Next meeting: Ring 216 Walk-Around Competition

Join us on Wednesday, August 13, 2013, for the IBM Ring 216 Annual Walk-Around Magic Competition.

If you are interested in competing, please send an email to Cal Tong (calvin.tong@ring216.org). In addition to the standard division, we will also have our Masters Division if there are enough competitors. So if you have won first place in one of the competition events in previous years, then you qualify for the master's division and can sign up for this event!

Bring your friends or family with you to enjoy an evening of great magic. The more people we have, the better the magic.

Read the competition rules.

The time and place are the same as usual: Yu-Ai Kai Community Center at 7:30 p.m. sharp. See you then!

CORRECTION: Free Lecture for Members, Open Performance Night

IBM Ring 216 has a treat for our fellow magicians this upcoming meeting night.

First, a lecture from magician Bill Ragsdale about a legend in our art.

"John Scarne, More Than Magic"

There is more to legendary John Scarne’s career than the first three tricks in Stars Of Magic and six references in Greater Magic. His efforts spanned platform magic; book and magazine authorship; game design; casino operations in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Panama; and television performances as well as creating a newsletter and specialty advertising.

Bill Ragsdale, the foremost authority on John Scarne, will cover the little known aspects of those activities. Today we will see John Scarne in action in film from 1933, 1950, 1970, and 1979.  Bill will answer the questions: “Was Scarne that good?”  “Why was his son named Teeko?”  “Why did Houdini tell him ‘The farther you get ahead, the more your magician friends will turn against you’?” and “What was it like to entertain three US Presidents and Fidel Castro?”

The presentation is supported by extensive video, previously unreleased photographs, a statistical computer analysis and Bill’s  seventy-two page research report.

The lecture is free for paid Ring 216 members, $10 for non-members.

Following Bill's lecture, we will spend the rest of the evening with open performances by members and attendees. Come show the group something you're working on, something you're polishing, something fun, whatever. And if you have an announcement to make about upcoming shows, bring that too.

See you at the regular time and place: 7:30 p.m. at Yu Ai Kai Community Center.

Ring 216 Flea Market and Auction is Coming June 11

Got magic stuff you want to get rid of? Is there anything you have your eye on? Join us at our next meeting on Wednesday, June 11, beginning at 7:00 PM to shop the collections of your fellow magicians — and/or sell the stuff you don't use anymore.

Tables for the flea market are available now. You must contact Ring 216 treasurer Will Chandler (will_chandler@comcast.net) to reserve your table today. The costs are:

• Paid Ring 216 members: $15 for a large table, $10 for a small table
• Non-members: $20 for a large table, $15 for a small table.

View a layout of the tables

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.

Among the many items to be auctioned off will be two pieces of equipment currently owned by Ring 216:

• A small PA system that's perfect for solo performers
• Portable stage lights for indoor use

If you have questions about those items, just contact webmaster@ring216.org and we'll get your questions answered.

Here's the itinerary for the evening:

6:45 PM: Sellers may arrive to set up their tables for the flea market.

7:00 PM: The doors open to buyers.

8:15 PM: The auction begins.

9:30 PM (approximately): All sales end and it's time to pack up.

Bring your friends and your stuff — and your cash.

Want more details about the auction? Read our FAQ.

Upcoming Lecture: Juan Luis Rubiales coming May 14

With the help of Raahul, we have another lecturer from Spain, Juan Luis Rubiales.

Until now, magic with coins has always been more technical than intellectual, in this lecture Juan Luis Rubiales gives his unique touches with this kind of magic to make it more accessible to your spectators. Revamped methods under the clear influence of Dai Vernon through his writings and Juan Tamariz, as his direct teacher.

But not just this, he also will teach a few of his card magic works, works from his studies at the prestigious Escorial convention, like his version of "triple coincidence" by Tamariz... BUT with a bound deck, stabbed cards, card in the glob and a few bits more that make us believe in real magic.

Click for larger image

Reminder about Ring 216 Magic Book

Ring 216 Members: It’s your chance to share your magical creations and see them in print.

Submit your original effects for publication in a new book to be produced by the Ring. Closeup, walk-around, parlor, or stage. Coins, cards, ropes, whatever. We’re looking for at least 10 effects featuring either creative plots, new methods, or original presentations—or all three.

How It Works:

• Write up your effect in the style of a typical magic book: Effect, Setup, Method. 
• Be sure to include credits.
• Submit your writeup to the editor (see below) for review by our advisory panel. 
• If your trick is accepted, your description will be edited and prepared for publication.
• If photographs are required, we’ll set up a photo shoot at the Magic Garage.

We’ll produce ebook, paperback, and hardcover versions of the book using print-on-demand technology. All Ring 216 members will get the ebook free and printed copies at discounted prices.

Don’t wait too long to submit your ideas. The deadline for entries is May 1, 2014.

Editor: David Martinez, davidhmartinez@gmail.com
Advisory Panel: Cal Tong, David Martinez