Ring 76 Chartered by the International Brotherhood of Magicians in 1948

MagiCurrentsSan Diego, California

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

Honest Sid Gerhart Ring 76Website

www. ring76. com Volume XVIII 12 December 2004

Holiday potluckdinner meetingDecember 10th.

By the time you read this many of you will have beencontacted by phone about what you are to bring tothe potluck dinner if you plan on attending onMonday, December 13th. If no one has contactedyou then you should call Richard Ustick at 619-463-2407. He is keeping the master list of who is tobring what.

The Ring is supplying two large turkeys, plates,utensils, napkins, and cups. Kenny Shelton isbringing the soft drinks; there will also be coffeeavailable. We remind all members because this isthe holiday party, we will begin serving dinner a half

hour earlier than our usual meeting time. Dinnerbegins at 6:30 pm. So plan accordingly.

The theme of our program is "tricks old and seldomseen." In other words dig out those old props thatyou almost never use anymore and conjure up oneof your routines from the past. We expect to seesome nice old magic at this event, and it is also atime to come and enjoy the fellowship of the year.

There will be lots of good food and a good show;plan to take part in this special holiday program.

Diane Lane performsat Charger's BloodDrive in Nov.IBM Ring 76 President Diane Lane was aheadliner at the 26th Charger Blood Drive heldTuesday, November 23rd at the Town & CountryHotel in Mission Valley. Diane and herfeathered friend Cassy the parrot were featuredon the stage in the grand ballroom during theafternoon hours.

Diane talked about the bird and did some magicfor several hundred people who were waiting to

Charger Girls surround DianeLane who performed at theCharger Blood Drive

be called into the donor room to donate blood.This is the 16th year that Diane has taken part inthe Chargers Blood Drive. She toldMagiCurrents that during her health crisis ofmany years ago she used a great deal of blood,and when she needed the gift of life it was there

(continued on page 7)

Page 2 MagiCurrents

November meeting offers learning opportu-nity for magic enthustics at Teach-in

Terry Lunceford andhis egg bag

The November meeting of Ring 76 brought six top-flight magicians together as teachers for the rest ofthe membership. They each presented anoutstanding group of tricks, and members walkedout of the meeting having learned something new.The room was set up with five large round tablesand the instructors moved from table, to table givingeach group their own session.

Terry Lunceford, a very busy pro, taught one of theclassics of magic-the "Egg Bag."Terry used a MaxMalini egg bag andgave his students agood look at thebag's constructionand did asensational routine.The Malini bag isslightly smaller thanthe Tarbell andother bags, and thegimmickedcompartment isbuilt into the bag a little different than other bags. Inrecent years this has become the bag of choice bymany magicians. A company out of Las Vegas isonce again making this egg bag with the right weightmaterial, and it is again available to performers.When he was finished with his egg bag presentation,Terry taught his students a very clever card routine.

Kenny Shelton, who has emerged as a hard workingi performer, taughtI his students aseries ofimpromptu self-working card

I tricks. Kenny'swork with thepasteboards isquite good andone of the moveshe taught duringhis 15-minutesession was aquick peek at aselected card that

is so natural it is almost impossible to catch himdoing it. If you follow Kenny's brief examples you

Kenny Shelton andsome selfworkingcard tricks

He just looks like Santait's Joe Mystic

will have some great new card tricks to add to yourrepertoire.

Joe Mystic isanother hardworkingprofessionalmagician in SanDiego and thistime of year histalents are in highdemand, but hefound time to puttogether a cleverseries of tricks withstring and rope.He made up a veryclever penetrationeffect with a shortpiece of string andtwo beads. It costhim a dollar to make up the string, and he sold themfor that price. It's one of those little bits of businessthat you carry around in your pocket and alwayshave a good trick to show people. He also taughthis audience a very visual silk off of rope. Theinstant beauty of the effect left his audience withtheir mouths open. Another great trick to add toyour collection.

