HoustonMagic Archives - Information on Past Events

2010

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Last Updated: February 13, 2010

2010

Banachek was the featured performer on Saturday January 16th, 2010 at the Hilton Americas Hotel (third floor), 1600 Lamar, Houston, TX 77010 as part of Jamie Salinas Productions. There were two sold-out performances of Banachek’s show, one at 7:00 and the second at 9:30 p.m.  Each show was approximately one hour and twenty minutes long.

Harry Maurer, who spends most of his professional life traveling around the world on the top cruise lines, made a rare public appearance in Houston on Saturday, January at 9th at Congregation Beth Israel. He provided an outstanding evening of entertaining professional magic for a special fundraiser.

2009

The Houston Museum of Natural Science presented a sneak preview of MAGIC: The Science of Wonder on December 27-30 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This preview featureed walk-around magic by Scott Hollingsworth and Scott Wells and the stage magic of Michael Blanco and Jessica presenting the “Rhythm of Magic”. The strolling magic went on throughout the main hall with three 20 minute stage shows presented at 12:00, 1:00 and 2:00. There were not any magic exhibits at this time but those will come when the exhibit officially opens on February 26, 2010.

The Evening of “Smoke and Mirrors” continued at Cigars of the World with Scott Wells who performed his mentalism and mind reading show on Tuesday December 15th at 8:00 p.m. at Cigars of the World, 4505 Highway 6 N, #1500, Houston, TX 77084 (Phone 281-656-2424). This special event include complimentary food and beverages plus a sack of cigars. The sold out event cost $25.00 per person and $40.00 for couples.

Michael Satterwhite reprised his Renaissance character, Cardinal Woolsey (who also does magic) at the Texas Renaissance Festival during the Fall of 2009. He appeared on all weekends from October through November 29 including the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Please join us in celebrating the Presidential appointment of Jerry Grey as "Dean of Houston Magicians". Jerry received a framed certificate at the regular meeting of I.B.M. Ring #39 on Monday November 23rd. The appointment was passed by the Board of Directors of SAM Assembly 19, IBM Ring 39 and the Houston Association of Magicians. Jerry was unaware that he was going to receive this honor so his surprise was genuine and his appreciation was heartfelt. Refreshments were served and a special video was shown with some vintage photographs of Jerry dating back to the 1920's. This was a wonderful event and a memorable night for the entire Houston magic community. We had a wonderful turnout for this special presentation with over 30 people in attendance. Another presentation will be made at the annual banquet and Installation of Officers on Sunday February 21, 2010 when we expect to have well over 400 people attend.

Jerry’s first proclamation as Dean of Houston Magicians was to request that each I.B.M. meeting begin with one magician teaching one trick. It was accepted by acclamation and President Michael Thomas proclaimed that this “teach-in” will begin with the next regularly scheduled meeting.

Rob Berry performed his High Class Hypnosis show at Hoot County Saloon, 444 FM 1960 Road East, Houston, TX on Saturday, November 14th beginning at 9:00 p.m. He performed his hyp act again the next night, Sunday November 16th at Cigars of the World. This promises to be a regular venue for local magicians to showcase their talent.

Jamie Salinas performed a one-man show on Saturday November 14th at the Hilton Americas Hotel in downtown Houston. The show ran approximately one hour and twenty minutes with one interval and included Close-Up Magic, Magic of the Mind and routines from his corporate events as well as material that he performs at comedy clubs. This was an intimate setting with limited seating.  Jamie plans to make this a regular event featuring other local magicians with their shows.

Banachek will be the next performer in 2010 at this venue presented by Jamie Salinas Productions. Others lined up for this intimate venue next year will include Rob Berry and Karen with their hypnosis show and Scott Wells presenting the “History of Mystery”.

Ben Jackson…congratulations are in order (again) for another win for his close-up magic. Ben took first place in November’s “Daytona Festival of Magic – The Florida State Magic Convention” held in Daytona, FL. It is great to see Houston being so well represented beyond our borders by an up-and-coming (or perhaps “already-there”) young performer. I know we will hear a lot more about Ben as he competes in more conventions this year which will hopefully lead up to him getting to compete in FISM in 2012. Good luck, Ben and keep the faith.

Jimmy Fingers made a few appearances during October and November at the Laff Stop that were postponed due to Hurricane Ike last year.

The Fort Bend Junior Service League and Methodist Sugar Land Hospital had a magic theme this year at the Sugar Plum Market (similar to the Nutcracker Market) on Friday and Saturday November 6th and 7th. Featured performers were Rob Berry and Karen plus Scott Wells. This was at the Stafford Centre Performing Arts Theatre & Convention Centre, 10505 Cash Rd. in Stafford , TX. It was a fun-filled, two-day shopping extravaganza featuring over 85 vendors, entertaining fashion shows, a catered luncheon each day, a wonderful Friday evening dinner, delicious concessions, exciting raffle, and much, much more! Since the Market’s inception, the net proceeds have always been given back to local charities. 2008 proceeds from the Market accounted for $110,000, the largest amount raised from a League since its inception in 2001.

During the Fall of 2009 Robby Bennett presented Where's the Rabbit? This was launched as the first show of the $1 Million Charity Challenge and as a Vegas/Broadway preview tour for Illusionist Robby Bennett. Unlike what you might expect from your typical "magic show," Bennett has created the perfect blend of fantasy and comedy which has left preview audiences on their feet in applause. Bennett has made the typical evening of theatre disappear as he takes stage with his routines involving metaphor, allegory and powerful storytelling. All of which is brought full circle throughout the evening. This is a new type of show the theatre has been waiting for. The impossible is simply overlooked and all logic is forgotten as this new production opened in 2009.

Ivan Amodei just finished writing his new book entitled, Magic's Most Amazing Stories. It is a collection of stories from world famous magicians detailing "the craziest thing that ever happened to me" scenarios. Here is how Ivan describes it: "Reports from the road, at the airport, technical problems, hecklers, lost props, fire, animal mishaps and anything else you can think of IS ALL HERE! Get an inside look to what happens to the pros while they travel and work in this exciting profession. Great entertainment and a fantastic read for the entire family."

Our own Ben Jackson contributed something to the book and he is flattered and honored to be included among other celebrated magicians in the book such as Max Maven, Mac King, Dai Vernon, Dana Daniels and many others. Ads will appear for the book in the December issue of Genii and MAGIC Magazines. For more information, visit: http://magicsmostamazingstories.com/ Congratulations, Ben!

S.A.M. Assembly #19 and the H.A.O.M. presented their annual Magic Auction on Sunday October 25, 2009. Click on the picture of the treasure chest to see how we did this year! We had a fair turnout and incredible deals for buyers. Lots of great prices for wonderful, slightly used magic books, props and ephemera. Don’t miss it next year!

