Meeting August 13, 2025: David Gerard Lecture

David Gerard Returns to the IBM Ring216 — One Night Only

   Join us for a rare, wide-ranging evening with David Gerard, one of the top corporate entertainers and magicians in the world. David has performed for clients like Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Page, consulted on four seasons of America’s Got Talent, and recently directed Colin Cloud’s Mastermind at Harrah’s Las Vegas. Before all that, he got his start right here — at the IBM Ring in San Jose and The Magic Garage in Sunnyvale. His past lectures for the club have been met with rave reviews and this will be no different. Having left his job in tech three years ago to perform full time, David returns with a refined perspective on our craft.

 

    This won’t be a canned set or a dealer demo. David has studied under some of the most respected minds in magic — including Eric Mead, Ken Weber, Jamy Ian Swiss, and many more — and will be weaving insights from these legends into a one-of-a-kind lecture. David wants to customize the evening to serve the real questions, needs, and curiosities of the Ring. Whether you're interested in the basics of strolling magic, deep theory around audience management, or advanced material for the stage, nothing is off-limits. Please comment or email your questions and requests ahead of time so he can tailor the night to the group. 

 

   This will be an evening of magic, mentalism, business, and community — and one you won’t want to miss.

Cost: $20 for RING216 Members / $30 for nonmembers

Time: August 13th, 2025, 7:30PM 

Meeting Report, July 9, 2025: Open Performances

 Ring 216 President Cal Tong opened the July meeting by welcoming some members who had not been here in a while and some returning visitors and some new faces. There were twenty-some people in attendance, who were each given a raffle ticket. In between the evening’s performances, the people whose raffle numbers were called chose a magic item from among those generously donated by members. By the end of the evening, everyone had won a prize.

 

Fourteen performers had volunteered this evening. Yitian Liang started it off by solving a Rubik’s cube without touching it. Mike Bailes performed the cups and balls. David Martinez tried out a new time travel routine in which a card is found even before it is selected. Alex Wu performed a series of difficult card effects done with one hand, including a production of a selected card from a zippered wallet that fooled many of those present. Tom* drew a six by six magic square using a spectator’s numbers. Gary Goldberg demonstrated how to find three needles in a haystack, using a deck of cards.

 

Fred Rasmussen slyly showed his Houdini side with taped and chained thumbs doing inexplicable things. Jim Blaishek gave a treat to magic collectors with his routine employing a card fan to top hat transformation and a Mel Babcock die box. Harold workshopped a new effect that combined mind reading of a card by a spectator with a cash prediction of a selected number. Michael Nguyen visiting from the Oakland Magic Circle closed out the night with his manipulation act of Miser’s dream, silks, billiard balls and card fan productions.   

 

After the performances and the raffle there was free socializing and sessioning.

Ring 216 Meeting on Wednesday, July 9

We can't wait to see you at our next meeting!

Agenda Highlights

Raffle: Don't miss out on another chance to win some fantastic prizes donated by club members. It's always a highlight of our gatherings. The raffle is for members who have paid their dues for 2025.

Open Performance: Bring your latest tricks and share your magic with fellow members. Whether it's a classic routine or something new, this is your chance to shine. Club members are encouraged to perform at least once each year. This is a perfect low-stress environment to test out your new magic routines!

This meeting promises to be engaging and full of learning opportunities. Let's continue to support each other and share the magic that brings us together.