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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March 2025 Meeting Notes
Our March meeting was held at Eagle Magic in Burnsville, with 11 people in attendance and 1 person on Zoom (Hey Keith!!). Our theme this month: Spur-of-the-Moment Magic, or Impromptu Magic With Everyday Objects!
During the business portion of the meeting, Treasurer Adam Moore gave us the good news that SAM12 made money at the auction last month! Next up we launched into an lively discussion of our SAM12 Book Club we’re starting in the Fall. We’re going to start with the Hugard classic “The Royal Road to Card Magic”. Next we talked about upcoming conventions and the SAM 12 members planning to go: Several are going to the Gateway Closeup Convention in St. Louis in April, and many are attending Abracorndabra in Iowa in May–in fact, our May SAM12 meeting will be at Abracorndabra!
On to performances: SAM12 Vice President Larry Kahlow started us off with a card trick, and Adam Moore did a very smooth Crazy Man’s Handcuffs. Paul Cook did a nice mentalism effect, like a Living and Dead Test with a twist (People I Like / Don’t Like). Next, Paul Ladig performed Key thru Bill, and Brad Gudim worked his magic with four coins. SAM12 Scribe Paul Sedler made us gasp with his Penrose Pendant, and Tom Fagerstrom made a rubber band jump from finger to finger and a loop of rope pass through a spectator’s arm. Fiinally Jeff Kohagen performed the Al Baker coin thru handkerchief.
The evening ended with the usual socializing and snacks. Next month is our annual SAM12 movie night. Join us in person or online from anywhere in the world via Zoom. Get the details at SAM12.org.
See this in the May 2025 MUM Magazine
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March 2025 Hybrid Assembly Meeting!
It’s time for the March 2025 hybrid SAM 12 Assembly meeting! The meeting is at 7:00 this Friday 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.)
[NOTE: We originally planned to have our annual Movie Night during the March meeting, but our guest of honor has a conflict, so we’re shifting it to April. Plus, we’ll need to move our April meeting because of Easter weekend, so we’ll let you know as soon as the date is confirmed.]
In honor of the last-minute nature of this meeting, the Theme for March is Spur-of-the-Moment Magic, or Impromptu Magic With Everyday Objects. Show us effects you’d perform if you had to scrounge for props or use borrowed items. As always, be prepared to demonstrate, teach, and provide guidance and suggestions for others.
Bring potluck snacks to share. Connection information for the virtual view of the meeting will be emailed before the meeting. See you there or online!!
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February 2025 Meeting Notes
For our February meeting, it was time once again for our annual SAM12 Auction. Twenty-one people attended this year at Eagle Magic in Burnsville. It was a chance to add to your collection or subtract, and often, people did both. Is $100 too much to pay for that book at the bookstore? How about $10 at the auction? SOLD!!
This year we had: books, DVDs, books, a card fountain, DVDs, needle through arm, books, sponge bunnies, and some books!! There were even some vintage posters!! Everything was sold at “I don’t want this anymore” prices. There was something for everyone during our very casual auction, with many laughs and stories. As usual, refreshments and socializing brought the evening to a close.
Join us for our next meeting, won’t you? Either in person or via Zoom. We meet on the third Friday of the month. More information at SAM12.org.
See this in the April 2025 MUM Magazine
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