Vol. 10 Issue 11 November 2013

We meet the first Thursday of the month at Beth Sholom, 1050 S. Tuttle Ave. Sarasota FL. 34237 Workshop at 6:00 pm. Officers meeting 6:30 pm. General meeting and presentation 7:00 pm.

Visit our Web Site at HTTP://www.ibmring81.com

Aldo and Rachel Colombini

What can be written about the Colombinis that hasn’t been printed many times in the past.? They have enter- tained us many times and continue to entertain us with myriad effects that they publish. To list all of them would require a small book, not a newsletter. Do they love magic because it’s their business or is it their busi- ness because they love mag- ic? I think it’s both. Since they do not travel as much as they used to, it is our good fortune that they will spend an evening with us. If you haven’t seen them before, this is an opportunity you don’t want to miss. You’ll learn something new and be thoroughly entertained by their skill, humor and enthusiasm. It’s magic

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From the President

Thanks to everyone who participated in last month's "Teach In" Sessions. Members want more magic instruction and your club listens to you! (I'm still counting cards down to the tenth position, Joe!)

I was asked about flash paper last month and exactly what it is. Flash paper is a type of chemically treated paper that is widely used by magi- cians to create quick and startling flashes of fire and light. In short, it is nitrated paper. Flash paper disappears when lit... leaving no trail! Dur- ing the Prohibition days, huge amounts of the stuff was sold by magic dealers to the underworld, for bookies and gangsters would write down receipts/numbers/data etc. and in the case of a raid by law enforcement had a way to quickly dispose of the "evidence."

Your Sarasota Weather Report for Thursday is excellent entertainment because our lecture perfectly illustrates the point that trial & error, plus wonderful routining and the constant injection of humor and con- trolled pacing can produce solid magic audience enjoyment. Show up for a good time!

November 7th The Colombini’s December 5th Holiday Magic January 2nd Doug Conn Lecture February 6th Meet the Challenge

“Stevie “Dee” CIGAM HOUSE OF MAGIC Parties, Conventions, 1222 12th St. West Graduations. These two holidays fall on the same Bradenton FL 34205 You name it, day this year! It’ll never happen again JONTI Head Magician He does it. in our lifetimes! Slight of hand, DVDs, Steve can be reached at: Lessons 941-752-9123 or Phone: 941-746-4163 FAX 941-727-7410 Email: [email protected]

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Harlan Tarbell bio is by George Schiller (current "Dean" of the SAM)

To most magicians, the name Tarbell brings immediately to mind that classic set of books that some of us have purchased, many have heard of, but few have read. But who was the man responsible and what exactly is in that set of books that everyone talks about? Harlan Eugene Tarbell was born on February 23, 1890 in Delavan, Illinois. At the age of 12 he was creating cartoons for a newspaper in the town of Morton. It was during this time that he hiked five miles along the railroad tracks to see a performance by the magician Dante (Harry Jansen) at the local town hall. Primarily interested in pursuing a career in illustration, Tarbell moved to Chicago in 191 I, and it was there that a company called Read and Covert, which produced ma- gicians' equipment, hired him to do illustrations for their catalogs. In the mid I 920s, publishers T. Grant Cooke and Walter Jordan decided there was money to be made in developing and selling a correspondence course in magic. They hired magician Walter Baker and Tarbell to develop the course, but Baker dropper out early in the project. They also approached Harry Houdini, but he declined and sug- gested they let Tarbell do the entire project. They provided him with $50,000 and he proceeded to develop a series of 60 correspond lessons, complete with over 3,000 illustrations (all of which he did himself). He finished in 1928. The course was evolutionary, starting from basic sleights, body positions and tech- niques, and then moving into more complex effects. More than 10,000 copies of the course were sold, but in 1931 the publishers discontinued the project citing slumping sales due to the Depression. However, magician Louis Tannen (who would run a successful New York magic shop) bought the rights to the material and published it in book form in 1941. The course includes more than 100 lessons in all aspects of magic. Included are sections on close-up magic, mentalism, stage magic, escapes, as well as an intro- ductory essay on the history of magic. Tarbell included hundreds of individual tricks, and also sections on patter, marketing, misdirection, timing, showmanship, routining and magic theory. The eight volumes still remain an invaluable magic resource, and even a casual perusal by a performer will yield a wealth of ideas on all aspects of the magical arts. Harlan Tarbell served in the 24th Air Company in the First World War and worked with the medical department. During his service he illustrated a military atlas, and while he was in France had the good fortune to study with French Impressionist Claude Monet. Tarbell continued to perform as a magician after the war, living mainly in Elmhurst, Illinois. In June of 1960 he suffered a fatal heart attack and died at the age of 70. His course in magic, however, lives on as one of the great standard works on the subject of conjuring. As one magician recently put it, "you can find just about every trick in the Tarbell course--if you look for it!" Submitted by Gale Molovisky

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Secretary’s Report

I am reporting the September and October meetings together in part because they have so much in common and in part because they illustrate what it is like when literally everyone at the meeting actively participates. We learn so much more from one anoth- er than we do from a visiting lecturer. Yet it is the lecturer that most often draws us to the meetings.

