July 2011

     Can you believe it? TAOM 2011 in San Antonio is less than 6 weeks away. If you haven’t already registered, what are you waiting for? Come on down to San Antonio and see Gaetan Bloom, Tom Stone, John Archer, Quentin Reynolds, David Acer, Curt Miller, David Kaplan, Nick Lewin, Amos Levkovitch and many more great performers.
     With three stage shows in the gorgeous Lila Cockrell theater, 12 lectures, close-up shows, close-up contest, stage contest, a plethora of magic dealers and a late night bizarre show, this is going to be a fantastic convention that you don’t want to miss. In addition to the outstanding talent, I’m sure there will be an array of special sessions going on in the lobby of our host hotel.
     The Hilton Palacio del Rio, is set right on the beautiful San Antonio Riverwalk and with plenty to do for the entire family.  The TAOM 2011 convention room rate is only $100 a night –that’s a deal you don’t want to pass up! Remember, you must reserve your room by August 2 to receive this great rate! Go online to www.taom2011.com to register for the convention and click here to reserve your room now.
I am looking forward to seeing everyone in San Antonio for TAOM 2011 on Labor Day weekend.

                                            Sincerely,
Justin Botter
2011 TAOM President                                                            

A big Texas “Congratulations” to The Rhythm of Magic (Michael Blanco and Jessica Cubelli) and Ben Jackson.   They returned home to Houston from Pittsburgh already making plans for their trip to Blackpool, England, next year.  They competed in the North American Championship of Magic at the S.A.M. convention and scored high enough to be invited to compete at the next FISM convention.  Both acts were in top form and left the audience buzzing about their talent and charisma.  The FISM competition happens only every three years and the coveted award is one of the most prestigious in the magic world.  The trio will join magicians from all over the world July 9-14, 2012, in Blackpool to compete in the World Championships of Magic.

     After many years of lying dormant, the Society of Young Magicians in the Houston area is enjoying a welcome resurgence.    Scott Hollingsworth has been certified as official leader of the group by the Society of American Magicians.  Scott Wells has also been approved as teacher and mentor.
    The enthusiastic youngsters learned some sponge ball basics at the July meeting and, courtesy of Lonnie Frankel, took home some sponge balls.  Each of the students shared his skill with a new card routine after Scott demonstrated the mechanics.  Guest magician Lynn “Red” Skelton delighted students and parents alike with a bead escape routine.
The growing group meets at Frankel’s Costume Shop, 2801 Polk Street in Houston at 2:00 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month.  Magicians of all ages and stages of development are welcome.
Next month’s “Magic Across Texas” will feature an S.Y.M. club from another Texas city. 

New Officers for San Antonio IBM Ring 18
The business and fun of San Antonio IBM Ring 18 in the coming year will be ably guided by new officers: President Ray Adams, Vice President Dwayne Stanton, Secretary/Treasurer Geoffrey Sadowski, and Sergeant-at-Arms Jim Cox.  Also new is the location for Ring 18 meetings on the fourth Thursday of the month – Spaghetti Warehouse at 1226 East Houston Street. 

MAGIC + ROTARY = WIN-WIN
Magic clubs and Rotary clubs have many things in common and a blending of the two offers many benefits to both.  Rotary International supports the Fellowship of Rotarian Magicians (FORM) and encourages interested magicians who are members of RI to join at http://rotarianmagician.org  For more personalized information about the program, get in touch with Scott Hollingsworth.  

Congratulations, Dal Sanders!
Texas magicians are justifiably proud of one of our own – Dal Sanders has moved up to First Vice President of the Society of American Magicians.

Don Stiefel – Happy Birthday and Medical Update
TAOM benefactor and Life Member Don Stiefel celebrated his 82^nd birthday on July 18 from his hospital room in Corpus Christi where he is recuperating from a wheelchair accident in Branson a couple of months ago.  Address:  Don Stiefel, Christus Spohn Shoreline Hospital, 600 Elizabeth Street, Room #4119, Corpus Christi, TX 78404

Alex and David Rangel’s podcast is growing in popularity and the guys are giving away more and more magic.  That’s right – FREE MAGIC at http://twitter.com/816podcast   

Broken Wands – San Antonio recently lost two prominent magicians.  Ken Smith and Dr. Leonard Elmer, Sr., will both be missed but their memories will remain.

** Jamie Salinas and Scott Wells – “The Paranormal Experience”, an interactive ghostly encounter, at La Carafe in downtown Houston on Sunday, August 7.  For information, go to www.houstonseance.com

**Andy Hickman – Lecture in Tyler on August 8; for info contact Gene Colteaux. 

 **Doc Dixon – Lecture in Houston on August 16 and San Antonio on August 18.  Go to www.houstonmagic.com for details.

**On-line magic classes for teens and adults by Phil Kampf – First free session on August 27.  Sign up for weekly lessons at www.mpmtvonline.com

**Stan “Doc” Seaton’s Magic Sideshow in Austin on September 24^th & 25^th.  You can be part of the action as performer or spectator.  Details at www.magicsideshow.com

**Doug Anderson – Lecture in Dallas/Fort Worth on September 18, Houston on September 20, San Antonio on September 22, and McAllen on September 23

**Eugene Burger – Workshop/Lecture in Dallas on October 29; email Mark Jenson for details. 

The Society of American Magicians is reaching out to veterans and active members of the United States Military.  Scott Hollingsworth was appointed Chairman of the Military Services Committee of the S.A.M. at the recent convention in Pittsburgh.  He will develop expansion plans for the Veterans’ Program that connects VA hospitals with SAM assemblies and spread the word about the S.A.M. discounts for active military members.  If you are a magician who is in the military or know someone who is, please click here to get in touch with Scott.    