Scott Wells appeared for the fourth consecutive year at the Circle S Vineyards annual “Hallo-wino” Party on Saturday October 31st in Sugar Land, TX. This was a fun costume party that grows in numbers every year. Circle S says this is their second most popular event of the year among all the other special events they hold almost weekly.

Brett Man performed “Monster Magic” every Saturday and Sunday in October at the Kemah Boardwalk.

HoustonSeance.com – Scott Wells and Jamie Salinas hosted séances during the month of October on Sunday nights. This year marked their third year performing these séances.  This show has evolved from a raw “spooky magic show” to a true theatrical presentation.

The T.A.O.M. 2009 convention is history! Wow, what a convention! President Scott Hollingsworth and his team put on a great event. Some of the comments heard by attendees were;

1. “This was even better than Magic Live in Las Vegas!”

2. “Houston is so friendly and I have made so many new friends!”

3. “I must say, I have been to four I.B.M. conventions and a World Magic Seminar and the T.A.O.M. was a very good convention to attend.  You have top of the line entertainment and great lectures.  We just LOVE Oscar Munoz (what a great man).  In any case, thank you for all your help.”

4. “Danny Garcia was great!  He took the time to talk, inspire and amaze me!”

5. “The Omni Resort and the personnel provided the best venue ever for any T.A.O.M. convention.”

The numbers are being tallied but it appears that we had over 700 people in attendance plus we sold enough public tickets to the evening shows that had people standing in the overflow area! The local media helped to bring in people with live news segments, recorded stories, video blogs and newspaper stories. Here are links to those you can see on the Internet:

http://tinyurl.com/taom2009story2

http://tinyurl.com/taom2009video1

http://www.houstonmagic.com/taom13.wmv

You can also visit The Magic Newswire at http://www.linkingpage.com/ and click on the audio number MNW #146 to hear Ken Scott conduct several short interviews of T.A.O.M. performers / lecturers. If you don’t already subscribe to their free podcast, then I highly recommend you add that to your iTunes store and download new material every week. For a review of the convention, be sure to read Scott Wells’ report on the Magic Café by Clicking Here.

Next year’s convention will be in Austin, TX on September 3-6, 2010. Be sure to sign up today. They already have a super line-up of talent booked with special shows by Max Maven at Austin City Limits. BTW, their registration will be limited to 500. You don’t want to be left out so sign up today! Visit their website at www.taom2010.com

Congratulations to Dennis Castro who took first place in the amateur competition on June 16, 2009 at the Improv. The event was emceed by Katie Turner and sponsored by the Women’s Council of Realtors. The professional performer at the event was Oscar Munoz, who has won many other magic awards.

Curt Miller was back in the news and back in action this summer. Curt returned with, ”The Curt Miller Magic & Comedy Show” at Moody Gardens in Galveston from June 18 – July 5.  The 90-minute Las Vegas-style magic show featured large-scale illusions, comedy magic, audience interaction, and professional sound and lighting.  This year’s show also featured four brand new magical segments, including several original illusions and routines.  The show is amazing, fun, clean, and great for the whole family.  For a video preview, please visit: http://www.curtmiller.com/MoodyGardens.html  More information is on his website at www.curtmiller.com

Rex Crago sponsored the annual BBQ for the 13th consecutive year. We had nearly 70 in attendance this year that again featured wonderful BBQ catered by Pappa’s plus the delicious cabrito (that we almost “didn’t” have due to the smoker catching the fence on fire just prior to the party…the fire department came out and everything, but all went on as planned.) We have had wonderful entertainment from around the state over the past dozen years including Cody Fisher, Brian Brushwood, Diamond Jim Tyler, Claude Crowe, Jeff Lee, Doug Gorman, Peter Studebaker, Oscar Munoz, Brad Henderson, Banachek and many others. This year we reached outside the great state of Texas all the way to California to bring in the hot young Turk, Wayne Houchin.

Wayne Houchin entertained our group for about 45 minutes with some of his original material that included the thread from his eye, signed coin in sealed can, evolution of a Ring on Arrow trick, a couple card tricks and a needle swallowing effect. The audience was responsive and loved every minute of it. Thank you Wayne Houchin and thank you Rex Crago for opening your home once again. This proved to be another great fundraiser for the magic club.

Congratulations…AGAIN, to Ben Jackson for making such good use of the media. That young magician is a media machine. He appears on the home page of the A&M University’s website at www.tamu.edu that flashes up with the title “Hocus Pocus”. You can go directly to the article by Clicking Here. Way to go, Ben! We will miss you while you are in Dallas for your internship. Good luck and enjoy the magic of Dallas!

Jazz It Up Café was the short-lived host venue for Third Thursday Night Magic. Cinnamon Vallier coordinated this activity to feature some of the best in magic that our city has to offer. After a short hiatus, it re-opened under new management and a new name…Jazz Bistro. This monthly event is a fundraiser activity for our group and will is planned to be much the same as the old days when we had Magic At The Mausoleum. The Jazz Bistro, 2899 Dulles Ave. located only a block away from Hwy 6 on Dulles, bordering Sugar Land and Missouri City. This $5.00 per person monthly event will showcase magicians and benefits OUR area Houston magic clubs.

Your $5.00 per person admission at the door into the restaurant will get you one hour of superb close up and stage magic donated by professional magicians signing up to appear every third Thursday of the month. The Jazz Bistro menu is steam table home style food, beverages, beer and wine. Doors magically open at 7:30 PM, magicians perform from 8 PM - 9 PM. Tell your friends, family, coworkers, etc. there is plenty of FREE parking and the general public is invited to purchase dinner with their magic show admission.  www.jazzitupcafe.com  If you would like to donate your time or talents to this worthy endeavor please contact Jeff Lanes. Please do not miss these opportunities to support the art of magic, your magic club and fellow magicians.

Robby Bennett was scheduled to perform “Where’s The Rabbit?” at Cullen Hall on the University of Houston campus this month. On Wednesday morning the U of H informed Robby and the production team of an unexpected requirement of a $15,000 deposit fee for the Friday April 17th premiere. While the show has sponsors, they were not able to come up with the fee by their deadline of 5:00 p.m. that same day. As a result, the Houston show is being delayed. Ticketmaster is in the process of notifying and refunding ticket sales to those who had purchased advance tickets.

Curt Miller is back in the news and back in action before the whole Houston community. There will be at least three opportunities to see Curt perform.

1. He will appear along with comedy magician Chris Blackmore (from Los Angeles) at the Sugar Land Town Square on April 23 at 7:30 PM.  The event is “Minute Maid:  Painting the Town Orange,” celebrating Minute Maid’s move to Sugar Land. Curt will make the mayor of Sugar Land disappear and then perform the first half of the show.  Chris will do the second half.  There will be a lot of great comedy magic and large-scale illusions, and the event is open to the public.  It’s family friendly, and it should be a lot of fun.