Bob Pozner who has worked close-up in bars,u restaurants, clubs,- and partys for

nearly 40 yearsgave his students areal treat byteaching hisroutine of the colorchanging pocketknives. Bob has agreat finish to hisroutine. He alsotook the time toteach a quick 4 aceroutine, and hetaught those whowanted to knowsome excellentcard palming. Bob

Bob Pozner ready to workis one of thoseguys who will

MagiCurrents Page 3

Mjchae, E Johnson and1QQQ bunnies

always take the time to teach a fellow magician howto do a sleight or move whenever he is asked. Heis a warehouse of knowledge about close-up magic,and we are lucky to have him as a member of ourRing.

Michael E. Johnson is another magician that is busyworking shows in_S_anDiego Countyand outside ofthe state, aswell. Michaelis much indemand thesedays and weare alwaysthankful whenhe has the timeto take part inone of ourprograms.Michael t~- ^ %-opened his ; - ; - - . , IML-^J., *session with acoin roll acrosshis fingers andhe told hisaudience whythat move is so important. He says this is one of thefastest ways of letting your audience know you are amagician with dexterity. He gave some quick hintson how to quickly get the coin roll down pat. Healso presented his routine on a trick that issometimes called a kids' trick but with Michael'spresentation, it is a great mystery and superentertainment-the "Multiplying Rabbits." Michaelbrought with him a huge plastic bag of spongerabbits so that everyone could practice the routineand learn how to palm the bits of sponge. He alsotalked about how to routine this wonderful trick to getthe most out of it. Someone once told me that theMultiplying Rabbits should sell for $100 because it issuch an effective trick when performed properly.Michael gave his students a great lecture on thehandling and presentation of this trick.

Jeff Marcus rounded out our team of magicians witha very clever "Ring on String" routine. Jeff isanother performer who has worked every venue youcan think of in magic and is well versed in close-upperforming. These days Jeff has expanded hisstage work to hypnotism and mentalism, but he canalso do a good job of entertaining a large audiencewith just a deck of cards.

What makes these teach-in sessions so great is thateveryone canget personalattention andinstruction. Thiswas perhaps themost diverse ineffects taughtand included astellar group ofinstructors. TheRing membersare all indebtedto each of theinstructors forthe time anddedication theyput into these Jeff Marcus and hisspecial ring on string routineprograms.

A room full of magicstudents waiting forinstructors to makethe rounds of eachtable. Many studentsgot personal atten-tion.

Page 4 MagiCurrents

Michael Ammar lecture brings out largecrowd and offers unique magic experienceMore than 60 Ring members and guests attendedthe Michael Ammar lecture on Monday, November15th. This was one of the "free" magic lectures puton annually by Ring 76 for its members.

The evening began at 5:30 with a pre-lectureworkshop that wasattended by 12members. Thisworkshop had afee involved andeach attendee was |given personalinstruction in avariety of effects Michael Ammar talking aboutthat Michael taught, how to present a card trick

For the lecturer Michael opened with his productionof a wine bottle, and then went into one of thecleanest coin in bottle effects this writer has everseen. In his explanation portion of the lecture hetalked about the "Topit" a secret pocket in your coat,and how to make it and how to use it properly.Michael produced the bottle from the Topit and alsogot rid of the coin that everyone thought was in thebottle with the Topit.

Michael Ammar has a truly winning personality as heexplains his tricks and tells stories about his magicand his performing. He told the audience that hebegan in magic with a stage act and doves. Butone day in Columbus, Ohio, at the Columbus Magi-Fest when his entire act went bad, he gave thedoves and all the props away. He decided theworld did not need another dove act and that histalents were in close-up magic. So he has made aname for himself in producing books, videos, andlecturing and teaching magic. He is of course inmuch demand as a performer, as well.

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Michael Ammar in the audiencefloating a dollar bill

Another very visual effect he presented was the"Floating Dollar Bill," a trick that has been around foryears but, after he performed it on the JohnnyCarson Show on television many years ago, itbecame a classic. Michael spent a great deal oftime explaining some of his moves in making thistrick a true miracle. In his lecture notes he spendstwo illustrated pages talking about this one effect.

Michael talked about the importance of having agood business card and doing a trick with it whenyou give it to someone. He gave his listenersseveral different methods of doing a quick trick withyour business card.His Xeroxed Deck effect is a simple card routine butone of those stunners that will make youremembered. It's one of those effects than can bereset right under the spectators nose and ready forthe next show. The effect features a piece of paperwith the fronts of a deck of cards and right in themiddle of the page is the back of a card. When the

Magician

Terry Luncefordsupports

The IBM & Ring 76

MagiCurrents PageS

page is turned over it features all card backs and thechosen card face up. All you need are some cardsand a Xerox machine.

