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 The Blackstoneian  The official newsletter of I.B.M. Ring 200
Volume 6, No. 2, February, 2010 Editor, Eugene Raymond Soucek
PAST PRESIDENTS HONORED;
JIM ANGELO COMPETITION
President Gene Soucek presents Past President Awards and Pins to Eric Appel, Raymond Nieves, and George Unbehauen
HONORING PAST PRESIDENTS
Last month a long overdue event was enacted. The honoring of past presidents of Ring 200 took place for the first time. Gene Soucek presented Official Past President Award Certificates and Pins to our presently active past presidents, Eric Appel (a two time past president, and present VP); Ray Nieves; and George Unbehauen (present treasurer). Our Ring has undergone many changes over the years, and since I have only been a member for about the last six or seven years of the past forty, I have not experienced most of these changes, nor have I known all of the previous presidents.
Over the years many of our previous presidents have become inactive or have moved away, and some have passed on. In the coming months, someone from Ring 200 will attempt to contact all of the previous presidents so that we can honor them with past president awards also.
THE JIM ANGELO CARD AND MENTAL MAGIC COMPETITION
This annual competition is one of two competitions that Ring 200 holds each year. In the past it has always been held in October. Because of our growing commitment to the Edison Rec Board’s Haunted House. It has been rescheduled and from now on it will be held in February. This month will be the first time it is being held on the new date. All members are welcomed to participate in this competition. Remember, only card magic or mental magic or a combo of both are acceptable for this competition.
RING 200 SCHEDULE FOR THE YEAR 2010:
February 16, 2010 Jim Angelo Mentalism and Card Competition
March 16, 2010 Round and round we go magic with round objects, balls, rings, eggs, etc.
April, 17, 2010 Ring 200 Fund Raising Show Date TBA
April 20, 2010 Lecture by Magic Ian - free to members, guests $15.00
May 18, 2010 Theater Terms, showmanship and routining your show, lecture by Eric Appel.
June 15, 2010 Al Hillman Excellence in Magic Competition
July 20, 2010 Tarbell, Bobo, Wilson, Rice, Fulves, something from one of your favorite books.
August 17, 2010 Picnic (More info to follow) Fun food and a heated pool.
September 14, 2010 What do YOU do? Magic you do out of your pockets or with what is at hand.
October 19, 2010 Set up for Haunted House Meeting
October 18-22, 2010 Set up for Haunted House
October 22,23,28-30, 2010 Haunted House
November 16, 2010 Nomination of officers and Lecture TBA
December 14, 2010 Holiday Party & Initiation
We meet at: The Stelton CommunitWe Community Center, 328 Plainfield Avenue, Edison, NJ; on the third Tuesday of every month; doors open at 6:30 p.m. – Meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. You are invited to join us for coffee at the Duchess Diner in Metuchen after the meeting.
TEACH - A - TRICK NIGHT
Once again, the January teach-a-trick night brought much fun and laughter along with great magic that was shared with every one. We all look forward to this magical evening and last month we had a new member of our Youth Group, ten year old Zak Dasaro, baffle everyone with a card effect he learned from a book. He had all the card guys (and everyone else "in the know"), scratching their heads even after he explained it about five times. Good job Zak. Maybe you should bring your book to the next meeting so the experienced guys can learn some new (or old) stuff.
ANNUAL MAGIC SHOW
Mark your calendars. Tighten up your routines. On Saturday, April 17, we will be presenting our annual magic show fundraiser. Details to follow.
WANT TO BUY OR SELL?
Have you been looking for something (magic or otherwise) but can’t find it? Ask our members. Have something you no longer want (magic or otherwise) that still has a lot of life left and would like to sell? Let our members know. In either case, send me the info and I will list it in the Blackstoneian.
HAVE YOU PAID YOUR DUES?
Your annual dues were due last month. If you have not paid them please do so at this month’s meeting. Or you may send a check or M.O. for $15.00 to George Unbehauen at 15 Johnson Place, South River, NJ 08882.
