HoustonMagic Archives - Information on Past Events

*    2008

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Last Updated: November 11, 2008

 

2008

 

*      Wednesday October 29th was the last of this year’s annual séances hosted by Scott Wells and Jamie Salinas. As we near Halloween, the audiences have been getting larger though 26 is pretty much the maximum seating capacity for the intimate setting.  Check out their website at www.HoustonSeance.com for more info and interesting videos on haunted appearances that have been reported there.  Scott Wells performed at Circle S Vineyards in Sugar Land, TX on Halloween.  Robert Berry entertained on Halloween at Lazy Brook Baptist Church. Our local enigma and mysterious recluse, Steven Wallach, performed at the Houston Museum of Natural History at the annual "Spirits and Skeletons" mixer.  This event brought in 1,700 people last year.

*      Where to begin? There has been so much said and done and so many people who have helped others during Hurricane Ike and in its aftermath, perhaps the best thing I can do is to direct you to my weekly column on the I.B.M. Web Portal where I updated it on Monday September 22nd with the status of how our members are doing.  Please Click Here to see what’s going on after Ike.

*      The T.A.O.M. convention is in the history books.  If you missed this year’s convention then you missed a really good one. I would rate it a 7 out of 10 with lots of variety with a tip of the hat to the past and a view to the future. For a complete written by Scott Wells, then visit “Scott’s Thoughts” on The Magic Café by Clicking Here.

*      Julian Franklin sets sail for the high seasMost of you who read The Linking Ring are no doubt familiar with the monthly articles penned by our own Julian Franklin. He delivers sound marketing advice every month that helps all magicians become better business people.  Well, Julian joined a crew of other motivational speakers at sea (including Barry Mitchell and Tim Sonefelt) in September for the Creativity at Sea cruise out of Galveston aboard the Magnificent Carnival Ecstasy.  This cruise promised five days of brainstorming, the creative process, script writing, creative marketing, creativity exercises and contests.  Although this year's ship has set sail, check out http://www.timsonefelt.com/cas/ for future opportunities to get aboard.

*    Daniel Garcia broke his heel while shooting some promo photos with David Blaine at the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX. Doctors told him to keep weight off his foot for the next couple months, but he still attended the T.A.O.M. in Ft. Worth over Labor Day weekend and he plans to be at the David Blaine live TV show later in September.  We all wish Danny a speedy recovery.  Give Danny a call or drop him a line when you can.

*      Jimmy Fingers was to have appeared on three nights at Houston’s Laff Stop on Thursday through Saturday September 18th – 20th if it hadn’t been postponed due to Hurricane Ike.  Jimmy will be presenting the Magellan Master Levitation that was performed during the Roger Klause Memorial Midnight Madness at this year’s T.A.O.M. convention.  Please see the reviews and effect at www.jimmyfingers.com/magsolo.htm This features an enthusiastic review by our own Bill Palmer.  The show also features original mentalism from Houston’s “other” mentalist, and the new levitation and arm chopper by Houston’s “other” levitation inventor.  The Laff Stop moved earlier this year and is now located in a strip mall at the corner of Waugh and Allen Parkway.

*      I want to take a moment to remember one of magic's truly great masters, Roger Klause.  Certainly the words "master magician" and "legend" are frequently thrown about when referring to many people who might questionably deserve such a title.  But there is no doubt when it comes to using those terms when referring to Roger. He has done so much for so many for so many years that only the internet may be able to contain the words. I know that there will be many blogs and online tributes to the greatness of this gentleman and my few humble words will but be a grain of sand in the beautiful sandcastle that will be built for Roger Klause.

The news came as a real shock when news ran through the T.A.O.M. convention on Saturday morning.  His good friend, Lance Pierce, sent text messages to a few friends who quickly spread the news.  And indeed the sad news spread to the rest of the convention registrants within a short time.  We knew that he was in poor health and would not be attending his beloved convention where his "Midnight Madness" was always a fixture and a highlight.  We knew that he was getting worse so I guess it shouldn't have come as such a surprise, but still...  It is like waiting for the phone to ring and when it does, you're startled even though you know it was going to ring.  You just didn't know when it would ring.