As he presented his lecture he introduced his wife,,Hannah, who has actually been around magic longerthan Michael, she is the grand daughter of Willardthe Wizard a grand old tent show magician and thedaughter of Francis Willard, who lectured to Ring 76in 2000.

The lecture closedwith a borrowedtorn dollar bill inpeanut. The firsthalf of the trick isU.F. Grants MillionDollar Bill Mystery;the second half offinding the torn billin the peanut isMichael Ammar athis best. Hefeatures this trickin his video seriesEasy to MasterMoney Miracles. Hannah Ammar setting up

the dealers tableWe have had anumber of Ring members tell us that this was one ofthe best magic lectures they have ever attended. Itwas an exciting evening and a lot of good basicmagic information was given out.

At Ring 76 we wisheveryone a very

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Page 6 MagiCurrents

View from the Cheap Seats

By Jon A. Hand

Looking for the Ghost of ChristmasPresent, Part Two...

Last month we examined the surfeit of classic magicmaterial now in print that would make wonderfulChristmas presents for your magical friends,relatives, or spouse. However, most of the itemsdiscussed last month ran from $35 to $150. Thismonth might be a great time to look at the budgetmaterial that is available for, say, under $15. Yes, aquality magical gift for under $15 is quite commonjust now.

L & L Publishing is closing out its VHS video magiccollection as it shifts its output to the more versatileand easier to use DVD format. The result is a hugecollection of magic instruction videos at half price!The highest price for any of these closeout tapes is$15, and most of them are only $10! Virtually theentire video catalog from this most prolific of videopublishers is being closed out, so jump on these ifyou are looking for a bargain. Examples of availablevolumes include five from the great JohnnyThompson, five from Aldo Colombini, multiplevolumes from Daryl (including the Card Revelationsseries and the Card Sleight Encyclopedia series),multiple coin volumes from Dr. Michael Rubinstein(including his three-volume Coin SleightEncyclopedia and three-volume Knockout CoinMagic ), the whole Michael Ammar Easy-to-Masterseries for coins, cards, and invisible thread, anddozens of other volumes by performing proscovering stage, parlor, and close-up. The list isalmost a "who's who" of magic: Lorayne, Sankey,MacBride, Burger, Wilson, Close, Jennings, Malone,Wonder, and many, many more. Check out the VHSvideo holdings at http://www.llpub.com/.

Dover Publications continues to reprint classic magicbooks at under $15 each, as well as keeping theiroriginal magic publications in print. The few Doverbooks I mentioned last month are within this month's

stated budget. Many of the books aimed atbeginners can be sources of fine tricks to which anexperienced magician can add strong presentationsand a bit of sleight work to make miracles. Lastmonth I mentioned without titles the large KarlFulves Self-Working series, in which there are sixvolumes of the Card Tricks, plus similar volumes onCoin Magic, Rope Magic, Table Magic, PaperMagic, Handkerchief Magic, Mental Magic, andmore. Also desirable is the Fulves Big Book ofMagic Tricks, which contains some powerfulgambling con demonstrations and some interestingmentalism slumbering in its pages. Martin Gardner'sTable Magic, although long pre-dating the Fulvesbooks, is in much the same spirit. The reprints ofJohn Scarne's Card Tricks and Magic Tricks arewelcome additions of highly effective magic foranyone's library, and are treasured by magicianswho prefer to put their energies into presentationrather than execution.

Among Dover reprints which are essentials for theadvancing magician are the Erdnase Expert at theCard Table, Annemann's classic mentalism volumePractical Mental (Effects) Magic, Bobo's originalModern Coin Magic, and Paul Curry's Magician'sMagic. The prolific Jean Hugard's books arecornerstones of a magic library, and Dover has manyof them: Royal Road to Card Magic, CardManipulations, More Card Manipulations,Handkerchief Magic, and the highly useful(Modern) Magic Manual. Historical bookscontaining tricks to update with fresh presentationsinclude the Hatton & Plate Magic Tricks,Downs's"Art of Magic, and Sach's Sleight of Hand.More Fulves books distilling and updating the cardwork of two early twentieth century masters areCharles Jordan's Best Card Tricks and EllisStanyon's Best Card Tricks. A fun and valuableaddition to one's library is the Dover original byMilbourne Christopher, Magic: A Picture History,formerly known as Panorama of Magic.