2. Curt will be on Fox Morning News (KRIV) either the morning of the 22nd or the 23rd to promote the show.

3. Tickets will go on sale soon for Curt’s return with his big show at Moody Gardens in Galveston from June 18 – July 5.  Moody Gardens is running a great special:  if you book two nights at the hotel, you get four tickets to my show!  Curt reports that he is working on some really cool new stuff this year, so make sure and bring the family.  More information is on his website at www.curtmiller.com

Rick Hebert will be doing strolling magic at the 103.7 JackFM Block Party in Tuscan Lakes, League City on Saturday, April 18 from 11:00 to 3:00. This will be a great family event. For more information and a map, please visit their website by Clicking Here. If you are in the area then stop by.

The I.B.M. Web Portal has discontinued all blogs including Scott Wells’ weekly column on the Houston Magic Scene. If you have any comments or suggestions, then you can send them to The Linking Ring Editor, Sammy Patrick Smith at linkingring@mac.com Be sure to check out http://www.magician.org/portal/en/blog/9081 for an archive of Scott’s weekly updates on the Houston Magic Scene.

“The Great Buck Howard” premiered in Houston on March 20th with a sneak peek free screening on the 18th. Many local magicians were in attendance including Paul Driscoll, Richard Hatch, Harry Maurer, Charlie Randall, Doug Kornegay, Dick Olson, Roger Johnson and many others. In an effort to help promote the film and make the evening a bit more festive, the movie promoter asked Scott Wells to perform a ten minute magic act before the movie began. All went well and some remarked that they liked the live entertainment more than the movie!

FIRE! We have been informed that there was a fire at the Bayou Manor where we hold our I.B.M. Ring #39 meetings. Although the damage was contained it did mean that they used our usual meeting room while their cafeteria was being remodeled. This took a few months to repair before we returned on March 23rd. Thanks to Doug Kornegay who arranged for an alternate location on short notice.

Sad news continues as we begin a new year. I received word from Chuck Lehr in Dallas about the death of Bob Torson, who was a charter member of the Dallas, TX IBM Ring #174 back in 1964. Bob was also a member of the Houston magic clubs in earlier years, too. He passed away on January 1, 2009.  His funeral service will take place at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at the Jeter and Son Funeral Home, 4830 W. Illinois (at Duncanville Road) in Dallas on Tuesday. The phone number for the funeral home is 214-330-4700. More information will be published as it becomes available.

Gerald Torregosa was an active magician in our community for a number of years and worked as a demonstrator at Frankel’s Costume and Magic Shop here in Houston. He grew up with Daniel Garcia and is a very good magician in his own right. In recent years, he started performing stand up comedy. He will perform this Wednesday night February 4th at the Laff Stop at 526 Waugh, Houston, TX 77019. He doesn’t do one magic trick in his set but he promises that it will be a great show. He is asking any and everyone in the local magic scene to make it out to see him! The show starts at 8:00 p.m. and you can get tickets at the door.

2008

Houston – December 31, 2008: We lost a few fellow magicians and friends from our midst this past year including David Inkster, Russ McGee and Freddy "Butch" Burton (son of local magician, Fred Burton). And though not technically a member of our local clubs, Roger Klause was thought of as a close friend of all Houston area magicians and is sorely missed.

On another sad note this past year, many magicians in the Gulf Coast were impacted by Hurricane Ike in September that devastated Galveston and much of the coastal area. Some magicians are still relocated in temporary housing while their homes are being repaired. Still other magicians lost performing venues that were closed or destroyed. Everyone felt the impact in some form or another. The Magic Island is still closed for remodeling due to the damage caused by Hurricane Ike and a resulting fire.

We had a few local magicians who had health issues including our octogenarian magician, Jerry Gray who is battling cancer and recently broke his arm in eight places. Also, Daniel Garcia suffered a severe break in his heel during a TV shoot with David Blaine. Jerry and Daniel are both recovering nicely from their injuries.

Local magicians really made the news in the magic world this year, too. January kicked it off with a feature article in MAGIC Magazine that focused on magic and magicians in Houston. Banachek was featured on the cover of M.U.M. magazine in February with a lengthy article inside that caused some controversy regarding his TV consulting for Criss Angel and perhaps led to their parting of the ways. There was an interview with Banachek in the June issue of MAGIC that cleared it all up. Becky Blaney qualified as a contestant on the "reality" TV program, "America's Got Talent" and she learned a hard lesson that was discussed in the August issue of MAGIC as she dished the inside scoop in a "behind the scenes" article. Her father, Walter "Zaney" Blaney was featured in a great spread in the July issue of MAGIC magazine. He was also feted at the annual T.A.O.M. convention in Ft. Worth as the convention was dedicated to Walter. What an honor!

This year Houston has hosted many fine lecturers including: Barrie Richardson, Nathan Kranzo, Joe Lefler, Aldo & Rachel Colombini, Eric Anderson, Bob Sheets, Jeb Sherrill, Fielding West, Dal Sanders, Kostya Kimlat and David Soloman. That is a lot of really good magic!

And speaking of good magic, this past year saw Curt Miller successfully draw thousands upon thousands to his twice daily magic show for two summer weeks in Galveston. It was a wonderful family show that will no doubt be repeated in 2009. And John "Cash" Carpenter presented two excellent stage productions including "Death and Harry Houdini" and the original "Edon" which were reported on here this past year. There were several other local magicians who performed at public venues from parks to libraries to restaurants and even some who got publicity on television and in the newspaper! Many local magicians took the magic of Houston to far away destinations such as Trixie Bond who made her third appearance at the White House Easter Egg Roll.

Local magician, Rachel Dunn, took first place at the Ft. Worth T.A.O.M. convention. This was significant because at 14 years of age she was the only contestant in the Junior Category so she competed in the Senior Category...and won! Ben Jackson, winner of the T.A.O.M. 2007 Close-Up Award, competed and won first place in the Strolling Olympics at the Magic Castle in Hollywood.

Our annual banquet hosted a record number of people with over 400 people in attendance. This event has grown by leaps and bounds every year to where we had to find a larger venue to accommodate the masses. This is a good situation.  Many of the performers from our banquet were asked to entertain at the Austin, TX club's annual banquet this past month. Austin will reciprocate and supply the stage entertainment at our annual banquet in February.

2009 holds great promise for local magicians with the big event being the T.A.O.M. convention which we will host from September 4-7 at the Hotel Omni here in Houston. The Magic Island is also hoped to be open by April Fool's Day so we can again entertain the public with quality magic shows. We will begin our lecture series in 2009 with the return of John Calvert and Tammy in February. So we have much to look forward to in 2009.

