Ring 7 MagiCurrent6 Chartered by the International ...Ellis Stanyon. Contemporary conjurers will know Dai Vernon's "Spellbound" from Stars of Magic (circa 1940) as being virtually

Ring 76 Chartered by the International Brotherhood of Magicians in 1948

MagiCurrentsSan Diego, California

Recipient of the IBM's Quality Ring Award Honest Sid GerharfcRing 76

Honest Sid Gerhart Ring 76 Websitewww.ring76.com Volume XX 3 March 2006

Jim Riley to receive the2006 Lifetime Achievementaward from Ring 76The board of directors of Ring 76 has voted to honorlongtime Ring 76 member Jim Riley as our LifetimeAchievement award winner for 2006. Jim has beena dues paying member of Ring 76 since 1966, he isa member of the Order of Merlin, over the years Jimhas served on the board and as President of theRing. Jack White remembers that in 1969, Jim

would come toJack's house oneweek before eachmonth's Ringmeeting,accompanied byGeorge Edwards,and the three ofthem would puttogether themonthly newslettercalled "The Seer"originally and thenin the mid 70s its

name was changed to "The Spirit of 76." Therewas always a sharing of card tricks at these editorialmeetings, some magic talk, a brief writing lessonfrom Jim and about ten o'clock each evening thenewsletter would be finished and everyone would gohome. Jack says that was a monthly practice foryears.

Jim grew up in San Diego; his first exposure tomagic was watching a pitchman doing the SvengaliDeck at the fair in Del Mar. When he was in the 6thgrade he met a man named Gordon Plummer whowas a teacher, writer, scientist, musician andmagician. Gordon became Jim's mentor in magicand a lifelong friend. (Gordon Plummer lived untiljust a few years ago; he was 99 and still very active

Continued on page 5

Jim Riley Circa 1990s

March meeting includesJ.C. Wagner Lecture

The Ring 76 Monday, March 13th meeting will featurea lecture by San Diego magic legend J. C. Wagner.John Wagner received his interest in magic from his

grandfather and, bythe time he was ateenager, beganreading every bookhe could find onsleight of hand. Asa youngman, heteamed up withanother San Diegomagician, BobSheets, and the twobecame famous fortheir work behind abar entertaining withjust a deck of cards.

If you attended theJ. C. Wagner Ring 76 December

meeting, you received a taste of the outstandingwork of this performer. At his new lecture to bepresented Monday evening, J.C. will present someof the material you saw in December, and you willsee some new material he has been working on forthis new lecture that will eventually take J.C. Wagneraround the world.

A longtime supporter of the I.B.M. and Ring 76 J.C.says he is excited about breaking-in his new lecturefor local members. After working in magic venuesfor nearly 30 years, J.C. took a few years off fromthe magic scene to clear he head of cardmanipulations and finger flinging. Then for the pastseveral years he has quietly been working on somenew material and refining some of his older tricks toinclude in this new lecture series.That material is what Ring 76 members and theirguests will be treated to this coming Mondayevening.

ftigs 2 MagiCurrents

Six clever Ring 76 members all take part inthe Ring Close-up Contest at Feb Meeting.One of the most anticipated meetings of the year forRing 76 is the annual close-up contest held eachFebruary. There was a large turnout of regularmembers and a larger than usual guest list for thisevent this year.

Ring President Bob Ingalls called the meeting toorder and announced that Jack White had suffered aheart attack the Saturday night before the Mondaymeeting and was in Mercy Hospital. Ingalls hadvisited the hospital and reported that White wasdoing well and would be going home later in theweek.

Ingalls then turned the meeting over to first vicepresident Terry Lunceford who explained the rulesfor the close-up contest. Only members of Ring 76could vote, and each person could vote for only onecontestant. In late January a field of 10contestants auditioned for one of the six slots in theclose-up contest.

next until they had performed for all five tables. Thecontestants included Kenny Shelton, Greg Wauson,Bob Pozner, Mago Ruly, Craig Stone, and TomMcCarthy. The contestants were graded on theirskill, appearance, performing style, and quality oftheir magic.

All of the contestants will receive a certificate ofparticipation; the first place winner will receive a goldmedal and a $50 cash prize. Second place will alsoreceive a medal and $25 cash prize. Third place amedal and $15 dollar prize. The winners will beannounced at our annual Installation and AwardsBanquet to be held in July. Location and exact datewill be announced in the near future.