September: Our program director, Jonti, suggested we select a trick described in the Linking Ring, note the date and page and then demonstrate it for the members. Not everyone followed those rules exactly, but here is a full sample: Scott Hendrick per- formed the card to wallet maneuver; David Pitchford did 3 card changes with consider- able skill; Bob Banta with the assistance of Arnie Friedman and Mike Sedita confused us with money in an envelope; Wes Meltzer did a coin manipulation routine; Jim Casey did a self-working card trick that relied on remembering numbers; Ed Kaczmarek built a memory tester from plans he said came from the Linking Ring. I wonder since the Samuel Houston Institute of Technology is written on the apparatus. The initials may be significant; Arnie Friedman showed how a card could disappear; Steve Gottschalk did a mind reader routine using magazines; Jerry Meketon with the assistance of Doris Kaczmarek demonstrated the “Power of Five.” The last man up was Gale Molovinsky. He brought in for us several articles he built using plans from the Linking Ring. These props go back many years, but still function as designed. The main ingredients of this meeting were the interaction of our members and every- one had a good time. The next meeting had a different format but repeated this expe- rience.

October: This meeting like the last was designed for sharing knowledge and technique. Six tables were set up for demonstrations and practice. David Pitchford taught his easiest coin tricks. One that he showed me and I use frequently with great success is sticking a nickel on your forehead. Most people (kids especially) want to tell you that anyone can do that, but when you palm the nickel and give them one that has a nail sticking out of it and ask them to give it a try, they just break up with laughter. Wes Meltzer showed how to mysteriously put knots in ropes. Bill Bremner showed sev- eral variations of the Chop Cup. Arnie Friedman had a miniature variety show and Joe Floersheimer shared various card routines that required very little skill. I would like to pause here for a moment to talk about Joe. Like most organizations, there are just a few members who make things happen for the benefit of all. We are fortunate to have a lot of them, but Joe is up there with the best. He gets the meeting place, takes the pictures, writes the newsletter, etc. Thank you.

Submitted by Jerry Meketon, Sectr. Vol. 10 Issue 10 Page 4

Trick of the Month.

The Great Spelling Trick From Magic Tips and Tricks, by Rick Carruth, © 2011

Here is a technique that has been around for years, but it’s not as well known or commonly used as in years past. Now might be the ideal time to put this effect to work for you… The effect works like this… The magician takes a deck of play- ing cards and casually shuffles them from hand to hand. After some small talk, he deals ten cards, face down, onto a table. He picks up the cards and asks the spectator to name the first numerical card in a deck of cards. If the spectator says, ‘the two,’ remind him or her that the ace is actually the first card. Take the top card and move it to the bot- tom of the deck, spelling ‘A.’ Then move the second card to the bot- tom and spell ‘C.’ Lastly, take the third card off the top and drop it face up on the table spelling ‘E.’ The spectator will be surprised to see that it is the ace. Re- peat the same moves as you spell T-W-O and drop the third card face up on the table. It’s the two. Repeat the same for each num- ber—three through nine—and the last letter of each number will be the card spelled. You will be left holding one last card, and it, of course will be the 10. Begin with the cards in this order on top of the deck: 9-7-6-4- 2-10-8-A-5-3. As you pass cards from hand to hand, as in a Hindu shuffle, be sure NOT to disturb the order of the top ten cards. When you’re ready to begin the effect, state that you need ten cards and count the top ten cards, face down, onto the table. The cards will now be in the proper order to successfully per- form this self-working surprise (3-5-A-8-10-2-4-6-7-9).

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On Saturday October 5th some members of Ring 81 participated in another local event.

Rocky is always a favorite That’s really Bill Bremner under the hat

Wes Meltzer with the Bill and his magical coins family pet Rocky

Joe Clifford loves teaching Time to take a break from the kids magic and the heat

Vol. 10 Issue 10 Page 6 Want More Magic? Arnieism of the Month Tuesday evening’s magical arniebaby wants you to know that--- get together is held at To avoid trouble, breath through the nose—— Applebees It keeps the mouth shut------1991 Main Street, Sarasota Next to Hollywood 20 Theater Your suggestions and submissions are not only ap- preciated they are sought. Share a trick, an event or For more information contact: anything that’s relevant to Ring 81. Dave Pitchford [email protected]

President, Gale Molovinsky Secretary, Jerry Meketon [email protected] [email protected] Officers Vice President, Michael Kent Treasurer, Ed Kaczmarek Ring 81 [email protected]

Past President Al Loeffler Newsletter Joe Floersheimer [email protected]

Bob Scekeres We regret to announce that former IBM member and Ring 81 president Bob Sckeres passed away on October 6th. He’d been strug- gling for the last few years with a debilitating ill- ness and had relocated to Mechanicsville, PA, to be closer to his family. In his work as a magician, he often demon- strated newspaper tear effects. He is survived by his wife Dru and a number of children and

grandchildren. Send condolences to: Left blank for address Dru Scekeres 1481 English Dr. Mechanicsville, PA 17055.

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