January 2013

I hope this finds everyone having a Happy New Year.  I am excited about how the TAOM convention is shaping up and telling you all about it over the next few months.  I look forward to seeing you in Dallas next year.  For more information or to register you can go to www.taom2013.com

This month I thought I’d take a few moments to tell you about the fantastic venue that we’ve selected for this year’s convention and Hotel Chairman David Hira.

All of our events will be under one roof at the fabulous Dallas Hotel InterContinental.  Once you check in, you are “home” for the weekend.  One of the best things about our venue is the showroom.  It is reminiscent of a 1970’s Las Vegas showroom, with tiered seating.  We will have it set up theater style with assigned seats.  When determining the seating charts, we decided to limit ourselves to just under 800 seats to ensure that there won’t be a bad seat in the house.

You can also look forward to box lunches being available, complementary guest room internet, free self parking (over 350 spaces) and complementary shuttle service within a 3 mile radius.  Additionally, the hotel bar will be open until 1 am and have food service.

The rooms are an affordable $99 + tax per night.  You can reserve your room at this incredible rate until August 6, 2013.  To receive the special TAOM discount rate just tell them you are with the “Texas Association of Magicians” if you call or enter TAM if you are registering online (their system only accepts 3 letters).

You can find out more about the hotel and individual room amenities by visiting our website at http://taom2013.com/hotel/
or go directly to the hotel website.

Mark Jensen, President

Former TAOM President David Hira has taken on the monumental task of Hotel Chairman for the 2013 convention.  He is excited about the amenities and facilities offered at the luxurious Hotel InterContinental.  His management skills will assure optimum venues for all convention functions.

David has been performing since the age of 9. Raised in the Chicago suburbs, David moved to Arlington in 1983 and attended his first ever TAOM convention in 1986. He caught the eye of Roger Crabtree who hired David to be Master of Ceremonies for the 1988 TAOM convention in Fort Worth. Past TAOM President Gerald Edmundson took David under his wing and mentored and worked with him to make David one of the “performing-est” entertainers in the country. David is a full-time professional magician, illusionist, auctioneer, and motivational keynote speaker with an average of 400 shows/speaking engagements each year all around the world.  He has been the Master of Ceremonies for over a dozen TAOM conventions and a featured act at several more.  He was honored to serve as the President of the TAOM’s 50th Anniversary Convention in 1997.  David and his wife Angela reside in Cedar Hill, Texas. They have three grown kids of whom they are very proud.

After a Holiday and flu delay, I am working furiously on updating the TAOM files and online Membership Roster on the TAOM website:  www.taom.org  I’m also gearing up to mail out membership cards.  Please contact me at TAOM@hughes.net if your contact information has changed since you registered for the Houston convention in 2012.

Only current members will be able to access the membership roster.  To do so, log-in with your membership number as your user name.  Your password is your last name and membership number.

For example, if your name on your card is Harry Houdini and your membership number is 54321, your user name would be “54321” and your password would be “Houdini54321”.  Note: the first letter MUST be uppercase.  We recommended that you change your password once you log in.  If you have trouble, contact webmaster JD Stewart jd@jd-stewart.com

and….stay current!!  If you missed the Houston convention, don’t wait for the dues notices to be sent; go ahead and send your $10 dues to:  TAOM, P.O. Box 13533, Austin, TX 78711.
Thanks for your patience,
Mary Cay Gold
TAOM Secretary/Treasurer

Fort Worth Award

Congratulations to Matt Martin!  Fort Worth magicians recently honored him with the “Al Levulis Award” that recognizes outstanding growth in magic by a performer and club member under the age of 25.  Past Present Ash Adams presented the award and two books in the Dariel Fitzkee series.  The award is made periodically when a young club member achieves a high performance level in magical entertainment.

New Digs for San Antonio IBM Ring 18
Everyone is welcome to join Ring 18 for monthly meeting at their new meeting location in a brand new facility.  Kennedy’s Chicago Pizza at 16101 San Pedro in Hollywood Park provides great food and a private, closed-off meeting room.  Go to http://www.kennedyschicago.com for details about the new meeting space.  President Dwayne Stanton hopes you will plan to visit the club the next time you’re in San Antonio.  Get in touch with him at ibm.ring18@yahoo.com or visit the new Ring 18 website at http://www.ibmring18.com

World Famous Austin Magic Auction
Don’t forget about the World Famous Austin Magic Auction coming on April 20.  Gather up your unwanted magic and turn it into hard cash so you can buy someone else’s unwanted magic.  Remember, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!  The website will be up and running before long, so check http://austinmagicauction.com

Downtown Houston Magic

David Rangel will perform at LaCarafe, 813 Congress in downtown Houston at 8:00 p.m. January 27.  His refined sleight-of-hand magic is mixed with intriguing tales that are legendary.  This is a experience you will never forget.  Enjoy strolling magic at 7:00 on the first floor of LaCarafe.  Reservations recommended.