This is the first time Ring 76 has put a limit on thenumber of performers. That rule was put into effectbecause in 2005 a field of 14 contestants turned outfor the close-up contest that ran so long that many oft

Bob Pozner, Craig Stone, Tom McCarthy, Greg Wausonbottom row: Mago Ruly and Kenny Shelton

Five round tables were set up and each contestanthad 10-minutes at each table to perform his act.The contestants would rotate from one table to the

audience memberswho all had a vote leftbefore the contestwas over, causingmany of the closingacts not to be seenand judged by theentire votingpopulation. It wasdecided by the boardof directors to limit thecontestants this yearto six, a number thatseemed to work verywell.

President Ingalls saidthat while he receivedno complaints fromany of the contestantsor the memberswatching the contest,he was welcoming e-mail from any and allmembers who hadthoughts on ways toimprove next year's

close-up competition. Ingalls said he would shareany of the written comments he receives with theRing 76 board of directors for future consideration.

MagiCurrents PageS

If you were unable to attend the close-up contest, Bob Ingalls captured theaction with his camera, and we sharehis photographs on this and the nextpage,

Bob Pozner

The sixcontestants in

the 2006Close-upcontest

Greg Wason

Mago Ru!y

Page 4 MagiCurrentsMagic Book

Reviewby

Dr. Joel MoskowitzDiscovering the New in theOld

In early editions of Doctor Spock's "Baby and ChildCare," this psychologically savvy author reassuredbeginning parents with: You know more than youthink you do. This same maxim applies to most whoare magic enthusiasts. They know the "secret" ofmany more tricks (polititically correct term: effects)than they need to know. Another maxim counsels:If you want to hide a secret, publish it!

The wise thinking magician knows that DoverPublications offers the remedy. And the remedy isinexpensive. The earnest student of the art ofmagic will realize that, as is the case for concertvirtuosos, the more they perfect a classic, thegreater the audience appreciation. "Classic CardTricks" by Edward Victor (Dover 2004 98pp $6.95)brings together the card effects from "Magic of theHands" published in London; "More Magic of theHands" published by Max Holden in New York City(1942) and the sequel also published by Holden in1946 "Further Magic of the Hands."

This Swiss born conjurer (last name actuallyNeuschwander, called "Teddy" by his friends)graduated from doing private parties to being alegendary stage magician. His cut and restoredrope is an enduring standard. Most contemporarywizards will not know his name or his proficiency inshadowgraphy and manipulation.

Victor counsels two basic ingredients are necessaryfor any trick. They must contain the elements ofbeing definite and offering surprise.

Although "Classic Card Tricks" doesn't include anycoin tricks, it may persuade the potential readerwhen they know that in "Magic of the Hands"(circa 1937), Victor explained his refined handling of"Florin vs. Penny," an ancient conversion of one coinfor another and back again, with the hands beingshown empty throughout. This was a variation of anearly routine in the March 1899 issue of Mahatma byEllis Stanyon. Contemporary conjurers will know DaiVernon's "Spellbound" from Stars of Magic (circa1940) as being virtually the same trick! He inspiredMario as well as Vernon, and successor close-upentertainers owe much to Edward Victor.

Those in the know will recognize the foundation for"tilt" and convincing control in Victor's writings.

Some of the subjects included are: Victor's InvisibleDouble Lift, a substitute for the in-jog, a false riffleshuffle, the diagonal palm shift and the haunted packtogether with routines and entire effects,

Is the reader convinced? Study the classics! Doverbrings you another you may also have missed:"Magicians' Tricks" by Henry Hatton and AdrianPlate (2002, pp344 $12.95). This is an unabridgedreprint of the book originally published in 1910.Although one might have no need for the formula forMagicians' Wax and Flash Paper (available fromyour local bricks and mortar magic dealer), thedetailed instructions are included in this text. Thecontents range from sleights with cards, coins, balls,eggs, and handkerchiefs, to after dinner tricks. Onethird is devoted to "miscellaneous."

Included in Hatton and Plate's book are: Threemethods of shuffling a pack without changing itsorder; more than three rising card variations;peripatetic, walking, wandering, disappearing coins;billiard balls and eggs cavorting; handkerchiefshaving seven corners; rings, matches, glasses,goblets, paper, dice and ropes divided, multiplied,added and subtracted and deformed in a multitudeof manners only to be synthesized again.

Sophisticated performers (examples being MikeSkinner, Derek Dingle) studied early writings andoffered variations, interpretations, modifications,improvements, modernizations but basically whatthey created was a variation of an "old" trick.

