Society of American Magicians, Assembly 12
Chartered in 1923 by Harry Houdini and based in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota) metro area, we are Assembly 12 of the Society of American Magicians. Today, it is the oldest and most prestigious magical society in the world with approximately 300 Assemblies worldwide. The primary purpose of the S.A.M. is to advance, elevate, and preserve magic as a performing art. Our members are magic performers, dealers, collectors, and historians — including professionals, serious hobbyists, and students.
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Auction on Friday, February 21st
This month’s meeting will be the Assembly #12 Auction!
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January 2025 Meeting Report
Happy New Year from SAM12!! This month’s theme is “Magic with Heart” as we look ahead to Valentine’s Day. We had a large group of 17 people in person at Eagle Magic, with no one joining us via Zoom.
During the Business portion of our meeting, we reminded everyone of our annual SAM12 magic auction on February 21st. It’s a chance to sell unwanted magic and/or buy someone else’s unwanted magic. We also plan on having our 2nd annual Movie Night, complete with a special guest star. Finer details are still being worked out, but it’s scheduled for March 21st. SAM12 President Kevin Smith threw out the idea of adding a book club section to our monthly meeting. After much debate we put it to a vote and it passed!! Now that it’s passed, we will work out the details and hopefully start the book club with our April meeting. Stay tuned!! Other magic news: Keith Hochstedler recently performed for 20 ten year olds and had to deal with a heckler in the front row the entire show. That led to a great discussion on how to deal with hecklers of various ages and what realistically “should” happen.
Performances: Manny Betinis did an entertaining sponge heart routine, complete with awful puns. SAM12 Treasurer Adam Moore did a great performance of a borrowed ring appearing on a wand held by two spectators. Paul Ladig produced a huge bouquet of flowers from his Tora Rose Botania. Finally, Sandy Meyer brought down the house with a series of Valentine’s Day-themed tricks! Thanks, Sandy!!The evening ended with the usual socializing and snacks. Next month we’re having our annual SAM12 Magic Auction. Join us in person or online from anywhere in the world via Zoom. Get the details at SAM12.org.
Look for this in the March 2025 MUM Magazine
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January Hybrid Meeting!
Happy New Year!! It’s time for the SAM Assembly #12 Hybrid meeting!
We’re meeting on Friday, January 17, at 7:00 PM. Our theme this month, chosen by December attendees, in anticipation of next month’s holiday, is “Magic with Heart! (Or Valentine Magic)” We never get to use this theme during February because of the auction (see below), so this year we’re doing something different…
We’ll meet at Eagle Magic and Joke Store. (Eagle Magic is in Burnsville, MN, 4 lights east of 35W on Hwy 13, southeast corner, next door to the BP gas station.) Bring potluck snacks to share. Connection information for the virtual view of the meeting will be sent before the meeting.
See you on Friday, either in person or online!
P.S. Annual Auction–gather items to sell next month!
We are hosting an auction in February, and now’s the time to find the magic props, books, videos, collectibles, etc. that you’d like to sell. This will help give your fellow magicians a nice selection of items to bid on and, the more you sell, the more new-to-you treasures you can win!
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