Magic in Richardson
Diamond Jim Tyler appears every Thursday night at Texas Restaurant in Richardson from 6:30-8:30pm.  Visit DJ’s site www.djtyler.com for videos.

Monday Night Magic 
Dallas/Fort Worth – Monday Night Magic, 7:00 p.m. each Monday evening at Humperdink’s Restaurant near Six Flags on Six Flags Drive.

Family Magic in McKinney
McKinney – Second Saturday Family Magic Shows at Main Street Magic and Fun Company, 211 North Tennessee. Call (972) 542-5010 for reservations; tickets are $10 each; seating is limited to only 20 patrons.

Arlington Improv and Addison Improv
Shows every Sunday at 2:00 p.m.  featuring various magicians, including Trigg Watson, Jeff Lee, Mike Squires, Ian Richards, John Kline, David, Hira, and Dal Sanders.

Austin Ring 60 Magician of the Year

I.B.M. Ring 60, the Carl Moore Ring honored JD Stewart as Magician of the Year in appreciation for his enthusiasm and constant support and service to magic in Austin.  JD Stewart, MD (Magic Dude) is TAOM webmaster and has served Ring 60 in many capacities, including two terms as President.  He is an active supporter of the Austin Street Magic Festivals, the Saturday Clinics at Texas Magic Supply, and other Austin magic projects and programs.

Houston, January 18 – Paul Draper Lecture. IBM Ring 39 meeting at 7:00 p.m. with the Lecture at 8:00 p.m. due to Paul’s arrival time at the airport. Bayou Manor, 4141 South Braeswood. Click here for directions. Info at http://www.houstonmagic.com/lectures.html
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San Antonio, January 30 – Paul Draper Lecture. 7:30 p.m. at Veterinary Referral and Emergency Clinic, 607 E. Sonterra Blvd., Suite 102. Details at http://www.ibmring18.com/
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Houston, February 12 – Devin Knight Lecture. 7:30 p.m. at the IATSE Local 51 Meeting Hall, 3030 North Freeway. Click here for directions. Info at http://www.houstonmagic.com/lectures.html
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Dallas. February 17 – Christopher Lyle Lecture. 2:00 p.m. at Spaghetti Warehouse, 1517 N. Central Expressway in Plano. More info at www.thats-impossible.com/lectures.htm
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Austin, February 18 – Joshua Jay Lecture and Performance. 7:00 p.m. at Omni Southpark, 4140 Governors Row. MEMBERS ONLY, but any S.A.M. member can join Assembly 206 for only $25 that night. For more information, contact Assembly 206 Vice President Dan Page at ozzdan@gmail.com
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Dallas, March 24 – Murray Hatfield Lecture. Go to www.thats-impossible.com/lectures.htm for more information.
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Houston, March 26 – Murray Hatfield Lecture. 7:30 p.m. Go to http://www.houstonmagic.com/lectures.html for details.
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San Antonio, March 27 – Murray Hatfield Lecture. 7:30 p.m. at Veterinary Referral and Emergency Clinic, 607 E. Sonterra Blvd., Suite 102. Go to http://www.ibmring18.com/ for details.
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San Antonio, April 2 – Tim Sonefelt Lecture. Details in next month’s newsletter .
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Tyler, April 11 – MASTERS OF ILLUSION. Gay Blackstone’s production of the hit TV series “Master of Illusion” will be presented live at the Cowan Fine & Performing Arts Center in Tyler. Go to http://www.mastersofillusionlive.com/ for details.
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Grand Prairie, April 12 – PENN & TELLER. At the Verizon Theater in Grand Prairie. Details at http://verizontheatre.com/events/eventdetail.php?id=39194

Not only didn’t the world end in December, it seems to be spinning faster and faster in 2013!  Scott and I continue to try to organize our lives for pleasurable productivity.  We didn’t make any New Year’s resolution, but we do have goals and aspirations.  Magic continues to be the major focus of our lives.  One of my goals is to expand the scope of Magic Across Texas to include more content that you, the reader, will find beneficial.  Please tell me what you want!  I try to focus on the future rather than writing about past events, but if you would enjoy reading reports of club events after the fact, just let me know.  I do like to include photos and articles about the accomplishments of magicians and the recognition they receive.   Let me know when someone in your club receives an award, magic-related or not.

I hope the coming year bring each of you happiness and good health.
Judy Hollingsworth
TAOM Club Coordinator