February 2009

Richie B set up our 2009 Close Up contest, and Kim Spence acted as the MC, introducing our competing magicians. The first non-competing magician was a visitor to our club, Dan Mazza. Dan amazed us all with a series of classic card effects. He had volunteers select four cards, which happened to be the aces. Then the red aces on the table changed places with the black aces. He continued with a mentalism routine, where a volunteer selected the only blue back card in a pack of red cards. He finished with the invisible deck. Dan will soon be joining the club.

Then the competition began! Mark Walsh began with a classic – Cups and Balls. He “explained” the patterns and logic of this age old effect that he performed standing. The balls vanished, reappeared, and when we thought that they were all in his pockets, turned into three real lemons. Calvin Tan baffled with mentalism disguised as psychology. He did a series of wonderful card effects, including a climax effect where he had a card selected, shuffled into the deck, and had the volunteer lie to him as he showed the faces of cards. Finally, Calvin revealed the card.

The well-dressed Steve Cambian performed with music in the background. His act was totally different. He tore up small pieces of paper, and they turned into two live mice! Yes, mice! Then flash paper turned into four coins that led into a series of vanishes and appearances, the final vanish inside of a purple silk. The dapper Steve Friedberg came on next, with classic card magic that appeared to have not a single move or sleight. Cards changed places as Steve simply counted through packets of cards. His invisible palm routine was classic, too!

Professor Rem did a series of penetrations with a plastic heart and a ribbon. The puns and jokes had us falling out of our chairs. His magic is just classic and the comedy most entertaining.  Silly Reba (Strong) began with a simple (in her hands) card effect, where two aces find the card selected by a volunteer. She had a magic wand penetrate a beautiful 60s era scarf. And she finished with her wonderful ring and string routine.

The dynamic Ed Schmitt explained how parents get rid of the stuff that kids collect. Ed had a picture of his prized baseball glove that his mom had thrown out. Then Ed had a card selected from a deck, and the card vanished. Ed picked up the picture of the glove, and the actual card was there in the “pocket.” And the picture of the glove now had a picture of the card in the center of it.

Ralph Armstrong did an effect he called Revenge. He gave out four cards to audience members, and had them tear the cards into four small squares. He then had them place the cards into a paper bag. Ralph reached inside the bag, pulled out four pieces, that he then assembled onto a piece of plastic. When he turned the plastic around, the pieces formed into a single card.

I tallied the ballots at the end of the meeting, and the results of the Ring 6 2009 Close Up Contest:  Third Place – Professor Rem; Second Place – Ed Schmitt; Champion – Mark Walsh.

 

DAVE KELLY, Recording Secretary

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