Several area magicians traveled to Austin on Monday December 15^th to entertain at their annual officer installation banquet. Trixie Bond coordinated this effort with Austin’s President, Hull Youngblood. Over 100 magicians from in and around Austin came to enjoy a potluck dinner, fellowship and some magic. Trixie Bond and Rick Hebert provided the strolling magic to appreciative groups while they dined. Much laughter and applause was heard throughout dinner. Around 7:00 President Hull Youngblood welcomed the guests and made some presentations and awards then introduced Scott Wells as the emcee. Scott brought on Phil Kampf with his dove act (assisted by Rachel Dunn) followed by the wit and comedy of John Star. Rachel Dunn returned to present her T.A.O.M. Award Winning fairy princess act then Richard Hatch presented some classics of magic including the cups and balls, Hofzinser’s “Everywhere and Nowhere”, Powers of Darkness and Gypsy Thread. Phil Kampf closed the evening with his comedy magic show that is so popular with the Magic Island audiences.

This was a wonderful evening and will long be remembered by both the audience and the performers. Everyone was so pleasant and fun to work with and the audience was one of the most appreciative we have ever seen. The Austin group promises to return the favor by providing the entertainment at our annual Installation of Officers’ Banquet on Sunday February 15th. We don’t want to miss that. It should be great fun.

The annual holiday party for Houston area magicians was hosted again at the home of Gene & Betty Protas on Saturday January 3rd from 6:30-10:00 p.m. Nearly 60 magicians and their families attended this annual event including visitors from Australia.

This year’s H.A.O.M. Annual Magic Auction was a record breaking success. Sales exceeded $5,500 raised from 52 attendees. This is at least 50% greater than any previous auction. We generated over $700.00 for the club from attendee fees, seller commissions and donations of $136.00. This will help us for T.A.O.M. 2009.

Congratulations are in order to Doug Kornegay for doing a superb job of promoting the event and coordinating the auction hall. Dick Olson was our treasurer who kept track of all the sales and accounted for every dime. Others who deserve accolades include everyone who helped people check out: Donnie Kornegay, Judy Donaldson, Jeff Lanes, Chris Williams and Gene Protas. Also kudos to Scott Wells for providing his auctioneering talents and the auction handlers who helped up front: Carol Ann Maurer, Don Wiberg and Dick Hatch.

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.

Most 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 18^th – 20^th 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 25^th. 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 23^rd 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 12^th 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 21^st 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 21^st Annual Magic Auction was held on Sunday October 28^th 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 23^rd 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 11^th 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 31^st. 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 29^th 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 12^th. 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! Can you keep a secret? There was an underground magic convention happening in Houston this spring. The Second Deal Convention is limited to 52 card aficionados and held annually around the country. On March 17-18, 2006 it was held at the Doubletree Hotel at Bush IAH Airport with a midnight lecture by Tyler Wilson on March 16 for early arrivals. Alan Ackerman, Tom Frame, J.C. Wagner and Tyler Wilson and others were featured lecturers.

· It is with great sadness that we must report the passing of one of our senior members of the Houston magic community. Gene De Gene (Gene McIntosh) passed away on Sunday February 19, 2006. He will be missed by us as he was known and loved by us all. A regular attendee at our magic meetings, he always had things to say to everyone. A Broken Wand Ceremony was conducted by Bill Palmer at the joint S.A.M. / H.A.O.M. meeting on Monday March 6^th.

· Nick Wells, the fire eater from our 2006 Magic Banquet, appeared with Brian Brushwood on the Food Network’s television show “Unwrapped” for the episode entitled “Atomic” on Monday February 27^th at 8:00 p.m. Central time and rebroadcast again later that evening at midnight and again the following Friday evening March 3 at 6:30 p.m.  For more information, Click Here.

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2005

· The Annual H.A.O.M. Auction was Sunday November 13, 2005 and was a big success thanks to YOU! We had 46 people attending and $2,600 of magic paraphernalia exchanged hands.

· Paul Driscoll will be appeared at the Theatre Under The Stars gala on Saturday, August 27th at The Plaza Club high atop One Shell Plaza.  Paul brought his magic to the Vegas themed night benefiting TUTS.

· Harry Potter Book Release Parties! Jamie Salinas, Eric Falconer and Julian Franklin performed for Wizards and Muggles at Barnes & Noble Bookstores in Houston and The Woodlands stores on Friday night July 15^th. Hundreds of children and parents lined up to be the first to buy the new Harry Potter book and enjoyed the wily ways of these fine wizards while waiting for the strike of midnight.

· Thelma Blau dies. Thelma Burton Waltrip Blau, widow of the late Bob Blau, passed away on March 27, 2005. She was 94 years old. She is survived by Bob's son, Dr. Robert Dean Blau and wife Doris, two grandchildren, Cathy Venable and Bruce Blau; six great-grandchildren; and one great-great- grandchild. Visitation was March 31 at Corl Family Funeral Home in Pearland, Texas. The funeral service was at 2:00 PM, April 1, 2005 at Corl Family Funeral Home, followed by interment at Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery. Dr. Bob Joiner and Dr. Phyllis Riney of First United Methodist Church of Pearland conducted the service. Thelma had been in poor health during the months before her passing. She was very hard of hearing, which made her difficult to communicate with.

· Bill Palmer, M.I.M.C. was well-received at the Magic Castle presenting his Renaissance Magic lecture on March 13^th. He will also participate in the Magic Collectors presentation which will take place the day before the start of The Magic Circle Centenary in London this July. He was asked to perform the cups and balls using props appropriate to the time of Henry Evans (Evanion). He was a collector of ephemera and an early member of The Magic Circle. There is a big display of part of his collection at the British Museum.

· The annual I.B.M. Ring #39 Memorial Day BBQ will be held again this year at the home of Dr. Rex Crago. The date will be Monday May 30^th. This year’s entertainment will be provided by Doug Gorman from San Antonio. For more information on Doug, click here. More information will follow as it becomes available.

· It is with deep regret that we report of the passing of Roy Gilbert our beloved and dedicated I.B.M. Ring #39 Librarian.  We received word that Roy passed away on March 1, 2005.  He will be sorely missed by his family, friends and our organization.  Roy did a terrific job in organizing, cataloging and managing our valuable Ring resources.  A Broken Wand ceremony was given during the service on Saturday March 5^th.

· Congratulations to Trixie Bond who was one of only eight magicians from across the country participating in the annual Easter Egg Roll on the lawn of the White House. Yes, THE White House in Washington, D.C.! We look forward to seeing some great photos from her adventure “up the Hill.”