All of these Dover books range from $6 to $15, andthey are available from Dover online, or at yournearest chain bookstore or favorite magic dealer.For a full list of Dover holdings in magic, go to http://store.doverpublications.com/ and use the site'ssearch engine to look for magic, legerdemain.

Magic Inc. in Chicago is also having a half-priceVHS closeout sale, with most of the titles runningfrom $5 to $15 each. Magic Inc. also features morethan 400 publications in the under-$15 range, inevery sub-genre available: mentalism, kid magic,card magic, money magic, act building, sets and

MagiCurrents Page 7costuming, ciose-up rnagic, taoie ana illusionbuilding, stage magic, livestock magic, manipulation,ballooning, and much, much more. Go to http://www.magicinc.net and click upon the link for Videosto get the half-price listings. For the books, clickupon the link for Books and then choose the smalllist box for Price Ascending to see them from leastexpensive to most expensive.

Steven's Magic Emporium features Joe's ClearanceCloset, a regularly updated area of books, tricks, andvideos that are in overstock. A quick check showedthat a good number of VHS videos are on sale for$12.50 each. Go to http://www.stevensmagic.com/index.htm and click upon the link to Clearance.

Finally, don't forget that you can often find under-$15books at used magic bookstores. H &R Books('http://www.maqicbookshop.com ) shows 251 itemsin their On Sale link, many of them videos for $10 to$15 each, not to mention their usual 20% off list forall used books. Bradbury Books ( http://bradburybooks.com ) features a huge number ofbooks under $15 as well. Both H & R Books andBradbury Books require some patience if you arebrowsing, as no sifting by price point is available.However, if you have specific items you are seeking,then the search engine at H & R and thealphabetized listings by categories at Bradburyshould help you find your desired item quickly.

If you can't find a magical gift for your recipient in themyriad choices given in the November andDecember View From the Cheap Seats articles, thenyou haven't tried hard enough! There is somethingfor everyone here, from $2 to $150. Match yourrecipients tastes and interests to the wide variety ofmaterial available, and make your favorite magicianvery happy this holiday season. Or, give somethingnew to yourself!

Happy holidays, and I'll "see" you again in the newyear! Regards from Tennessee,Jon A. Hand

APPRAISALSSingle Items * Collections

Estates

'JP' JACKSONConjuring Antiquarian

Diane Lane & ChargersContinued from page 1

for her. She says now she wants to make sure itis available when other people are in need. Shesays it's payback time and this is her way ofgiving back to the community.

Also taking part from Ring 76 in the Charger'sBlood Drive this year was Howard Harris, whopresented magic in the huge banquet room.Working the donor room was Charlie Gott, whoarrived early in the morning and stayed untilwell into the afternoon doing strolling magic.Both Howard and Charlie worked out of theirpockets.

Diane Lane always brings a truckload of propswith her when she does a show. The ChargerBlood Drive show was no exception. Shefeatured a number of large effects during hertime on stage. Of course it was Cassy theParrott that stole the show.

In the New Year invitea friend to attend aRing 76 meeting!

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PageS MagiCurrents

Magic Notes from Jack White

Two new magic emporiums and a look atmagic in San Diego during 2004

Here we are caught up in the hectic period of theholidays, and it seems like last year's holidayseason just ended. What a busy year for magic: Iattended three conventions last year, the WorldMagic Seminar in Las Vegas in January; TheIBM Convention in Cleveland in June; and theMagic Live Convention also in Las Vegas inAugust. In less than a month I will head toReno and begin planning for the IBMConvention this summer in Reno; also on thatplanning committee are two other members ofRing 76, Don Soul and Bob Ingalls. If youreally want to enjoy a magical experience, planto attend this summer's IBM gathering; I willhave more to say about the planned events infuture columns.