Denny Haney of Denny & Lee’s Magic has once again contributed an article on Magic which I have reprinted here. Ed.
Comments on Cups and Balls
By Denny Haney
Harry Houdini once said "I consider no man a magician until he can adequately perform the Cups and Balls."
The above quote is a great one. Why?? The Cups and Balls is one of those routines that encompass’s almost all of the basic principles of magic. In a Cups and Balls routine you will find the basic effects of transpositions, penetrations, transformations, productions, vanishes, and more. In such a routine you will also find the basic "principles" of magic such as misdirection, steals, loads, timing, patter, and more.
Learning to perform the Cups and Balls is to learn about magic in one routine. Once a routine is learned, it can only help in your presentation of other magical effects. With all of these effects and principles built into one routine, it is no wonder that this classic effect appeals to every type of audience.
I highly recommend to those of you who do not perform the Cups and Balls to give it a try. With the right set of cups and supporting materials, this can be a closing effect for any close up routine. Even if you do not perform the routine in your show, simply learning it and performing it for yourself will teach you so much about the performance of close up magic.
Included below are Cups and Balls sets, DVDs, and books that I can suggest for those of you that would like to learn and/or improve their skills with this great magic classic. All of these items are available online.
JOHNSON CUPS AND BALL SET by Johnson Products-$215.00
Looking for a set of heavy cups? This is it. Each cup weighs almost 1/2 pound. Each cup stands about 3" tall. Complete with 4 red crochet balls and a nice black drawstring cloth carrying bag.
JOHNSON CHOP CUP by Johnson Products-$85.00
From Johnson comes a chop cup that perfectly matches the Johnson set of Cups and Balls.
JOHNSON BRASS MAGIC WAND by Johnson Products-$50.00
DVDS ON THE CUPS AND BALLS:
STEVENS CUPS AND BALLS TEACH-IN DVD by Stevens Magic-$30.00
COMPLETE CUPS AND BALLS DVD VOLUME ONE by Michael Ammar-$35.00
COMPLETE CUPS AND BALLS DVD VOLUME TWO by Michael Ammar-$35.00
Michael Ammar has covered the cups and balls in every detail on this set of two DVDs. Buy both volumes for $65.00 and save.
BOOKS ON CUPS AND BALLS:
DENNIS LOOMIS CUPS AND BALLS ROUTINE by Dennis Loomis-$15.00
GAZZO STREET CUPS AND BALLS BOOK by Gazzo-$30.00
Gazzo is one of the world's foremost street performers. His Cups and Balls routine has always been his closer. Here is all the work as he has been doing it for over 25 years. The Cups, the Balls, the Pouch, the Table, the Loads, the Routine!! It's all here in Gazzo's words. Illustrated with photos throughout.
GAZZO CUPS AND BALLS VIDEO (VIDEO ONLY) by Gazzo-$35.00
Here is a video that many have been waiting for..
OSBORNE CUPS AND BALLS MAGIC by Tom Osborne-$8.00
Here is an encyclopedia of cups and balls magic. Sleights, moves, and subtleties, every art & artifice both old and new. Palming, passes, steals, switches, moves, routines, novelty effects, production of baby chicks, original ideas, selecting your cups, etc. One of the most comprehensive works on the subject ever produced. Special articles by John Mulholland and Henry Ridgely Evans. 63 illustrations.
Denny Haney
Denny and Lee Magic Studio
www.dennymagic.com
WORDS OF WISDOM
For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not, none will suffice.
-Joseph Dunninger (Mentalist)
MAGIC SHOP
As most everyone knows, real magic shops, often referred to today as Brick and Mortar Magic Shops, are becoming harder and harder to find. Due to the Internet and the ease and low cost of operation of “dot com” magic shops, the real deal - walk into a building and deal with a human being - magic shops have been meeting with hard times and going out of business. But, they are not all gone by a long shot. Evidence of this is the very successful Denny and Lee Magic Studio mentioned above. What is becoming very rare is the opening up of new magic shops.