· Wow! What a Banquet! Over 200 people enjoyed magic and the food on Sunday February 13^th. Thanks go to so many people who helped make the event the major success it was including David Inkster who contributed the festive balloons. To enjoy a PowerPoint Show created by Scott Wells of over 100 photos (taken by Eric Frodesen and some by Scott Wells), then click here. To keep this from taking so long to download, Michael Rog with XoneLabs.com has compressed the file (Thanks, Michael). It shouldn’t take too long to download now, so give it a try. You will need to have Microsoft PowerPoint to view this presentation. If you can’t wait, then click here to see at least one picture of the stage performers taken backstage following the show.

· Congratulations to Dick Olson as Magician of the Year – 2004 and to Jerry Grey as this year’s recipient of the Bob Blau – Ring 39 Achievement Award and to Robbie Bennett as Young Magician of the Year and to Gene Protas as the recipient of the Outstanding Service Award as I.B.M. Ring #39 President.

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2004

· Houston: January 2, 2004 - As we reflect on 2004, the Houston Magic Community has seen a lot of changes and experienced good times along with some divisiveness and hardships. Our community has grown stronger and holds great promise for 2005 and beyond. We have a lot to be thankful for and we have hopefully learned some lessons that will serve us well in the future.

During 2004, we had 14 lecturers perform for us and teach us some of the best, most current tricks in the land. These lecturers were part of the H.A.O.M. Lecture Series, the free I.B.M. Ring #39 lecture, and those provided by H&R Magic Books; however, on a down-note, 2004 saw the closing of the lecture room at H&R Magic Books as they had to give up the space to the owner. But there was something for everyone in the lectures this past year from close-up to stand-up to stage to mentalism to comedy to children’s entertainment to theatrical deportment and costuming and developing a character. Not all lecturers appealed to everyone, but at least we had variety. So if you didn’t attend even one of the lectures this past year, then you should let us know what subject we could have possibly missed. The lecturers came from across the country and from across the sea. They included (chronologically): David Hira, Ted Lesley, Jay Scott Berry, Tony Daniels, Pit Hartling, Manuel Muerte, Max Howard, Troy Hooser, Jim Swain, Robert Baxt, Mark Mason, Jay Sankey, Cellini and Dan Fleshman.

And along this line, we had some fantastic mini-lectures at our meetings mainly provided by our own talented members. Some of the lecturers even provided free lecture notes to all. Our presenters included: James Kent talking about packet tricks, Scott Wells on origami with folding money; Bill Palmer on the history of paddle moves; Dick Olson on rope magic; Bill Palmer taught us how to use “story magic” in our scripts; Charles (of “Charles and the Lady”) presented a mini-lecture on the dancing cane; John Haque talked about using magic to teach lessons to your audience; Scott Wells gave an historical perspective on the famous painting, “The Conjuror”; Doug Kornegay presented a slide show of “The Magic of Houston” featuring local greats of the past and present; Bill Palmer presented several mini-lectures on chop cups and cups and balls including a special presentation on how metal cups are made; also, a useful, commercial chop cup routine was given by Jamie Salinas; and Scott Wells talked about magic Christmas cards.

Scott Hollingsworth was proclaimed Magician of the Year at our annual banquet in recognition of his outstanding service to the H.A.O.M. during 2003. Some of our other members received accolades from the broader magic community during this past year. Walter “Zaney” Blaney was presented the prestigious “Performing Fellowship” Award from the Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle) for his 55 years as a professional magician and his contributions to the magical arts. Julian Franklin received second place in “The Funny Paper” publicity photo contest. Julian also continued another year as a contributing writer for “The Linking Ring” with his monthly column on “The Business of Magic”. Other members have received recognition among their peers as they have lectured and performed at magic conventions across the country (and indeed the world) such as Trixie Bond, Scott Hollingsworth and Bill Palmer. Scott Wells was appointed as the I.B.M. Territorial Vice President for Texas and also elected to a three year term on Executive Committee for the national I.B.M. Steve Burton served as President of the T.A.O.M. and he performed in the Persian Gulf and in and around Bahrain for our troops.

Houston played host to the annual T.A.O.M. convention that brought in nearly 800 magicians and their families for an incredible line-up of talented performers and lecturers. Although successful from the attendees’ viewpoint with myriad dealers, a plethora of lectures and top-notch professional shows in an excellent venue, the convention lost money thus causing high emotions and putting the financial burden on the H.A.O.M. to bail out the local Ring with a short-term loan. Activities are planned to raise funds including a January 2005 lecture by Michael Close. The S.A.M. Assembly will host the T.A.O.M. convention in 2009.

Magic flourished as the wounds of September 11^th slowly heal and people again hire entertainers. Although Scott Hollingsworth, Lanny Kibbey and Jay Schwausch continued as house magicians at the Magic Island, magic was regularly seen at many restaurants outside of the Magic Island. Shane Wilson, Jerry Grey, Bob Smith, Jamie Salinas and Scott Wells entertained at some of the local are restaurants. Both stage and close-up magic was seen at Gatti-Town by Vikki Skelton, James Austin Banner and others including Eric Falconer. And charity shows were regularly provided to numerous hospitals and organizations throughout the year by Steve Shain, John Laws, Hy Penn, Richard Hatch, Richard Lucas, Jerry Grey, Bill Palmer, Scott Hollingsworth, Danny Hurwitz and Gene Protas among so many others. We are thankful to all those who “shared the magic” with others this year.

We celebrated the good times in 2004 with a surprise birthday party for one of the oldest performing magicians, our own octogenarian, Jerry Grey. We also had a wonderful magic banquet with nearly 200 in attendance who enjoyed professional close-up and stage shows rivaling many of the magic conventions. We gathered at the home of Dr. Rex Crago for our annual Memorial Day BBQ and magic-fest that featured Claude Crowe from San Antonio as our entertainment. Doug and Donnie Kornegay hosted an open reception for Bev Bergeron. We also had a wonderful holiday party at the close of the year at the home of Gene and Betty Protas that was attended by a large group of local magicians.

2004 saw the untimely passing of two of our members, Sarah Crago and Randall Whitworth. Sarah was the loving wife of Dr. Rex Crago and she had served on the I.B.M. Ring #39 Board of Directors as well as co-hosting our annual Memorial Day BBQ party. Randall Whitworth was an unselfish, giving magician and the owner of the Mississippi Card Company that made specialty playing cards among other things.

The H.A.O.M., I.B.M. Ring #39 and S.A.M. Assembly #19 drew closer together this year as the two newsletters were combined under the editorship of Vikki Skelton. We saw our publication, The Wizard’s Report go to color and expanded pages plus it became available electronically. We officially recognized the members of the Wizard’s Circle with the presentation of new, special lapel pins.

