which had a Twilight Zone theme. Bob Brown made his own Jacob’s Ladder and made a pickle glow while Paul Noffsinger had a sealed prediction held by a spectator. A page was selected out of the book Centennial and it was missing. However, the missing page was found in the sealed envelope and fit perfectly in the book! Chris Manos put a stuffed animal inside a doghouse and hit it with electricity and all that was left was a huge dog skeleton. Lew Wymisner had Jeff wear a woman’s skirt and select a card. The card was torn up, most of it vanished in a pan, and by using a political candidate’s magic word the card was found in Jeff’s garter. All howled with laughter! Marty Jewell had and alien machine that lost his head and re-found it. Karen did a fine rendition of 12 days of Halloween with fun props. Chelsea the Clairvoyant predicted who was holding which ball with the help of her voodoo doll. Mark Strivings used the wives of Uncle Harold to predict how he would be buried. Michael Rehdish played a game of Jeopardy, and Rich Nakata had a séance where a pentagram started to burn on a piece of paper!
The David Ginn lecture was filled with a lot of fun and laughter as he shared a lot of great ideas for performing for kids, get them laughing right off the bat is his suggestion. Sponge balls, silk, squeak horns, pennies, the multiplying banana routine, a change bag with a miss-made American flag, a flower eating bunny rabbit puppet are some of his props. His linking ropes and vanishing arm trick using two volunteers was fun. Stretching bananas and a cool science trick using a coffee cup, string, a fender washer and a wooden spoon are things you can also use at a kids show. The way he uses all of his tricks together shows how he scripts everything!
Our summer teach-in had William Rader perform a Tic-Tac-To prediction and a Do as I Do card trick. Next, Matt Brandt taught us the classic gypsy thread routine with helpful hints how to do the setup without getting kinks in your thread. Gene Gordon taught a couple of methods on how to do a fun cards across routine. Steve Aldrich showed us how to make a production/vanishing paper bag utility that could be used with numerous tricks.
Kenrick “Ice” McDonald Lecture
Kenrick “Ice” McDonald words of wisdom were, “Find your swagger, have great showmanship, have fun and bring your audience back to their childhood, this will make for a great show.” His misdirection was fun to watch and he explained why he used this type of misdirection for the magic he does. He performed Mental Picture, Restored, Fortune Cookie, a card ended up inside a sealed Fortune Cookie! Exchange, is where a bill changed into another denomination from a different country! Utterly amazing.
The Rocky Mountain Session
The Rocky Mountain Session took place on September 23 – 25 in Denver. Caleb Wiles, Steve Reynolds, Mark Strivings, and Bill Abbott all gave wonderful lectures. During the attendee show, there were performances from Kainoa Harbottle, Dave Neighbors, Dan Fleshman, Marcus Eddie, and Curtis Kam. Gregg Tobo finished the show with a few routines from his show A Mathematician at Play which he performs at various fringe festivals across the country. The Session was a huge hit and hopefully William Rader will produce it again next year.
Our summer BBQ was a lot of fun and we had a wonderful turnout. Performers included Matt Brandt who performed with coins and a string, Dave Neighbors performed his wonderful coins across routine, Jean-Luc caught snaps in mid air, Steve Davis made blue backed cards change to 4 different colors and then turn back to blue, Gregg Tobo memorized a whole deck of playing cards in 18 seconds, John Leong performed his salt pour, multiplying squirrels, color changing chop sticks, and professors nightmare routine. Next was Glenn Proulx who did a $1-20 bill change, Steve Aldrich floated metal wooden blocks through paper, made colors change places and pass through each other, and performed a crooked dealing routine. Jeff Jensen smashed a beer bottle and placed it in a sack and then used his powers to find the back with the jagged bottle inside. Gene Gordon finished the show with a routine that consisted of a bag, rope, cards, and a lasso. The finale included a signed card that ended up in a sealed envelope.
Shoot Ogawa Lecture
Shoot Ogawa performed routines with cards, and coins, and performed a fun 3 card Monte effect. His effects and handling of coins, cards, and linking rings shows his expertise in everything he touches. His four of hearts strolling effect was wonderful along with his business card that had a moveable hole. Shoot also explained his color changing thimble magic routine. He showed us an eight-card trick using a Brain Wave deck. He suggested taking a classic trick and by changing the presentation you will come up with a brand new ending. He said that is what he tries to do with all of his magic. I was most impressed with how he could flawlessly melt one linking ring through another from any point on that solid ring!
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