 

An announcement of Roger's death was made prior to the evening show on Saturday and following a moment of silence, spontaneous singing broke out with a heartfelt chorus of "Amazing Grace" by the assembled group of 500 led by Lisa Menna. During the "Midnight Madness" on Sunday night, Ron Wilson (from Wichita Falls, TX) hosted the event and said he had been in contact with Roger prior to the convention.  His hope was to have Roger provide a taped introduction to some of the performers who would be on the bill that night.  But alas, Ron told us that Roger's health deteriorated so quickly that it was impossible for him to even speak.  Following some incredible magic by some great performers (from local magicians Scott Hollingsworth and Gary Ward to David McGee to Tim Conover and others), Ron showed us a video montage of photos taken of Roger down through the years with many of us who were close to him.  It was a fitting tribute and a good way to end a late, late night session.  And indeed it was fitting that Roger died this past weekend when so many of his friends could mourn on each other's shoulders and exchange their favorite stories of this "master magician". Click Here to read Roger's obituary from the Amarillo Globe News. Aloha, Roger my friend. I'll see you down the road.

*    The annual Flea Market for I.B.M. Ring #39 was held on Monday August 25th. This was our big event that allowed everyone to recycle their magic treasures by putting them in the closets, cabinets, drawers and garages of other magicians.  This is always a popular event and we had a pretty good turn-out with nearly 40 people attending including one who traveled from Austin, TX (thanks, CJ Johnson). We had five tables of good stuff most of which went for low prices.

*      We are saddened to hear of the passing of long time member, Russ McGee from our roster of magicians.  As many of you know, it Russ’s ill health has been reported here over the past year or so.  He succumbed on Monday August 25th.  A memorial mass for Russ McGee was held at St. Mary's Catholic Church in La Porte on Thursday August 28.   A "Broken Wand" ceremony by close friend Trixie Bond, a eulogy by best friend Herman Willie and other short remembrances were given at a reception at the church following the mass.  We are all lucky to have known this wonderful, gentle man.

*    Daniel Garcia is featured on the cover of the August 2008 issue of MAGIC Magazine entitled “Footnotes from the Overground”. Congratulations, Danny! Stan Allen says it is one of the shorter articles on anyone they have featured, but the material is all first rate and well-written. And who better to write about Daniel than a former Houston resident and Danny's roommate, Ricky Smith, who (incidentally) was featured in the October 2007 issue of MAGIC Magazine.  This is just the first reason you need to get your hands on a copy of this month's magazine.

*    John "Ca$h" Carpenter presented a 55 minute, full-scale magic show entitled "The Magical Realm of Edon" that ran from August 7-9. This was a truly magical show and it is a shame that too few people actually attended the production. For a complete review of the show including photos, please Click Here to visit the I.B.M. web portal. Don’t miss his next production which will be Death and Harry Houdini on October 16-19.  For further details, please call 281-765-7963.

*    The July 2008 issue of MAGIC Magazine had a long feature article on Walter "Zaney" Blaney. For those who may not personally know Walter, you should get a good flavor of his Texas humor and down-home personality after reading this excellent article. The feature, written by Rory Johnson, is entitled, "Walter Blaney - A ‘Zaney' Kinda Guy". We congratulate Walter for adding yet another feather in his otherwise hefty chieftain headdress. Don't forget that we will be honoring Walter later this month at the T.A.O.M. convention.

*    And while we are on the Blaney family, I reported several weeks ago about Becky Blaney going to Los Angeles, California to compete on the "America's Got Talent" network TV show.  Well, I could not give any updates on that report because she was sworn to secrecy as to whether or not she moved forward.  The recent August 2008 issue of MAGIC Magazine includes a "behind the scenes" peek at what it was like to be on this show penned by Becky Blaney as well as two other magicians who did not advance, Dan Stapleton and Bizzaro.  Not surprisingly, there is no "reality" to "reality" shows.  I have heard this time and again about other supposed "reality" shows where the outcome is known before the show is shot.  It's all about 1) record companies making money, 2) embarrassing someone even if it means careful editing to select the worst parts to make them look bad, and 3) seeing someone suffer even if it is unjustifiable suffering.

*    Houston’s own Curt Miller completed a successful two week run with two shows daily at the Moody Gardens Hotel, Spa, and Convention Center in Galveston, TX from July 2 – July 13, 2008.  He presented a 90-minute two-act illusion show in the evenings and a slightly shorter matinee in the afternoons.  For a full review of his show including more photos, Click Here.