This reviewer has a quarrel with the authors: In theirForward, they state their aim is not to furnish anessay on magic as a fine art. This follows theirhaving quoted noted English Magician DavidDevant's remarks about the magician being an actor(attributed to Keller and others). Hatton and Platemiss the essence of "fine art" is that, like music, theeffort is intended primarily for beauty rather thanutility.

What can be the functional purpose in manipulatingpieces of cardboard in the form of a deck of cards?QED, deft deceptions are fine art. Those seekingproficiency in techniques and skills needed to be aneffective magician would be well advised to buy andstudy classic literature."Magicians' Tricks" and "Classic Card Magic"published by Dover Publications, Mineola, New Yorkare good places to start.

MagiCurrents PageSJim Riley Lifetime Achievement Award Continued from Page 1

Jim Riley at the"Fun Shop" 1961

when he died.) After studying under GordonPlummer's watchful eye for several years Jim'shobby of magic became an avocation. Jim spentmost of this idle hours reading, practicing, and doingmagic.

In the early 1960s while still in school Jim filled induring weekends and holidays as a demonstrator atone of San Diego's wonderful old magic shops run

by Peggy Harbin. It wascalled the "Fun Shop" andwas located just behind theCalifornia Theater at Thirdand C Streets in downtownSan Diego. The front of the

j shop was filled with gags,j jokes and risque cards; the' back of the shop was wherei the magicians gathered andthe magic was displayed andsold. Veteran showman andperformer Tommy Woo had

worked in the shop for many years and the SanDiego Fun Shop was always a destination for themany professional magicians who passed through orvisited the city by the bay.

When Jim joined Ring 76, in 1966, he was out ofcollege and had beguna teaching career.During this period theVietnam War wasfilling the NavyHospitals at BalboaPark and CampPendleton with injuredMarines & Sailors.The Ring organizedspecial groups ofperformers to visit thehospitals with shows.Sometimes weperformed at bedsideand other times we hada makeshift stage andpresented a stageshow. Jim Riley was an active part of thoseprograms for several years.

It was during this time that Jim organized his nowfamous Magic Club for students at Jones ElementarySchool. The after school magic program ran for 12years and when Jim would move to a new school theclub moved with him. Over the years he has been

Jim at1967

responsible for teaching hundreds of youngstersabout magic. His students are responsible forhundreds of Halloween Magic Shows and otherspecial magic programs. For Jim's students it wasan opportunity to learn about an art form and use itsstrengths to overcome shyness, as well as learn theelements of showmanship. Today Jim looks atphotographs of his students and remembers withpride the accomplishments they attained throughmagic.

Jim was also active in producing the annual Ring 76JuniorMagician'scontest that wasstaged eachyear at theMarie HitchcockPuppet Theaterin Balboa Park.Dozens ofyoungsters,some of whomhave gone on togreateropportunities intheentertainmentbusiness, werecontestants inthe Junior Magicians Programs. Each year theprograms became bigger and there was more workinvolved, and Jim always faced the challenge andthe show would come off with great professionalism.These events brought enriched public relations tothe I.B.M. and Ring 76 and lasting accomplishmentto the young people who took part.

During all of hisefforts in teachingyoung peoplemagic, Jim kept upan active scheduleof working withRing 76, doingmagic shows forcharity and forfund raisingevents. He tookhis magic club

Jim and his students1960s

Jim's first armchopper 1963

Continued on page 7

Page 6 MagiCurrents

View from the Cheap Seats

By Jon A. Hand

There is an old saying: Quality cannot be rushed.And so it is with the Slydini Classic for Standup that Ipromised at the end of the last month's column (aBenson Classic for Standup). The problem is that Ihave worked out two ways to do the effect, and I ampracticing each to see which has the most impact. Idon't really want to present two ways to do it anddilute either one. So, in the meantime, here is myReview of Seriously Silly by David Kaye.

I was tempted to do this review in one word: "Yep!"This book is that good. But you will want to knowmore than that, I feel certain, so let's take a look.

David Kaye is a children's magician of the first rank.He is heavily in demand at magic conventions, andhis presentations at KIDABRA here in Tennesseedraw large attendance. His character, Silly Billy,drives his presentation style. Seriously Silly detailshis approach to children's magic, and I cannot thinkof another more practical magic book in any realm ofmagic. Less than a year old, the book is already init's second printing, which tells one something aboutthe enthusiastic reception given this large formatbook from Kaufman Publishing. Kaye's more than7,000 performances at the time of the 2005publishing makes him an unabashed expert at hisstyle of performing. Make no mistake about it: evenif you find his style too broad for you, there is muchto be learned from this book. Take what you learnand build upon it, enlarging your style and increasingyour strength as a children's performer.

