Welcome to the Capital District's magic club. Members of our club include illusionists, close-up magicians, kids show magicians, clowns, magic collectors and magic enthusiasts who simply enjoy the performance. We meet at 7:00 pm on the second Tuesday of every month at The S W Pitts Hose Company of Latham, 226 Old Loudon Rd, Latham, NY. Member Dues are only $20 a year for 12 nights of fun, food and information plus a one time $10 initiation fee for new membership or renewal of lapsed membership. Active members also receive significant discounts on our assembly events such as: lectures, our annual banquet, our annual picnic, as well as other club sponsored programs.
The purpose of our organization is to promote the art of magic by learning to perform it well, to preserve its history and to assemble collections of past magicians and paraphernalia.
Assembly #24 is one of the oldest Assembly's within the Society of American Magicians which is the world's oldest magic organization. It is named after Past President Jay A. Gorham. Jay was a Professor and Mathematics Chair at Hudson Valley Community College. He is an active magician and magic collector. After moving from this area to Arizona, Jay became the National President of the Society of American Magicians in 2004.
THE CAPITAL MAGIC CONNECTION NEWS
The fire station in Latham has invited us back so IBM Ring 186 and SAM Assembly 24 are planning to meet at that facility. Both groups will start their meetings at 7:00 pm. SAM on the second Tuesday of the month & IBM on the fourth Tuesday of the month. We will continue to have one zoom meeting on the third Tuesday of the month and the Morning Magic Group will meet on the first Tuesday of the month.
THE CAPITAL MAGIC CONNECTION
October 29, 2024
NOTES ON THE SAM BANQUET
Sunday’s banquet was by any measure a success. 49 people were in attendance. The location and the area where we met was very comfortable. Our four closeup performers, Allan Alexander, Karl Johnson, Dave McClements, and Bob Yorburg, did a superb job. In my opinion, this was the best closeup show we have ever had at one of our banquets.
The dinner was more than adequate, the service was smooth, seamless, and as far as I know, without any glitches, and the table decorations by Sue Leiberman were a nice extra touch.
The featured performer for the evening was Jason Suran, a MENTALIST! As far back as I can remember magicians have always hated mentalists, and I wasn’t very fond of them myself, so I was prepared to dislike whatever Jason did. But Jason isn’t your run-of-the-mill mentalist. He is entertaining. His show was fun. There were lots of laughs. I just hope everyone enjoyed his performance as much as I did because he was great. I truly believe he may be America’s most entertaining mentalist.
Dave Leiberman did nearly all, if not all, of the planning for this year’s banquet and I don’t think anyone could have done it better. His being able to book Jason as our featured performer was a real coup. So the next time you see Dave thank him for all the work he did on the banquet, and if you missed this year’s banquet . . . well, there is always next year.
MICHAEL MILLS AT PROCTORS
Fool Me Once: A Magic Show featuring Michael Mills will be at the Addy Theater at Proctors in Schenectady on three Saturdays in November - Saturday November 2, 16, and 23. All shows start a 8:00 pm. This appears to be a one-man show and not the illusion show he performed at the RV park at Lake George. For more information and tickets go to:
https://tickets.proctors.org/TheatreManager/95/tmEvent/tmEvent35058.html
MORNING MAGIC GROUP
The next meeting of the morning group will be on Tuesday morning, November 5, at 8:30 am at the Ugly Rooster off exit 12 of the Northway. Everyone is welcome.
If you need more information or directions, call Cliff Bruce, Dave McClements, or Ken Marcinowski.
NOVEMBER MEETING OF THE SAM ASSEMBLY 24
SAM Assembly 24 will meet on Tuesday, November 12, at 7:00 at S. W. Pitts Hose Company, 226 Old Loudon Road, in Latham, NY. Two suggested topics to stimulate your magical thinking are silk magic and/or mysteries of the orient - you know the Chinese linking rings, the Indian rope trick, the Japanese thumb tie and stuff like that. But whatever you would like do will be fine. Suggested themes are only to advance your creative thinking; not to limit it.
Jean and I are responsible for the refreshments for this meeting.
REMINDER FROM SAM PRESIDENT DAVE LEIBERMAN ABOUT A CHANGE IN DUES
Important information regarding SAM dues. As you are aware, annual dues to our local club are only $20 a year! At a meeting earlier this year, the club decided to institute a fee for members who do not pay their membership dues by March 15. If you have not paid your dues by that date, you will have to pay an additional $10 fee (total of $30) to reinstate your membership. The hope is that this will encourage more people to pay their dues on time so that we will be able to better know how much we have available to us for different events.
NOVEMBER ZOOM MAGIC MEETING
The magicians of the New York Capital region will host a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, November 19, at 7:00. Everyone interested in magic is welcome to join us by logging into this meeting at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88548490202.
The meeting ID is: 88548490202
NOVEMBER MEETING OF IBM RING 186
IBM Ring 186 will be meeting on Tuesday, November 26, at 7:00 at S. W. Pitts Hose Company, 226 Old Loudon Road, in Latham. No details.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THESE UPCOMING SHOWS AND EVENTS
Saturday, November 2, 16, & 23. Michael Mills performing his Fool Me Once: A Magic Show at Proctors in Schenectady, NY. Shows start a 8:00 pm. For more information and tickets go to:
https://tickets.proctors.org/TheatreManager/95/tmEvent/tmEvent35058.html
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS
If you know of a magic related event or show which might be of interest to capital area magicians, send that information to me in time for it to be announced in our next newsletter.
Also, if you would like to contribute an original article, trick or review of a book, DVD, trick or internet site, send it to me for inclusion in this newsletter. PLEASE DON’T COPY WHAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS WRITTEN UNLESS YOU DOCUMENT THE SOURCE AND HAVE PERMISSION TO SHARE IT.
SAM Assembly #24 Member Directory: Fellow Assembly Member contact information is listed in the MEMBERS ONLY SECTION and can only be accessed by current active members with the password information provided on your membership card.