     Dal Sanders received a Presidential Citation from I.B.M. President Rolando Santos for performing as a liaison to the 2011 Convention.  He and Scott Wells both received Presidential Citations from S.A.M. President Mark Weidhaas for the work they have done to promote magic.  Wells and Sanders expressed their appreciation to both national organizations for the honor of receiving these citations.
When the 84^th Annual International Brotherhood of Magicians came to Dallas, many members of the Dallas Magic Clubs showed up to help out.  Several members registered for the convention and all of them turned around and volunteered to help make the convention a success in some way.  Other DMC members who, for one reason or another, could not register for the convention, volunteered to help anyway. Thanks go to Frank Seltzer, Daryl Howard, Derrell Allen, Jeff Hallberg, Cameron Rivers, Clay Dipple, Chris and Jennifer Gracy, Prama Kumar, David Hira, Mark Jensen, Mike Squires, Jo Ann Maynard, Norman Beck, Erich Biggs, Chuck Feltner, Mike Smith, Steve Bryant, Mica & Judy Calfee, Spouse Event Coordinator Cinde Sanders, and Volunteer Coordinator Dal Sanders.
Before the convention even began, DMC members were running back and forth to the airports and loading equipment into the ballroom at the Sheraton.  David Hira and Dal Sanders joined Doug McCoy, Scott Hood and Terry Richison to visit kids in three area hospitals.  On July 1^st, Dal Sanders joined Asi Wind and Ed Alanzo on Good Morning Texas to promote the convention. A link can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUHo9f3I6uU&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL.  Everyone has said that the convention would not have been nearly as successful without the excellent help from the members of the Dallas Magic Clubs.  

I.B.M. Convention Review – by Scott Wells

     Magic conventions come and go, but the memories remain for years. The “average” ones will linger in limbo. This year’s I.B.M. convention in Dallas earlier this month will live in my mind as one of the best I have attended in years. Not just compared with other I.B.M. conventions, but I’m talking about all other magic conventions. The only negative comments I heard were about the room temperature (too cold). If that was all anyone had to complain about, then everything must have been great. And indeed it was.
The highlights were numerous perhaps because of the innovative ideas incorporated into this event. David Sandy produced this convention with his usual expertise and attention to detail he applies to all of his successful productions. He took many good ideas from current conventions plus added a few twists of his own. He put together a committee who were committed to excellence and to giving the registrants something different.
It began Tuesday evening with a welcome party attended by the early arrivals.  After some opening  remarks, the curtains parted to lead the registrants down a corridor into the dealers’ room that was decorated like the State Fair of Texas replete with a Ferris Wheel, games, carnival mirrors, and so much more. It was a fun place to be and in the middle of the room was a seating area for people to congregate and session with friends.
Other highlights were the intimate close-up galleries that were “black box rooms” like we had set up at the Austin T.A.O.M. convention in 2010. The “Fab Four” allowed people to intimately experience the professional close-up show, Dana Daniels’ one man show, Max Maven’s one man show, or the International Youth Experience, all of which were fantastic. In particular, the close-up show was about the best line-up I’ve seen including two or our very own from Houston: Ben Jackson and Daniel Garcia.
Another innovative idea was the Special Interest Groups (SIG) which offered lecturers who talked about just one area. For example, Social Media Marketing, Cruise Ships, Emceeing, Balloon Workshop, Restaurant Magic, Magic with Business Cards, and about a dozen others. These SIG’s went on opposite of each other so registrants had to choose which ones they wanted to attend when they picked up their name badges. One group of lecturers presented their SIG twice on Friday morning then another group of lecturers presented theirs twice on Saturday morning.
Two of the evening shows were different, too, with no emcees! It could have proved a dangerous folly had there been delays between the acts, but such was not the case except briefly during the Saturday night show. But Tom Mullica grabbed the off stage mic with jokes that made the interval disappear. This last night show was one to be forever remembered starting with Jeff McBride and continuing with Frances Willard who introduced Hannah and Michael Ammar who are the third generation to present the Spirit Cabinet. Walter “Zaney” Blaney followed with a short commentary as he introduced his daughter Becky who floated his granddaughter on the Ladder Levitation. Tom Mullica entered the stage as Red Skelton and finished with an interactive video of Lance Burton who welcomed The Great Tomsoni and Company. After Johnny, Darren Romeo and Gay Blackstone presented the famous Floating Lightbulb. All together, a more than satisfying ending to a remarkably good convention.

All Texas magicians should be proud of the many Texans who are showing up on the national scene.   Texas magicians are being recognized as leaders in our art and are being rewarded for their contributions.  The TAOM convention in San Antonio this coming Labor Day Weekend promises to maintain that high level of visibility.    Don’t miss it! 

On a personal note, I’d like to thank the many readers who have written to express appreciation for this newsletter.  Some people have even commented, “What a great newsletter!  How do you do it?”  And then there’s that famous armchair philosopher Scotto who says, “Why do you do it?”
Judy Hollingsworth
TAOM Club Coordinator