*       I reported here about Curt Miller performing for the public later this summer (July 2-13) at Moody Gardens with his illusion show. Well, he recently appeared on Great Day Houston with Deborah Duncan which is televised on KHOU, Channel 11.  Curt first made Ms. Duncan disappear and then he performed some close-up magic for the studio audience. Curt’s performance was followed by someone previously unknown to me, Steve Wallach (is he living in Houston?), who performed a mentalism segment that promoted his weekly show at Ruggles Dinner Theatre on Westheimer.  I didn’t know about that either, but according to the KHOU website, he appears there each Sunday night at 7:30. As part of this magical morning segment, cut away and went to a live remote at Frankel's Costume Shop where they featured Scott Hollingsworth and some of the youth from the Young Magicians’ Club who taught some magic. Click on the link to Great Day Houston to watch video segments of the entire show.

*      Bob Fostok performed his stage act on Friday July 4, 2008 at the Intercontinental Hotel in the Galleria.  Although this was part of the Arab American convention being held there, it was open to the public so all are invited to enjoy the magic, other comedians and a full dinner all for only $25.00. 

*      The Ta Da Comedy and Magic Night was slated to return to Houston on Wednesday on July 9th; however, management issues continue to be a problem.  Magic Mike (from Dallas) says, "the club in Houston is still not sure about the attendance, has not gotten the publicity for the show up and rolling (not even on their website)...long story short they informed me there would not be a July show."  Mike goes on to state that, "August will be our last shot for this venue."  I will give you another update as anything, if anything, unfolds.

*       Paul Driscoll celebrated his “30 years and 240 months” birthday party with real class on Saturday night, June 21st.  He rented out a downtown club and hired a gatekeeper, a cigarette girl as well as a "Rat Pack" vocalist, Dan King that kept the atmosphere cool while the temperature baked everyone else outdoors.  The party began at 8:00 p.m. but the martinis flowed until well after 1:00 a.m.  Magic guests included Walter and Becky Blaney and Richard Hatch.  Everyone enjoyed not only the traditional cake but also lots of great hors' dourves and snacks.  Paul had special match books printed with Club Paul and Dan King even had specially designed labels of his CD for Club Paul.  It was a truly cool night for one of our popular and successful local magicians.

*       Banachek was in the magic news again.  Unless you have been under a sponge rock for the past couple of months, you know that he is no longer associated with the Criss Angel “Mindfreak” television team.  What has made for interesting speculation and gossip throughout the magic community is why they parted company.  “Creative differences” is the reason given for the split but for more of an in-depth discussion you will need to read all about it in the June 2008 issue of MAGIC Magazine.  For a little teaser, click here to read a paragraph or two.

*      Scott Wells and Scott Hollingsworth made news in the Houston Chronicle along with a story about the Magic Island.  There was a nice photo of Scott Wells and an even cooler video (only on the website, of course) of Scott Hollingsworth.  Click Here to read that story, see the picture and watch Scotto doing a card trick.

*      The annual I.B.M. Ring 39 Memorial Day BBQ was held again this year at the home of Dr. Rex Crago.  Nearly 60 magicians and family members enjoyed BBQ, drink, fellowship and magic.  We particularly enjoyed the fun when Jeff Lee began his show.  He thoroughly entertained with lots of audience interaction that brought tons of laughter and applause.  Well done, Jeff, and thanks for making our annual event so special!

*      I recently reported on a scheduled show on Saturday May 4th with Robert Berry and our octogenarian magician, Jerry Grey, performing their mentalism show at Cigar Cigar.  All went well with that engagement, but following that show, Robert was involved in a tragic car accident when another car traveling at 90 MPH struck his vehicle.  The two in the other car were killed and Robert had to be extricated from his vehicle by the “jaws of life”; however, he only suffered bruised ribs and was treated and released.

*      I am sad to report that local magician, Fred Burton’s son, Freddy (Butch) Burton, 50 years old, died on April 5, 2008.  He had four children and two grandchildren.  Also in the “Good and Welfare” news, we are saddened by the news that Russ McGee’s pancreatic cancer has metastasized to a point where no further treatment will prolong his life.  His physicians have given him two to nine months to live.  Russ has been a long time fixture on the Houston magic scene having created, crafted and built many props and helpful devices for several local magicians.  Russ does not have e-mail but I know he would appreciate a card sent to his home at: J.R. McGee, 2122 East Sam Houston Parkway, #4209, Pasadena, TX  77503.

*      This item may have been overlooked, but if you read on page 114 of the February issue of The Linking Ring magazine (Linking Ring Awards 2006-2007), Scott Wells won a plaque for his One Man Parade on emcee bits that was published in the April 2006 issue of The Linking Ring.  For those who might be interested in reading that Parade, then Click Here for a PDF copy.