As we look into the coming year, we have great expectations for our clubs and for our membership. We are putting together plans for our annual banquet in February, we have five lectures already planned for next year, our website at www.houstonmagic.com continues to keep us updated with relevant activities in our community, and magic performances will continue to be seen throughout the area. And as we approach the winter banquet, the mystery grows as to who will receive the coveted Magician of the Year award. If you aren’t in the running, then you have all of 2005 to get in line for next year!

· Wow, what a meeting! At the July 5^th, 2004 meeting of the H.A.O.M./S.A.M., Scott Wells presented an interesting and informative look at the Hieronymus Bosch 15^th century painting, The Conjurer. For those who are interested, the link to the PDF file on The Conjurer is here.

· Come one, come all to I.B.M. Ring 39's 8th annual Fantastic Magic Flea Market! On Monday July 26^th join us for an evening of magic trading and bartering with magicians throughout the Gulf Coast area. This is open to any magician in the Texas area who wants to turn their unused magic into cash!! You won't want to miss this year's Fantastic Flea Market.

Sellers of things arcane and magical come from all over the great states of Texas and Louisiana to display their wares in this once a year trading event. This is not your typical club auction as you'll have an opportunity to trade your magic directly with a willing buyer. The cost per person selling is $10.00 and that is all you pay! There are no percentages charged to either buyer or seller which makes this event one of the most affordable in whole realm of magicdom.

So mark, July 26th on your calendar and give us a call to reserve your space! Phone (281) 528-9170 for reservations and more information. Or Email danny@thefunplace.net for more info! You can also get more info on the I.B.M. Ring #39 website by clicking here.

Special fundraiser announcement. Magician and Illusionist Cherie Kay has teamed up with the Main Street Project of Llano, Texas to present Vaudeville 2004. This event's proceeds will provide much needed funds to help in the restoration project of the Historic Lantex Theater. Built in the 20's and used as a live theater for traveling Vaudeville greats for several years this theater needs a facelift...to say the least. A troupe of professional entertainer's including Vegas style Illusionist and very funny guy Lanny Kibbey, the extremely versatile antics of Chuck Montgomery and the audience participation fun of Ms. Cherie Kay will perform a special Variety Show on Sat. April 24th 2004 at 7:00 p.m. For more entertainer information please visit: http://www.topsecretmagic.com/

It is with great sadness that we report the loss of one of our fellow magicians. Randall Whitworth, owner of Mississippi Card Company and generous friend to many magicians, passed away Monday, March 29,2004. A memorial service was held at Santana Funeral Home on Monday, April 5. Over 100 people celebrated Randall’s life during the service as many friends, co-workers and family spoke about their association with this gentle, caring and loving man. He was unselfish and gave so much of himself to others in deeds and services. Among those magicians in attendance were Jon Hatfield, Peter Studebaker, Trixie Bond, Charlie Randall, Richard Hatch, Paul Driscoll, Frank Price, Bob Smith, Scott Wells and Delaine Goddard.

Dateline: Appleton, Wisconsin, March 25, 2004 - Houdini is back in the news with front-page attention on The Wall Street Journal and assorted broadcast support from around the world. Former President Emeritus of the World Alliance of Magicians, Walter “Zaney” Blaney has been keeping us abreast of this story as it developed over the past ten months (he is also quoted in the attached article). Now the world knows all about it and the clock is ticking. Will the chief expositor carry her one-woman campaign to expose? It seems that Houdini’s secrets are soon not to be so secret. Thousands of children will get the chance to see the inner workings of the substitution trunk and see if they can beat the great Houdini’s record. For more information all the hubbub, click here to read the story.

Pictures of the 2004 Magic Banquet are now available on this website. Follow the link on the left to the S.A.M. Assembly #39 and H.A.O.M. (or just click here) then click the link to the photos near the bottom of that page.

More of Andrew Schneider’s magic collection are available for sale on the Magic Classifieds section of this website. Check out his collection of books and videos for sale then contact his mother, Lisa, with your offer.

The Annual Magic Banquet on Sunday February 22, 2004 was an unprecedented success! Many said this was one of the best ever…even exceeding last year’s fun banquet. Nearly 200 dinners were served this year with a completely different seating configuration that seemed to work much better than in years past. Thanks goes to so many people not the least of which are the entertainers who gave of their time and talents to make this a success. Also for those behind the scenes including Trixie Bond, Dick Olson, David Inskster, James Kent, John Trower, Bill Palmer and so many others too numerous to mention so let me say to all…THANK YOU!

Congratulations are in order for Scott Hollingsworth who won the coveted title of “Magician of the Year – 2003” from the H.A.O.M. Among other honorees included Scott Wells with the Bob Blau I.B.M. Ring #39 Achievement Award while Alex and Sarah Crago were awarded (in absentia) a special plaque by Ring #39 for their dedication and hospitality to the Houston Magic Community. Scott Wells also received the President’s Award from S.A.M. Assembly #19.

Always a good ole time second only to the T.A.O.M. convention. The Lone Star Auction was held on Saturday February 28, 2004. Click HERE to go to their website for more information.

The Houston Magic community was saddened by the loss of one of our more dedicated and supportive members. Sarah Crago passed away on Thursday February 12, 2004 at Methodist Hospital following a prolonged illness. She will be remembered by all of us for so many things. She served on the I.B.M. Ring #39 Board of Directors for many years providing guidance and good counsel. Perhaps most will remember her as a most gracious hostess as she and Rex opened their home every year for the annual I.B.M. Ring #39 Memorial Day Banquet. For more information on this inspirational woman, you may read her Obituary that was published in the February 15, 2004 issue of The Houston Chronicle by CLICKING HERE. Should you be interested/able to attend the private service scheduled for Saturday February 21^st, then please call the family home at 713-661-7620 for specifics.

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2003

With the passing of 2003 we see the sad demise of Meir Yedid's "Magic Times".  After six years of daily updates, he has decided to call the non-profit operation quits.  All that time and effort (nearly five hours per day) and getting nothing for it.  Too bad for the magical world.  But perhaps someone will pick up his mantle.

Also 2003 marked the end of the World Alliance of Magicians (W.A.M.).  After five years of battling exposure and shining the light on the importance of ethics and "doing what's right", the organization has decided that it, too, took up more time, talent and money than the few officers could continue to handle.  Although expecting nothing in return for W.A.M.'s good work, it was disappointing to see the relative lack of support by the general magic community and in particular by the magic magazines and organizations that supposedly "help" our art.  It was frustrating that even many of the creators themselves showed so little support for W.A.M.'s assistance in protecting their own proprietary inventions.

Lots of other things happened in our general magic community of note during 2003, not the least of which was the Roy Horn's tragic accident that marked the end of an era in Las Vegas.  The future of magic on the strip is now in jeopardy and successors to the throne are vying for the crown.  Other items of a broader interest will be reported by the magic rags, I'm sure, so I won't recap them here.

