Meeting Report: August 14, 2019 - Walkaround Competition

Ring 216 held its Walkaround Competition for an audience of laypeople and magicians on August 14, 2019. Among the delicacies: Grant Gomez performed a multi-phase three-(or is it two? or is it one?)-coin routine. Fred Lee squished a marble. David Martinez cheated with a marked red-hot card. Mitch Kothe told jokes with a series of effects. Sohum Mohda persuaded spectators to find matching cards. Dan Chan Instagrammed a selected card. Meriam Al-Sultan and Judy melded two signed cards together lengthwise. Tom Collett dematerialized coins in the spectator’s imagination. Susan Zeller went ninja on metal rings. Alan Leeds did something shocking with a tennis ball.

The scoring was very very close, but unfortunately there has to be a winner. First Place went to Grant Gomez. The People’s Choice award was a tie between Grant Gomez and David Martinez. Congratulations to all the participants!

Meeting Report: July 10, 2019 - Open Performance Night

It was Open Performance Night, July 10, 2019, at Ring 216. Rafael Delgadillo (with a nod to Dani Da Ortiz) found a selected card at a named number from a shuffled deck. Fred Lee contemplated fear as his grandfather’s knife sliced through a spectator’s coat, yet the coat was unharmed. Ken King let a spectator psychically pair animals with Noah’s ark cards. Scott Frieda tossed a card into the deck four times, miraculously hitting an ace each time. Tetra tossed out a deck to have cards selected, which he then divined. David Martinez used the spectator’s imagination to make coins travel to and from their hands. John Mosch tried out a new Bannon packet trick. Sohum Modha finished the night with a quick series of card effects, including cutting to the four kings which then discovered the selected card.

July 10 meeting: Open performances with critique

For the meeting on July 10, 2019, we invite you to show us your stuff: You can perform a routine, sleight, or presentation and get valuable feedback from other members. This is the perfect way to get help and ideas from your fellow magicians in a low-stress environment. To make it as useful as possible, we're going to have a short presentation on how to give and receive feedback.

For whatever time remaining, we'll have casual time to catch up and re-connect with your friends, learn something new, and enjoy some fun magic.

We will also have a raffle for members, and we may have some surprises. Come join us!

Announcing the 2019 Auction and Flea Market!

Got magic stuff you want to get rid of? Is there anything you have your eye on? Bring your magical friends and join us at our next meeting on Wednesday, June 12, beginning at 7:00 p.m. to shop the collections of your fellow magicians — and/or sell the stuff you don't use anymore.

Flea Market
Tables for the flea market are available now on a first-come, first-served basis. Reserve your table today using our easy online form. The costs are:

• Full table: $15 for members, $20 for non-members
• Half table: $10 for members, $15 for non-members

You can view a layout of the tables when you reserve, and you can make a request for a particular table (although requests are not guaranteed). The earlier you reserve, the more likely you will be to get your preferred location.

RESERVE NOW›

Auction
There will also be an auction of magical goods. If you're interested in the auction, just show up. Anybody can sell at auction. The club takes a 10% fee for auction sales, but no fee for table sales.

Make a Donation
If you have some unwanted stuff, consider donating it to the club. We'll auction it off that night, and the proceeds will go to Ring 216.

Evening Agenda
6:30 p.m.: Sellers may arrive to set up their tables for the flea market.
7:00 p.m.: The doors open to buyers.
8:15 p.m. (approximately): The auction begins.
9:30 p.m. (approximately): All sales end and it's time to pack up.

Want more details about the auction? Read our FAQ.

So bring your friends and your stuff — and your cash.

Meeting Report: May 2019 - Kayla Drescher lecture

      Kayla Drescher shared her experiences in the world of bar and restaurant magic in her “Tips for Tips” lecture at the May 2019 meeting of Ring 216. She has the distinction of being the Ring’s first female lecturer—and one of the themes of the night was the small representation of women in magic. After the lecture, an episode of the Shezam! podcast was recorded live at the meeting with Kayla and friend Carisa Hendrix, known widely for her character Lucy Darling. (Available at www.shezampod.com.)
 
The meeting began with a color changing bottle cap workshop, one of the routines Kayla devised working as a magic bartender—bottle caps being one of the more plentiful items at a bar. Then she delved into the many ways the bar can be gimmicked with duct tape, magnetic tape, trick coasters and ready-for-work straws. The real secrets came next: how to maximize tips. It was a topic she had researched with statistical methods, as her livelihood depended on tips far more than on salary. Wouldn’t you like to borrow a $100 bill from a spectator for a trick and have them voluntarily let you keep it at the end (without it dripping with lemon juice)? Kayla explained how she developed her technique to do just that, as well as revealing the best color to wear to get greater tips, and numerous other tactics that supported her and gave her the record for one-day tips at the Chicago Magic Lounge.

The Shezam! podcast afterward discussed the statistical work Kayla and Clarissa had done on the topic of women in magic. They estimated that about two to five percent of performing magicians are women. Few of these lecture to other magicians, and they credited John Reed of New York for encouraging women to come out as authorities in their fields. They noted men think they’re experts if they know sixty percent of the material, but women won’t consider themselves experts until they’re sure they know one hundred percent (or more). A quiz and question and answer session completed the live podcast. If you ever wanted to hear some Ring 216 member asking questions on a podcast, this is your chance!