*      Congratulations AGAIN to Ben Jackson on his recent win at Hollywood’s Magic Castle of the Strolling Olympics award.  He competed in a field of 16 international competitors in a typical strolling environment among about a dozen tables where there were lay people and some judges.  At the end of the evening, Ben took home the top prize.  Way to go, Ben!

*      April 23rd was the opening of the “Ta Da! Comedy and Magic Night” at Houston’s Improv Comedy Club.  Nearly 300 guests packed the house to see close-up magic by Richard Hatch and Jamie Salinas followed by a fun magic and comedy act by Magic Mike and Jeff Lee (both from Dallas) and Richard Hatch hosted by Jamie Salinas.

*      This column mentioned the failing health of our octogenarian magician, Jerry Grey.  Well, nothing keeps him down including three kinds of cancer.  Magic works wonders and magic is alive and well in Jerry’s life.  He and Robert Berry performed a parlor show on Saturday May 3rd at Cigar Cigar in Sugar Land, TX.  Robert followed the show with a close-up performance at Olives Martini Bar & Grille (located next door to Cigar Cigar) immediately after the show.

*      Discovery Green is a new “Go Green” park right in front of the George R. Brown convention center in downtown Houston.  It opened on April 12th with a Grand Opening ceremony on Sunday, April 13th.  The Mayor made it official with a ribbon ceremony and there was a ton of entertainment including the Carranza Puppets, local celebrities, local sports mascots and several bands as well as our own Cherie Kay with three magic performances.

*      Cherie also be performed at the “Art is Mysterious” event at the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, TX on Saturday April 26th.  This was a “costume-optional” masquerade party complete with art, food, fun, prizes, games, music, murder, mystery and illusion! 

*      The Incredible Pizza Magic Show Disappears!  Sadly and rather abruptly, the corporate offices of Incredible Pizza decided to close down the 1960 location in Houston and move it to Mesquite, TX just outside Dallas.  Sales were up and rumors were they had plans to renovate; however, as we know...stuff just happens! So, if ya had plans to come see us...well, don't until we find a new location. Management of the now closed location is working on moving the magic night to a new location....we hope soon.  As soon as we know we'll keep the magic and the pizza rolling.

*      Trixie Bond performed at the annual Easter Egg Roll on Monday, March 24th at the White House in Washington, D.C.  This was her third appearance at this celebrated annual event. Congratulations again, Trixie!

*    Congratulations and good luck to Becky Blaney who qualified for NBC’s new season of “America’s Got Talent”. Becky is traveled to Los Angeles in early April to tape her first leg of this competition.  Well, maybe not just her leg, but 90 seconds of her show.  Well…you know what I mean.

*    Wow!  The Annual Magicians’ Banquet was absolutely incredible with a record attendance of over 400 guests!  To view a slideshow of the event, then Click Here to see all the shots taken by Eric Frodesen.  For anyone wanting a free JPG file of any of these pictures, please contact Eric at Frodini@aol.com and he will be glad to send you a copy of any and all the shots you want at no charge.  And soon Gene Protas will have a DVD prepared from video taken that evening. Thanks Eric and Gene.   

*    Scott Wells has joined the staff of the I.B.M.’s new web portal.  He will be writing a short column each week featuring local magicians and what’s going on around town that week.  Be sure to contact Scott at Scott@ScottWells.com to let him know what you’re doing or planning.  Send any pictures and web links you might have, too.  To check out the new portal, visit www.magician.org

*    If you haven’t already received your copy of the S.A.M.’s February issue of M.U.M., then be sure to click here to read the cover article written by Richard Hatch on our own Banachek.  What a nice job guys!

*    Congratulations to our own Ben Jackson for not only winning the coveted trophy for Close-Up at the 2007 T.A.O.M., but also for being able to parlay that into some tremendous publicity.  He has it all going on and he knows how to use it.  Click Here to view his television interview on “Wild About Houston” and Click Here to read his front page publicity on the 1960 Sun.  He talks about his performance at Hollywood’s Magic Castle and the Brotherhood of Aggie Magicians (which he co-founded.)  BTW, if you are interested in lecturing in College Station, Ben is anxious to talk with you!  Way to go, Ben!

*    Also be sure to read how one of our young performers is promoted his performance at the banquet.  Click Here to read the great article on our young Andy Guinea that was published in the Longview News Journal.  Congratulations Andy!