During 2004 we lost Brad Burl's Magic Shopand read a number of stories and editorials aboutthe demise of the so-called brick-and-mortarmagic shops around the country. We of coursestill have the magic shop at Seaport Village andthe news of Ring 76 member Tom McCarthyopening a new online shop. That is mostencouraging for those of us living locally andrelying on a local shop for props, books andDVDs. See Tom's write up on his newenterprise elsewhere in this newsletter.

Meanwhile, SamBlankenship, anenergetic youngman, has openeda new placecalled the "TrickShop" in the OldTown area ofTemecula. Theexact address is28561 Old TownFront Street. At

a time whenmagic shopsseem to bedisappearing, itis exciting to seesomeone jumpinto thisbusiness withthe excitementexhibited byboth Tom andSam.

The front of the Trick Shopin Temecula

Sam operates a full service magic shop with theregular jokesand noveltiesin the frontand a niceselection ofprofessionalmagicelsewhere inthe store. A portion of tne insideThe "Trick Of the Trick ShopShop" is afamily business and employs Sam as the buyer,demonstrator and general magician on call. Hiswife runs the cash register and keeps the books,while their oldest son sells and demonstratessome of the close-up magic offered in the frontpart of the store.

Since the store opened in early October, theyhave sponsored several lectures by famous magiand have attracted a sincere following in theTemecula area. Eddie Lake, a member of theMagic Guild in the North County, is a regularcustomer of the Trick Shop and says, "It'swonderful to have a magic shop in hisbackyard."

Sam Blankenship

MagiCurrents Page 9

Eddie Lake & Sam's sontalk rope magic

I have includedwith this articlesome pictures Itook shortly afterthe shop openedfor business.The Old Townarea of Temeculais a fun place tovisit; if you pay avisit to that area be sure and stop by and see theBlankenships and their magic shop.

A number of our longtime members have movedaway from San Diego in the past year.Phil King recently sent me his new address: 418Lakeside Drive, Liberty, Missouri 64068. PhilTuttle is now living at 1646 Kellenbeck Ave.Apt A, Grants Pass, Oregon 97527. Both ofthese gentlemen have indicated they want to stayin contact with members of Ring 76. A seasonsgreetings card would be in order to both of them.

We are also reminded that in 2004 we lost a goodfriend and one of the founding members of Ring76, Pat Hannum. Pat had a big heart and sheloved magic and everyone who had an interest inor cared about the art of magic. We miss her.

During 2004 Ring 76 brought in a wide varietyof magic lectures and many of those teachingsessions were "free" to members. Bob Ingallshas already lined up a list of candidates to lectureto our Ring in the year ahead. I urge you tomake the effort to attend as many of these lecturesessions as possible. They are all designed toteach us something new about our craft and helpus to become better performers.

We also offered a unique set of programs to ourmembers. For several years now it has been theintent of the board to continue to have ourmembers perform as often as possible. Thatpractice was carried out in 2004 and willcontinue in the year ahead.

Magic cartoon cups aregreat holiday gifts

If you are a regular reader of MagiCurrents thenyou know that Ellen Friedman and Jim Whitinghave been producing a series of wonderfullyfunny original magic related cartoons for morethan a year, their latest is on this page.

Ellen and Jimhave recently hadsome of theirfavorite cartoonsput on coffeemugs, and theyare selling themas gift items.Ellen wasrecently at theMagic CastleSwap Meet inHollywood wherethe artwork andthe cups were abig hit. If you areinterested inpurchasing a set of these cups for yourself or as agift for a magic enthusist, Ellen will have themat our December meeting.

It is Ellen who comes up with the ideas for theseMagiToons and the talented Jim Whiting aprofessional cartoonist for more than 50-years,who puts the ideas in print. We want to thankthem for their creative efforts and for sharingtheir work with our members.

Ellen Friedman and anew MagiToon cup

Loch David CraneSays:

Thank Youfor your support during hisrecent illness and troubledtimes.

Page 10 MagiCurrents

Messagefrom thePresident

Dear Ring 76ers,

I hope everyone had a nice Thanks-giving Day. We all have so manythings to be thankful for.