As it relates directly to the Houston magicians, we saw the closing of Spellbinder's (a local venue that employed more than a few magicians) and the elimination of magicians as restaurant entertainers at Dave & Busters.  We also saw a decay in membership of I.B.M. Ring #39 though attendance remained steady for the H.A.O.M./S.A.M. Assembly #19 meetings.  We also saw Julian Franklin combine newsletters for both the S.A.M. Assembly #19 and H.A.O.M./I.B.M. Ring #39.  Julian commenced a monthly column in "The Linking Ring" during this past year which gave an expanded, international audience to his ideas and thoughts.  At the end of the year, Vikki Skelton took over the reins as newsletter editor and expanded it to nearly 10 pages!  The H.A.O.M./S.A.M. Assembly #19 had the largest, most successful, best attended banquet in recent memory.  And over $3,000 of magical goods exchanged hands at the annual auction. 

The Crago's put on another excellent BBQ in 2003 with featured entertainment by Brad Henderson (author of the new book, "The Dance").  The HoustonMagic.com website continued to provide updates and breaking news of what is and was happening on the Houston magic scene.  We had a ton of excellent lecturers come through Houston this past year including Michael Ammar, Steve Dacri, Bill Goldman, John George, Bob King, Tom Craven, Scott Hollingsworth, Tim Ellis, Paul Wilson, John Carney, Pavel and Ted Lesley.  We had other excellent speakers at our H.A.O.M./S.A.M. Assembly #19 meetings that we drew from the varied talents of our membership such as Banachek, Jaime Salinas and Scott Wells, among many others.  Scott Hollingsworth also provided us with mini-lectures by some of the performers who graced the stage of the Magic Island.  Scott Hollingsworth also took over as the magic demonstrator at Frankel's Costume Shop where he conducted free classes for the Houston Junior Magicians on the third Saturday afternoon of every month.  Unsung heroes such as John Laws, Steve Shain, Jerry Grey and others quietly donated their time and talents performing at charity shows for the elderly and hospitalized.

And the outlook for magicians in Houston looks bright!  First and foremost, 2004 will bring the T.A.O.M. convention to our fair city and much preparation is underway but the bulk of the work is before us.  This is expected to be the biggest and best magic convention this city has ever seen.  We also have a great line-up of lecturers scheduled for 2004 beginning with David Hira later this month followed by Ali Bongo, Jay Scott Berry, Tony Daniels and Max Howard just for starters.  Our annual banquet is scheduled for Sunday February 22 and we expect this year to exceed last year's record turn-out due to the seldom-seen, featured performer...Banachek!  Scott Hollingsworth will continue to teach the Houston Junior Magicians on the afternoon of every third Saturday with guest instructors from time to time.  Our Ring #39 and Assembly #19 combined newsletter is in good hands and will continue to set new standards with interesting tidbits and information in our clubs and about magic past and present.  And you can always read all about what is happening every month, every week and every day by keeping your internet homepage set on http://www.houstonmagic.com

As Clarence the angel said, "So you see George Bailey, you really have had a wonderful life!"

· Wow, what a great auction! Reports show that we have sold approximately $3,200 worth of magic at the annual H.A.O.M./S.A.M. Assembly #19 Magic Auction. This is down from $3,800 from last year but we had more items sold this year than last. Thanks to all of you who attended and a special thanks to all who worked behind the scene to make it all happen.

The 2003 T.A.O.M. Convention in Lubbock is now one for the history books. Those who missed it missed a very fine convention. There is usually little advertising, hoopla or fanfare when Lubbock hosts the convention, but it only means more benefit for the few registrants: better seating, closer viewing, and time for honest, full-length conversations. It was one fine time for all who made the trek. Scott Wells wrote a review that you can read at the T.A.O.M. website or by clicking here now.

Congratulations to Steve Burton for being elected by the Texas Association of Magicians as the President for 2004. Steve has already put together a great team to help coordinate the convention.

Chairmen include: General Chairman - Steve Burton

Talent Chairman - Frank C. Price

Registration Chairman - Danny Sparks

Dealer Chairman - Scott Wells

Contest Chairman - Jaime Salinas

Transportation Chairman - Robert Campos

House Chairman - Roy Gilbert

Publicity Chairman - Alan Anderson

Site and Facilities - Dean Quinn

Convention Consultant - Doug Kornegay

Plans are well underway to make this next convention a truly memorable one. The T.A.O.M. 2004 Team Objective is:

To create the greatest T.A.O.M. convention in the history of the organization without losing money, with open lines of communication and have fun doing it!

Brand New Videos and DVD’s just added to Magic Classifieds! Over 40 videos are offered for a short time on HoustonMagic.com by one of our Dallas members, Mark Jensen. Take advantage of this great offer now. Check out the link at the left to Magic Classifieds and see if there is anything there you can’t live without. Why pay more?

Effective the last week of July 2003, Scott Hollingsworth has taken over the magic counter at Frankel’s Costume Shop. He has already made quite a few changes and more are on the way. Be sure to stop by and see what new things Scott has up his sleeve! Scott will continue to lead the Young Magician’s Club of Houston from Frankel’s every third Saturday afternoon at 2:00.

If you know Scott Hollingsworth very well, then you’ll really appreciate this cartoon. Click here.

Congratulations to Scott Wells, A.I.M.C. for being nominated to the Executive Council of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. Scott was elected at the annual meeting of the I.B.M. at the 2003 convention in Kansas City. If elected next year, his three-year term will commence in July 2004. Additionally, Scott will serve as the Territorial Vice President (TVP) for the I.B.M. in Texas. Scott Wells and Charlie Randall also received the Order of Merlin at the annual convention. This is awarded to those with 25 years of consecutive membership in the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

Congratulations to Scott Wells, A.I.M.C. for being featured on the inside back cover of the May issue of the Magic Circular. Scott was the lucky member who was profiled in the May 2003 issue of the Magic Circle’s journal. For a peak at Scott’s page, click here.

Quite startling news! Spellbinder’s has closed its doors. Also reports are that Dave & Busters has made a corporate decision at the top to no longer employ house magicians throughout all of their franchises. Both of these bombshells were announced at the April meeting of the H.A.O.M. and S.A.M. Assembly #19. I guess people will have to hire a magician to see live professional performances of magic.

Steve Dacri’s Workshop and Lecture was well received and attended. He explained a lot of practical, commercial tricks that many of us will definitely be using. His details on the Classic Force were worth the price of admission. Pictures are on the Photos page.

On St. Patrick’s Day, everyone wishes they were Irish! Scott Wells will be doing a blindfold drive in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade downtown Houston on Saturday March 15, 2003. Watch out for him (I mean literally, WATCH OUT for him or he might hit you) on Saturday morning as part of the Griff’s Shenanigans Café and Bar Green Tide parade team. (Pictures now posted at bottom of the Photos page under New Photos).