Kaye outlines his philosophy and details how tomake the same magic show work for three differentage brackets! When a man of this experience tipshis hand so freely, other magicians should sit up andtake notice. His discussion of what makes childrentaugh is priceless, and required reading for thechildren's performer. Kaye spells out meticulouslyhow to make a trick interesting for children: have afun ride, and eventually get to the destination. Iwon't spoil his wonderfully clear writing by telling youmore, but his case for more fun and less magic is

very strong. Ultimately, the performer would need tocarry fewer props and do more with them, always adesirable element for a working magician.

Kaye teaches tricks, of course, but you basicallyknow them all anyway. What he is teaching is howto adapt your repertoire to make children deliriouslyhappy. Learn from his many examples how to makeyour favorite tricks resonate with the children. WhenKaye teaches his routines, each ends with a recapthat illustrates how his presentations meet all of hissalient points, allowing you to then structure yourown routines. It is almost like having a blueprint tomake your repertoire kid-friendly.

A major asset of the book is how to make yourroutines bulletproof for children. The advice for theolder kids' show, say ages 10 to 13, is sage andshould be incorporated into your thinkingimmediately. Recently I watched one of my bandstudents, a 7th grader, push a quarter into her earand and spit it out through her mouth. While hertechnique was not flawless, it was very effective, andI was impressed. What then struck me was how herfriends, in the 8th and 9th grade, then tried to explainaway her trick. All but one of them was completelywrong, but all were convinced that they haddeciphered the secret of her miracle. My thoughtswent immediately to Kaye's methods forbulletproofing a trick, and here was a real-worldexample of the need for his methods without myhaving to try them out myself. I learned much fromwatching my student's impromptu trick when Iapplied Kaye's thinking to why it didn't work for her.

More than any other professional performer, thechildren's magician must constantly deal withdistractions in his performance, not only from thechildren but also from their siblings, their parents,the family pets, and more. Children don't have thelife experiences to sit for a formal performance liketheir parents and older siblings do, and Kaye'sadvice for eliminating their distractions is anessential part of the book.

Kaye likes to organize his thinking into amplifiedlists. Far from being pedantic, this aspect of hiswriting enables the reader to find and absorbinformation quickly. Each item of a list is describedwith real-world examples cited. Having set up a listof five ways in which any children's show problemcan be solved, he then amplifies this list with anotherlist of the top ten problems of children's show andhow to solve them from his list of five ways. This ispriceless, personal information, and one gets thefeeling that Kaye is speaking with you rather than

MagiCurrents Page?writing a book.

Children have real problems with theirpowerlessness, especially the younger ones.Parents and older siblings know more, can do more,and do not have to depend upon others to help themconstantly. Kaye has addressed ways to make thechildren feel empowered, a rare feeling for them,and this empowerment adds to the joy andexcitement of his show. This aspect of children'sperforming has been hinted at in other magic bookson children's magic, but no one has nailed it likeKaye. This section will convince you to change yourroutining more than any other in the book, in myopinion. If there is a theme running through thebook, this is it.

The appendix sections of the book, three deceptivelysimple list pages in appearance, are a very helpfuladdition. It is almost as if these are afterthoughtsthat Kaye felt needed to be collected all in one place,and they can and will change your thinking aboutyour presentations. However, they are an integralpart of the book, and Kaye refers to them in manyplaces in the main body of text.

A few years ago I gushed similarly over Schenk'sand Sondermeyer's Performing Magic for Children. Istill stand by that review, as it was the best book ofits type at that time. Its only faults were that itmoved a bit slowly at times because it was atranslation from German, and that it required thatnothing be skipped in the book in order for thereader to get maximum knowledge from the materialpresented. 1 would still recommend that thechildren's performer get and read this fine book also.

In contrast, Seriously Silly presents its information sologically, so personally, and so convincingly that it isa quick, engaging read. It is also easy to return tothe book and review sections desired because of theamplified list format. The full depth and breadth ofthe knowledge presented will become more apparentafter some of the concepts are incorporated intoyour show. Then you will find yourself racing back tothe book to remember greater detail, and to gleanmore nuggets that you glossed over in previousreadings.