I am so excited to see one of mygoals as President of Ring 76 cometrue. That is the great "teach-ins"that are happening at our clubhousemonthly. We are all receiving ahands-on magic lesson that is im-portant in building our skills as bet-ter performers. If you would like tovolunteer to teach one of our pre-meeting classes, please call me andlet me know.

The second goal of mine is to cre-ate a group of magi that are willingto go to charity events and hospi-tals, performing magic. I have oneperson who has stepped up to theplate and joined me at the Charger'sBlood Drive last November 23rd atthe Town & Country Hotel. Thankyou, Howard Harris. More oppor-tunities are available during the holi-day season. Please let me know ifyou can volunteer for some of thecoming events.

Our annual holiday dinner is com-ing up December 1 3th. Please con-tact Richard Ustick for assignmentof what dish you are to bring to thepotluck. It will be held at the club-house and space is limited. Pleasefeel free to bring your spouse andchildren but refrain from bringingUncle George and the neighbor'skids.

2005 is going to be another excitingyear for Ring 76.. .Happy Holidays!

76

Ring library cardsnow availableRing 76 librarian Bob Pozner willhave the new library cards availableto all members who have filled outand turned in their library form.

The library is now open and mem-bers can check our books, videotapes, and DVDs. The check outtime will be 30 minutes following allregular meetings. Check out allmaterials through Bob Pozner.

You will need a library card to checkout all items available. Bob Poznerwill be able to help you sign up for acard if you have not done so yet.

You may keep all library items fromone meeting to the next. This neweffort is to see that everyone has abetter chance to use all of our libraryresources.

We believe we have one of the bestlibraries of any Ring in the country;please use it and take care of it.

*Resident Magician &Gccu'vdl Ambassador a*the Carve Me Diner1587-2002

Member of Hollywood'sPrestigious "MagicCastle"Since 1S31

Member cfinternalr-ong; Broihertioo

Since 1978

Member cfSociety cf AmericanMagiciansSince 1974

"Magic"Mike Stitweil(619) 660-9662

P.O.Box 1166Rancho San Diego, CA 91979email: magicmikeofsd@aol.com

Board of DirectorsDiane LanePresident858-278-1669dvlane@san.rr.com

Bob Ingalls1st Vice President858-571-3340bailysgp@san.rr.com

Sherry Luft*2nd Vice Presidentsluft@secor.com

Jack White*Secretary619-299-9037prestoone@cox.net

Richard UstickTreasurer619-463-2407rustick@flash.net

Kenny SheitonSgt. at Armsvettesbro@aol.com

J.P. Jackson*Member at Large

858-569-0096

Terry LuncefordMember at Large

dveditman@cox.net

* denotes past Ring 76 Pres.

MagiCurrents Page 11

NewsWe begin with sad news that MarieBlood, the niece of Harry & BessHoudini, has died; she was 87. As ayoung girl Marie lived with theHoudini,s and for many years shelectured and wrote about heradventures with her Aunt Bess andUncle Hairy, becoming one of thelast living links to inside stories aboutthe legendary magician and his wife.Marie Blood was a member of theIBM and as such, a broken wandservice was performed at her funeralin early November at Paramus, asmall community near her NewJersey home.

Dr. Joel Moskowitz is featured in theNovember issue of Linking Ringmagazine with a story about thehistory of Mene Tekel, a name thatdates back to biblical times and thetrick deck of cards of the same namethat we all as young magicians had orat least had read about. The article istitled: "Mene Tekel, a Rose by AnyOther Name." It is on page 52 incase you missed it. Joel put a lot ofresearch into that article. Moskowitzspent much of the month ofNovember traveling in Tibet.

The November 15lh issue of theNational Enquirer carries a coverstory that Roy Horn attemptedsuicide several times following hisstroke and dramatic battle to return toa productive life following his tragicordeal. The article goes on to say thefamous Las Vegas performers havewritten a new tell-all book, and theyare currently shopping around for apublisher. The SiegfriedFischbacher and Roy Horn memoirwill tell the dark side of themagicians lives as well as the showbiz glitz. No word on when the bookwill be published.