In recent years, New Jersey has suffered from a dearth of magic shops. But in the past few years that has begun to change. Admittedly they are few and far between, but still, they exist. Use the Internet and your computer to find the closest shop to you.
I bring this up because one year ago a new shop opened up in the North Jersey area, and I would like to inform our fellow magicians all about it. I do not know how many of you will find this convenient to get to, given its location, but I am sure many of you can and will make it your business to visit it.
Some months back at the Magic Jam convention in Clark, New Jersey, I met two young people, Scott Morley & Britni Orcutt, the owners of The Wonderfun Shop, 210 Wanaque Ave., Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442. They had a table in the dealers area of the convention. I, along with many other magicians at the convention were extremely impressed with their involvement, enthusiasm, and commitment to magic.
Scott and Britni had recently pooled their money and purchased the inventory from a defunct magic and costume shop. They were, and are, working very hard to make a success of their venture. In addition to owning the shop and selling magic, they are both very talented performers, and have a wonderful show in which they pay tribute to Harry and Bess Houdini.
At the convention’s evening show, Scott and Britni presented their act to great acclaim. By the time it was over the audience could easily believe they were watching Harry and Bess. It was a thoroughly enjoyable piece of theater. To find out when and where you can see the next performance of this show please read on.
The rest of this article includes portions of their monthly newsletter along with some photos of mine which I took at the convention. Please support these two entrepreneurs in their brave efforts to build a business.
REPRINTED FROM THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF THE WONDERFUN NEWSLETTER:
February 2010
Welcome to The Wonderfun Shop email! We've made lots of new friends in the New Year, and we welcome you to our monthly newsletter. On January 31, 2010, The Wonderfun Shop celebrated it's ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! We want to thank each of you for your support and enthusiasm!!
On Thursday, February 18, 2010 the "The Young Magicians Club" will meet again at The Wonderfun Shop. Read more about this exciting FREE monthly event below! (Highlight mine. Ed.)
Wonderfun Winter Hours:
Monday - Saturday 11-7
Sunday 12-5
Occasionally, The Wonderfun Shop needs to close for a private event. Please call or check our calendar before you visit to check our schedule.
FEBRUARY SPECIAL:
VALENTINE'S DAY GORILLA-GRAM
For the low price of $69, the Pink Gorilla will surprise your loved one at work or at home and deliver a bouquet of balloon flowers and a card that you can personalize with your message. During the visit, the Pink Gorilla dances to romantic songs (music and battery operated CD player provided) and poses for pictures. The Pink Gorilla will deliver any other items you provide free of charge. Imagine the scene at the office when the Pink Gorilla arrives and starts to perform!!!
Make your reservation today for this special delivery! ONLY $69!!!
Upcoming Wonderfun Events:
February 18, 2010: Free Young Magician's Club
Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 7:00 PM is the meeting of the Young Magicians Club. If you have an interest in learning magic, join us at The Wonderfun Shop for this free event! Bring a deck of cards and your favorite magic tricks to share. Magic builds confidence and dexterity - and it's fun! Open to ages 7-17 (and accompanying adults). It will be an evening full of magic chat, learning & practicing tricks, seeing magic performed by professional magicians, and more! Contact The Wonderfun Shop for more info and to make a reservation (walk-ins also welcome).
March 6, 2010: HOUDINI: The Master Mystifier
Wonderfun Productions present "HOUDINI: The Master Mystifier" Saturday, March 6, 2010 at the Wayne, NJ YM-YWHA. This is a theatrical re-creation of the legendary magic and escape act that traveled around the world 100 years ago. More information available here soon: http://www.ymha-nj.org
Scott Morley as Houdini
Britni Orcutt as Bess
The Wonderfun Shop is on Facebook. Join to get more frequent updates on all things Wonderfun.
Scott Morley & Britni Orcutt, Owners,
The Wonderfun Shop, 973-616-8686,
210 Wanaque Ave., Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442
www.TheWonderfunShop.com
www.WonderfunProductions.com
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