Perhaps the greatest compliment that one can giveany piece of art, literature, music, etc., is that it hasenough depth to endure repeated exposure and stillpresent new emotional content. Viewed from thisaspect, Seriously Silly is one of the finest magicbooks ever.

"Yep."

Jim Riley Tribute Con't from page 5members once a year to Hollywood and a visit toJoe Berg's famous magic emporium. He brought inpeople like Ed Greene to help build illusions for hisstudent's magic shows. He taught his students theimportance of creating good clever patter to go with

their tricks. He wouldhave his studentsbrainstorm ideas forgood lines to go witheach trick and taughtthem how to write ascript for their shows.

Jim Riley at a recentshow.

Today Jim still enjoys agood magic show orconvention and takesgreat pride when hesees one of his formerstudents making aname for him or herself

in magic. He still helps with the monthly Ring 76newsletter and when he can he still accepts a datefor a magic show, especially if the show helps toraise funds for a favorite cause.

At our Installation and Awards Banquet in July, JimRiley will join an exclusive group of Ring 76 LifetimeAchievement honorees that include Roy & BettyArmstrong, Art & Pat Hannum, Al Knox, Jim Swoger,Jack Evans, Joe Bertuzzi, Robert Pozner and ViFreeland. These members have all beenrecognized for their continuing efforts at promotingthe I.B.M. Ring 76 and the Art of Magic in ourcommunity,

"MagiToon"fry JIM WMtta? < £Men

"Which one of you is the magician?"

Page 8 MagiCurrents

I want to send my congratulationsto Jim Riley for being honoredwith the Ring 76 LifetimeAchievement award for 2006. Ifyou haven't read the storyelsewhere in this newsletter aboutJim please don't neglect looking itover.

Jim will be honored at our annualInstallation and Awards Banquetin July. At this time we have notselected a location or date for thatprogram. At our March meeting Iwill be asking for volunteers toserve on the planning committeefor that event. Last year GregWauson and Richard Ustick putthe program together and got thelocation and planned the menu.They did a superb job, and I didnot hear one complaint about lastyear's event. Richard Ustick willagain be the board member onthe planning committee along withDiane Lane. We now need oneor two members from the generalmembership who are willing tohelp with the planning and helpwith some of the logistics theevening of the event. When Icall for volunteers, if you can helpout, please let us know. A goodplanning committee is vital to thesuccess of this event.

On another front, I want to talkabout the parking situation for ourmeetings. The parking lot next toTortilla Lilly's is not owned by thetortilla factory; recently theproperty owners have closed thelot and are currently looking for

someone to lease the lot on a full-time basis. When that happens,we will work a deal to rent the lotfor our exclusive use on meetingnights and when we havelecturers and special events in ourbuilding. But until a new leaseagreement is signed, the lot willbe locked and unavailable for ouruse. We are hoping somethingcan be resolved soon.

This year's close-up contest wassmooth and trouble free. All ofthe contestants were excellent,and I have received nothing butgreat comments on the way thingswere carried out by eachperformer. This year's contestwill be hard to top; if you havesome idea's on how we can makethe contest better, send me an e-mail with your ideas. I willpresent them to our board ofdirectors for future consideration.

I am very excited about havingJ.C. Wagner as our speciallecturer at the Monday nightmeeting. If you saw hiswonderful program last Decemberyou know you are in for awonderful treat at our nextmeeting. In April, our annualmagic swap meet, if you havesome old magic, books or videosand you want to get rid of, sign upfor a table and sell them at ouralways exciting April meeting.

See you all at the Mondaymeeting.

Ring 76Board

of Directors2005-2006

PresidentBob Ingalls

1st Vice PresidentTerry Lunceford

2nd Vice PresidentKenny Shelton

SecretaryJack White*

TreasurerRichard Ustick

Sgt at ArmsSal Barajas

Member at LargeJacques Lord

Immediate Past PresidentDiane Lane*

Territorial Vice PresidentJeff Marcus*

*denotes Past Ring President

For information onmembership, orRing events, contactJack White, Ring 76Secretary by e-mailprestoone @ cox. netor by phone at619-299-9037

MagiCurrents Page 9

News

Jack White wants to thank all ofthe Ring 76 members who tookthe time to call, send e-mail andcards during his recent stay in thehospital. Jack is back and sayshe is doing well. He is on a newdiet and taking things a littleslower for now.