In the media: During the month ofNovember, MagicianCraig Stone was seen in a colorphoto in the North County Times

Briefs

newspaper doing a show inOceanside. Loch David Crane wasseen in an NBC Today Show storyconcerning the San Diego Mayoralwrite-in candidate Donna Frye.Loch has been a supporter of DonnaFrye since she announced she was awrite-in candidate. Loch is alsoshowing off a nice stack of Germannewspaper stories about his trip andshows in that country last summer.

Terry Lunceford has always been arace car fan. Now he has purchasedhis own race car and when notappearing at the Magic Castle orother performance dates, he is outworking on or driving his formula V-one racer. Terry says he has alwayswanted a race car; now he has oneand he is driving it and having fun.

Bill Bennett longtime San DiegoRadio-Television personality andventriloquist, died November 4th; hewas 80. Bennett lived in Del Marand for several years in the late 1980sand early '90s was part of a groupknown as "Three from TV." Bennettopened the show with his vent actfollowed by Jack White and hismagic; then Doug Oliver closed theshow on the piano. The show wasbooked and produced by an agencyand it played many dates in SanDiego, Orange and Riversidecounties under several sponsorships.Bennett spent the last ten yearsworking in real estate.

We also learned that Magician AlanWakling, who for many years workedfor Mark and Nani Wilson on the

Magic Land of Alakazam and theMagic Circus and scores ofamusement park shows, diedNovember 10th at his home in the LosAngeles suburb of Westlake,California. His book "The Magic ofAlan Wakling" was a classic. He was78.

The Magic Castle Swap Meet onSaturday, November 13*, drew manySan Diego Magi, J.P. Jackson andMarcus Day had a sellers table, asdid "Suds." Bob Ingalls was onhand with Jack White, EllenFreidman and husband Ted Dunningwere selling mugs with their pastMagiCurrents cartoons on them.Terry Godfrey was selling tons ofmagic video tapes at bargan prices.Camron, between cruise shipengagements, had at least four bigillusions for sale. Sebastian was onhand looking for some new props forhis show. Loch Crane was makingthe rounds.

At the Chargers Blood DriveNovember 23rd, Charlie Gott wasseen doing a magic trick forCalifornia First Lady Maria Shriver,who was a special guest of honor atthe blood drive. Charlie did strollingmagic at the largest one-day blooddrive in California. Diane Laneappeared on stage with her magic actand her parrot. Lots of goodexposure for those taking part in thisvery well attended event at the Townand Country Hotel. This was DianeLane's 16lh year entertaining at thisevent.

Belinda Kaesler's Halloweencostume shop at the Del Mar FairGrounds was so popular it has nowbecome Belinda's Workshop at theDel Mar Christmas Tree Center.Belinda had given two very nice giftcertificates to her craft center asdrawing items at our Ring holidayparty Monday, Dec. 13th.

Page 12 MagiCurrents

Coming Attractions

December 13th meeting at Jack's Magic Place, 4275 University Ave.begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be our annual holiday meeting with a potluckdinner that includes turkey furnished by the Ring. Our show will be"tricks old and seldom seen/' so dig out those old effects that youpresented at holiday magic shows of the past and be part of this specialholiday program.

January 17th is new member installation night. For our program variousmagic tricks will be placed in brown paper bags and you can choose a bagand perform the trick inside. You may also choose a friend to help youperform this surprise trick. This should be an opportunity to test ourskills as performers. (Note the January meeting is one week later thanusual, the third Monday of the month.)

February 14th (Valentines Night) Our annual close-up contest. Startpracticing now for this big event. Cash prizes. Bring a friend or aspouse to this evening meeting. Big Screen TV so everyone can see eachcontestant perform.

Next Board of Directors meeting Monday, January 24th, 2005, atJack's Magic Place at 7 p.m. sharp. These business meetings are opento all members interested in attending.

Editor's Note: You will note that we have a format change this month with our newsletter.It is being mailed in an envelope; that is because the U.S. Postal Service has requestedthat first class mail items be enclosed in an envelope. That does raise the postage ofsending our newsletters to 74 cents. The Ring 76 board of directors has decided tomaintain the size and style of newsletter we have been sending out for the past severalyears and to mail them with envelopes in spite of the additional charge for postage andmailing supplies. Please send along your thoughts.

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 prestoone@cox.net. or written manuscripts may be submitted toJack White, 4288 Arguello St., San Diego, CA. 92103.