*    Be sure to turn to page 50 of the January 2008 issue of MAGIC Magazine to read all about Houston area magicians.  There is a three page feature mentioning quite a few local magicians and including a few photos of people you know, too.  Although not credited at the end of the article, I want to thank Doug Kornegay for his help in providing background material of magical years and magicians gone by.

*    Going, going, gone! The 21st Annual Magic Auction is now a memory…and a successful one at that.  Despite the nice weather, or perhaps because of that, we had a lower than expected turnout for the auction which meant better deals for the buyers (woohoo!)  Click here to see how much in sales we saw go under the auction gavel this year!

*    The 2007 Directory is now available.  This year’s Directory again combines all clubs into one booklet: I.B.M. Ring #39, S.A.M. Assembly #19 and the H.A.O.M.  If you are a member of at least one of these organizations and have not yet received your copy, then please contact Dick Olson.  If you are not yet a member, then you can pay your dues and receive a copy.  We will not have this available online, though you can request a PDF copy by contacting Dick Olson.

 

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2007

 

*    Going, going, gone! The 21st Annual Magic Auction was held on Sunday October 28th at 1:00 p.m. at the I.A.T.S.E. Hall (usual meeting place for the H.A.O.M. and S.A.M. meetings) located at 3030 North Freeway (I-45).   As usual there were two auctions running simultaneously and at the same time J  Scott Wells again provided the voice of the auctioneer and was assisted by Richard Hatch at his side. 

*    Jamie Salinas and Scott Wells hosted the first ever magic and séances in Houston throughout the month of October 2007 at La Carafe, 813 Congress, Houston, TX.  Scott performed one hour of close-up in the bar then a limited group of about 20 brave patrons ascended the steps to the second floor where Jamie conducted the 30-40 minute séance (depending upon the appearance and mood of the spirits).  Information and videos are available at www.HoustonSeance.com.

*    Tony Brook and Scott Wells were two of the magicians featured at the annual Castle of Magic event at Stirling Castle in Stirling, Scotland.  Other magicians performing there were Ali Bongo, Pat Page and many other international magic celebrities.  For a complete report click here to read Tony’s review.  See some of the photos at the PHOTOS page.

*    On Sunday September 23rd there was magic benefit show for Adopt-A-Cat featuring Jamie Salinas, Paul Driscoll, and John Star on Stage, Bob Fostok, Shane Wilson, Denis Castro, and Richard Hatch on close-up and Andrew Scott as Master of Ceremonies. It included a mini Casino and gourmet cuisine.

*    MAGIC Live! was a great convention and you can hear personal anecdotes from any of the many Houston magicians who were present.  Take at look at the PHOTOS page for a glimpse at who was there.

*    Tony Brook lectured for the Houston magicians in August and he was feted at Cherie Kaye’s home for a royal birthday celebration.  See photos at the PHOTOS page.

*    Scott Wells was the Magical Master of Ceremonies at the National Patriotic Rally for the Commemorative Air Force on July 9-11 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, NV.  He introduced nationally known patriots such as Col. Oliver North, Michael Reagan (Ronald Reagan’s son) and Col. Jim “Bud” Day (the second highest decorated soldier other than Gen. Douglas MacArthur) among many other luminaries. 

*    Harry Houdini may be exhumed from the grave!  Could he have been poisoned?  First a spy for the U.S. Government and now this?  Oh Harry, you were the ultimate showman.  Your legacy lives on.  Click Here or Click Here and read two different news stories.

*    H.A.O.M /  I.B.M. / S.A.M. Annual Banquet was an outstanding success with a record 280 people in attendance! The movie and music industry has their nights, but the night of February 11th belonged to the Houston area magicians.  Congratulations to Gene Protas, the Magician of the Year for 2006! Also, special lifetime achievement awards went to Donnie and Doug Kornegay and Jerry Grey.  Congratulations to one and all.  Among the many luminaries in attendance and on stage included the national President of the Society of American Magicians, Andy Dallas.  Thanks to Eric Frodesen our club photographer for the picture below.  To download a complete slideshow presentation of Eric’s great photos, Click Here.  You can either “Run” or “Save” the file to run this virus-free EXE program.  If you save it to your computer, then you can right click to get some options to save any of the photos you want and send them to friends or post them on your website, compliments of Eric Frodesen.