"it's Magic" will be at the CaliforniaCenter for the Arts in Escondido,for one performance Sunday,March 12 at 3 p.m. Featured onthe Sunday program will beChuck Jones & Company, DanBirch, Mark Kornhauser, TinaLenert, and Les Arnold andDazzle. Ticket prices range from$27 to $45 per person. For ticketinformation call 800-988-4253.

The man who has produced the"It's Magic Show" for 50 years andgiven us the Magic Castle inHollywood, Milt Larsen will behonored along with his latebrother Bill Larsen with a star onHollywood's walk of fame onSeptember 15th. A few days laterat the Kodak Theater, home of theAcademy Awards, the 50th annualIt's Magic Show will be presentedfeaturing an all-star cast ofperformers. That show is set forSeptember 19th.

J.P. Scirica who operates theGrand Magic Shop in Escondidohas moved to a new location at130 East Grand Avenue. Thenew store will have more squarefootage, a larger inventory, andinclude more opportunity forprivate parties and magic lessons.J.P. says the move is on scheduleand he hopes to be open forbusiness on March 15th. Let's ailsupport our local magic shops.

Sam Blankenship, who operatesthe "Trick Shop" in Temecula, has

E

recently taken over the duties ofmanager of Penguin Magic in LasVegas. Penguin Magic hasreceived some bad publicrelations concerning the sale of"knock-offs" of other magicdealer's tricks. Blankenship wasbrought in to reverse the trendand bring a new image to thepopular online magic shop. Samhas done an excellent job with hisTemecula shop and says he is upto the challenge of helpingPenguin.

Alex Greenbaum will bepresenting his magic act as part ofa talent show March 23rd at theSan Dieguito Academy inEncinitas. The show begins at 7p.m. at the school, tickets are onsale at the door.

Joel Ward will be appearing atthe Four Seasons Hotel inCarlsbad on March 30* in aspecial program open to thepublic. Show time is 3:30 p.m.For more information call JoelWard Productions at 760-436-1055.

The always popular TerryGodfrey will be presenting hismagic act at the West PlazaStage of Seaport Village, March19th and 26th at 12-noon and 1:30p.m. If you want to see aprofessional work the crowd, dropby and watch Terry's show. Youcan also drop by the SeaportVillage Magic Shop and check outtheir new merchandise.

A large group of Ring 76 membersattended the World MagicSeminar, February 19 to the 23rdin Las Vegas. Bob Ingalls, JackWhite, Diane Lane, KennyShelton, Tom La Chance, JoeMystic, Ken Ball, Jose Sanchez,Joel Ward, and Len Cardoza.Kenny Shelton took part in theclose-up contest and Bob Ingallsand Jack White both presentedtricks in a program titled: Learnfrom the experts portion of theconvention.

Hyman Kotkln, a 30-yearresident of Rancho Bernardo, inNorthern San Diego County andfather of magician DavidCopperfield, died ofcomplications from Alzheimer'sdisease February 23rd. Kotkinwas the president for many yearsof the David CopperfieidInternational Fan Club and heheaded fundraising for ProjectMagic, teaming occupationaltherapists with magicians inmedical settings to help patients.Hyman Kotkin was 83; serviceswere held Sunday, March 5th inSan Diego.

it is now official: the location forthe 2008 Combined I.B.M./ S.A.M.Convention will be Louisville,Kentucky. The dates will be earlyJuly. This will be a major magicconvention. Start making yourplans to attend now.

MagiCurrents

Coming Attractions

March 13. 2006, J.C, Wagner will present his long-awaited lecture,"free" to ail Rfng 76 members. This is a must-attend meeting to seeJ.C., a past Ring 76 member and legend in close-up magic. There willbe a few surprises at this meeting as well.

April 10, 2006, Ring 76 Swap Meet. A chance to sell your unwantedmagic. See Terry Lunceford or Richard Ustick to reserve a seller'stable.

May 8, 2006,Ring 76 Stand-up contest. Get your stage act ready andsign up for the contest. Cash awards to the winners.

June 12, Ring 76 magic auction. You will have the opporuntity to bid ona wide range of magic from close-up to illusions.

The next Ring 76 board meeting will be Monday, March 20th at Jack'sMagic Place; all interested members are invited to attend.

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MagiCurrents is published monthly by Ring 76 and is edited by Jack White; Associate Editor isJim Riley. We encourage articles, stories, and news items. All material should be submitted toJack White by e-mail at [email protected]. or written manuscripts may be submitted toJack White, 4288 Arguello St., San Diego, CA. 92103.