Scott Hollingsworth will be organizing the young magicians forum at Frankel’s Costume & Magic Shop with prepared lectures and notes available to all. On Saturday March 15, 2003 he will teach cups& balls and ball & vase, then on April 19, 2003 he will teach sponge balls and May 17, 2003 will be ropes. More to follow on this. Check out the link to HoustonMagic for more details and dates.

Jaime Salinas will be headlining at Spellbinder’s Kid’s Magic & Family Matinee show this Saturday afternoon March 15, 2003. If you are looking for something to do with the kids during spring break, bring them by or just bring yourself! Jaime will be performing Magic from his children’s shows as well as material from his corporate banquet shows. He will also be performing his dancing hank, which is currently a “work in progress” piece that was featured at the HAOM banquet. He usually performs at Spellbinder’s at least once a month and he is looking forward to seeing you there!

Lecturers Galore! You want ‘em? We got ‘em! Steve Dacri – Sunday March 23 workshop with FREE lecture (to dues paying members of I.B.M. Ring #39) on Monday March 24. Check out the link to I.B.M. Ring #39 for more information on this FREE lecture. Pavel on Friday April 4. John Carney – Saturday May 24 lecture with workshop on Sunday May 25. Check out the link to HoustonMagic for more information on Pavel and John Carney.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Trixie Bond has an article appearing in the March and April issues of MAGIC Magazine in David “Silly Billy” Kaye’s column. Julian Franklin has his thoughts published in Mark Nilsen’s column in the February issue of M.U.M. and in Steve Taylor’s March column in M.U.M. Congratulations to both! Houston should be proud of these fine magicians for putting their thoughts in print.

Convention Extra – Trixie Bond will be lecturing and performing a live birthday party show (for the contest winner in the DC area) at the Magi-Whirl Convention (Washington, D.C.) on May 24.

Congratulations to HoustonMagic.com member Tom Britton, head wizard (President) of the Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce. Tom got great media coverage in the February 27, 2003 Houston Chronicle. He made the front page of the “This Week” section of the Zone 10 (Downtown/Neartown/Heights) edition. Check out the HoustonMagic link for a copy of the story.

Wanna be a magician? Scott Hollingsworth is leading the way by taking charge of the Young Magicians’ Club in Houston. If you are under 18 years of age and interested in learning the art of magic, then look no further. Scott meets with the Young Magicians at Frankel’s Costume and Magic Shop at 2801 Polk Street, Houston. For directions, check out the website or call 713-228-9445. They meet the third Saturday of every month from 2:00 to 3:00. Come on by. You have everything to gain!

WOW! What a Banquet! Over 180 people at the S.A.M. Assembly #19 & H.A.O.M. Annual Banquet on Sunday February 9, 2003. More will certainly be written but in the meantime you can check out some of the back stage scenes in the photo section on the S.A.M. Assembly #19 & H.A.O.M. website accessible by clicking on the link to the left.

Congratulations to Terry Campagna for receiving the Campagna Award and to Scott Wells for receiving the Magician of the Year for 2002 at the Banquet!

John George lectured at the H&R Magic Book Shop on Monday February 17, 2003. Check out the photo taken by Eric Frodesen on the HoustonMagic link.

More great publicity for our members. Paul Driscoll (one of the entertainers for our upcoming banquet) and performance updates for Cherie Kay. Also, Scott Hollingsworth has re-launched The Magic Edge and will prove to be an invaluable tool for the working magician. Check out the link to HoustonMagic in the frame to the left to be directed to that page and check out what’s new with some of our members.

More items just listed on Magic Classifieds! Thank you Andrew Schneider for listing 42 items for sale. Please click on the link on the left to go to the Magic Classifieds then click on “Other” to go all the way to the bottom of the page to see all his goodies for sale.

With the demise of I.B.M. Ring #39’s Wizard’s Report, S.A.M. Assembly #19 & H.A.O.M. and I.B.M. Ring #39 will be publishing a joint newsletter.

Reed McClintock’s free lecture for I.B.M. Ring #39 members has been canceled due to prior commitments; however, Steve Dacri will be the featured lecturer for the March meeting. Check the I.B.M. Ring #39 page for further lecture information.

Like-New Videos just added to Magic Classifieds! Over 40 videos are offered for a short time on HoustonMagic.com by one of our Dallas members, Mark Jensen. Mark plans to take these to the Lone Star Auction in Ft. Worth on February 15^th (more information on the Auction below in Magic Calendar of Events) but he’s offering them to us first to see if anyone might be interested. So take advantage of this great offer now. Check out the link at the left to Magic Classifieds and see if there is anything there you can’t live without. Save some money by buying under retail and get a scoop on the auction!

Andre Kole presented a wonderful and inspirational full evening magic show at the Cypress Bible Church in Cypress, TX on January 19, 2003. Lots of magicians in the audience including Harry and Carol Ann Maurer, John & Mari Shryock, Walter Blaney, Lanny Kibbey, Ted Schwank, Cherie Kay, Walter Blaney, Scott Wells, Alan Anderson, Jaime & Lisa Salinas, Roger Johnson, Kenneth Havard and quite a few others that I know I’m overlooking. It was a great evening.

· You don't have to be a Texan to appreciate how Big magic is in Texas.  The February 2003 issue of Texas Highways (the Travel Magazine of Texas) will feature an eight-page article on magic and magicians in the great (big) state of Texas complete with beautiful color photos of several of the local magicians with many from the Houston area. Among those mentioned (or seen) include Scott Wells, Walter "Zaney" Blaney, Brian Brushwood, Scott Hollingsworth, Frank Price, Trixie Bond, Cherie Kay, Cody Fisher, Ramon Galindo, Professor Pearl Reynolds, Willard the Wizard, Herman Yeager, O'Quinn Cairo III, Kent Cummins, Oscar Munoz, "Diamond Jim" Tyler, Michael Tallon, Chuck Lehr, Great Scott & Judy Donaldson, Banachek, Eugene Wilkes, Becky Blaney, Bob Hale, and Marcom.  The article talks about Houston's Magic Island, the Texas Association of Magicians annual conventions and several of the magic shops and restaurant venues around the state where one can see magic performances.

You can get a sneak peak at the magazine by clicking this â Now You See It: Texas Masters of Illusion

It's a great day for Magic in Texas!

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2002

Check out the link to Houston Young Magicians and read all about Robbie Bennett in the December 12, 2002 edition of the Houston Chronicle!

houstonmagic.com e-mail addresses now available. Contact Scott Wells at scott@houstonmagic.com to get your free address today!

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