 

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2006

 

*      Jamie Salinas appeared on ABC Channel 13 and performed some pretty cool magic.  If you missed him, the Click Here to watch the clip on YouTube.com  If you are interested in his “Emergency Magic Kit”, then you should contact Jamie at magic@jsmagician.com Congratulations Jamie for helping to make magic great in Houston!

*    Jerry Grey and Robby Bennett appeared on Fox Channel 26 on Halloween.  Did you miss it?  Well, Click Here and watch a Windows Media File of their clip from the morning show recorded on October 31st.  Congratulations gentlemen for helping to make magic great in Houston!

*      The Great Magic Auction in 2006 was another unmitigated success and proved to be a worthy follower to the succession of being the longest running magic auction in Texas. We had over 50 bidders and I don’t know how many sellers we had.  Click Here  to see how much money this year’s auction brought in.  Thanks to all who participated and made this auction work (Doug, Donnie, Jeff, Dick, Lindsy and so many more).

*      H.A.O.M. 2005 Directory now online.  Paid-up members should have received their copies by now, but if you want to download and print out an additional directory, then click here.

*      The 2006 annual I.B.M. Ring #39 Memorial Day BBQ Banquet was held on Monday May 29th at the home of Dr. Rex Crago.  The party began at 1:00 and went until 6:00 p.m.  Food was served from 1:30 – 3:30.  Our own Jamie Salinas was our entertainment for the event.  His show was great and entertained everyone!  Thanks to Dr. Crago for hosting our annual party and also a big thanks goes out to Sam Gainer who entertained us with his artistic alchemy on the keyboard.  His piano playing gave the banquet a lively flair.

*      I am very sad to report that Blanche Grey passed away on Friday, April 14, 2006.  Blanche was a member of the S.A.M. and I.B.M. for over 35 years and a strong supporter of the Houston magic clubs, especially Bob Blau Ring 39.  Blanche attended virtually every I.B.M. and H.A.O.M./S.A.M. meeting during the past several years along with her husband and distinguished magician and past Vice President of Ring 39, Jerry Grey.  Blanche was Jerry's constant companion during their decades of marriage, attending all of his shows, lectures and performances.

*      Congratulations to Richard Hatch of H&R Magic Books on his appointment as Associate Editor of M.U.M. magazine. Richard will be reviewing new products among his other duties.

*      Be sure to listen to the interview of Banachek on Go Magic Go on Episode 16.  This is a wonderful show that you should bookmark and hear every week.  Download the Podcast for free and listen at your leisure.  These guys do a great job and it is great quality, too. Plus they have a Beginner Series where you can always learn some basic tricks that all magicians should know.  You can always go to the Important Links link on the frame to the left to see more on that website and many other cool links.

*      The T.A.O.M. annual convention in San Antonio was one of the best on record.  Not just one of the best conventions in San Antonio, and not just one of the best in the T.A.O.M., but one of the best magic conventions in the country.  Once again rivaling the national conventions, the crew in San Antonio hosted a great weekend with outstanding talent on the stage and in the lectures, too.  Scott Wells contributed a detailed day by day review of what was going on at the convention.  If you have the time and want to know ALL of the details, then grab a Dr. Pepper and click here to read Scott’s report on his blog on The Magic Café.

*      Walter “Zaney” Blaney gave a wonderful interview to our foreign member, Tony Brook for the Magic Web Channel.  For an interesting look at Walter’s life, click here to read an insightful interview.

*      Chris Angel TV Series on A&E – So, why is this on our website? Local mentalist and the World’s Number One Mindreader, Banachek was one of the creative consultants on this series which will run for 12 episodes.  Be sure to see them all.  Check listings for an episode guide or click here.  You can click here to go to the A&E website.

*      Wow what a banquet.  A new record with 262 people in attendance.  Congratulations to Doug Kornegay who received Houston’s Magician of the Year – 2005. To see an Acrobat Adobe PDF slide show of the evening, click here. We want to gratefully acknowledge and thank our official photographer, Eric Frodesen for taking the photos and putting together this slide show. Gene Protas took video of the evening and a DVD will soon be available for $10.00 each (proceeds to the club).  Come back to this page later for more details and information on the banquet, but below is a picture of the entertainers from our installation of officers banquet on February 12th.  Left to right, Jamie Salinas, Sir Charles, Carter Blackburn, “Nitro” Neil, Paul Driscoll with his assistant, Stephanie Preston standing in front of him, Scott Wells kneeling, John “Little Red” Trower, Roly, Bill Palmer and Nick Wells.

*      Psst