Minneapolis, MN This month’s meeting took place at the new location of the oldest, continuously-operating magic store in the U.S.A. — Eagle Magic.
Photo: Jennifer Kahlow
Owner Larry Kahlow shared with the members some of the rich history of the store since it’s inception in 1899 including visits by Houdini and Thurston. On this night he performed two knots-on/off rope trick. Jack Nordin followed with a different kind of rope trick; that of a cowboy, swinging and twirling a lasso. Darnay shared a bent-nail puzzle similar to one that fascinated him as a small boy. Aaron Timmerman flashed all of us with a wad of bills that changed from ones to hundreds. Geoff Williams entertained with Hart’s Link and Adam Moore performed a thumb-cuff escape and vanish. Bob Miller closed with an entire routine he has been developing that included versions of Feeling Flushed, Shuffleboard, and a BAM method of tracking five cards. Thank you Larry for opening your doors to us.
The October meeting was our annual auction, where deals were the theme of the evening. Value of the items was boosted when a few of the sellers offered to instruct bidders on the methods and nuances.
We noted that attendance was less than our 2007 auction: the economy, attrition, and reduced promotion were cited as reasons.
Jerry Johnson of Richfield, Minnesota, died October 30, 2008 after an eight-month illness. He was 76.
Jerry grew up on a farm in Forest Lake, MN, and began studying magic at age eleven. He built many of his tricks and wrote his own patter which resulted in his unique style of comedy stage magic. He began performing as a young teenager and continued to do shows until his retirement in 1997. He was known for his original moves, quick wit, and humor.
After graduating from Forest Lake High School, he attended Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN for two years before being drafted into the Army. He was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky where he played the trumpet in the 74th Army Band and performed magic in shows for Special Services. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1958 with a degree in education. The family moved to San Diego, California where, for two years, Jerry taught English and Speech at La Jolla Jr. Sr. High School. He then took a job with Retail Credit Company as insurance inspector, was able to transfer to Minneapolis, and work a total of twenty two years. In 1983 he returned to education and worked with computers in a special education school district until he retired.
During his years in San Diego and later in Minneapolis, he belonged to the SAM and IBM, holding offices in both organizations. He won the Silver Medal for stage magic at the 1983 SAM Convention, and in 2000 he won the First Place Award for Comedy Magic at the Houdini Club of Wisconsin.
Jerry is survived by his wife of 55 years Connie; four daughters: Pam, Ann, Leslie, and Kim; and two grandsons: Phillip Morley and Leo Plumer.
Our November meeting will take place at the new center of Burnsville — Eagle Magic. It’s 4 lights east of 35W on Hwy 13, southeast corner right under the Remax sign. The parking lot is a little tricky to get into but we can do it. We start at 7:30 with a short biz mtg then Larry will briefly cover the entire history of magic in the upper midwest. Pls bring something to share and show.
Assembly 12 invites you to the Oct. meeting to be held on the 17th. From 35W south take 90th west to Xerxes north to 8630 and St Marks Church. We meet at 7:30 and members are asked to bring money and treasures as it is auction night. You can either pay local dues of $10 or a buyer/seller fee of $5. 10% of selling price will go to the club. Next month we will be meeting at Eagle magic in downtown Burnsville.
In area magic news, Geoff Williams reported that he saw Litchfield, Minn. native Dan Sperry perform locally with about 300 people in attendance. Dan performed a very limited engagement here between the close of World’s Greatest Magic and starting in V, The Ultimate Variety Show in Las Vegas.
There were 30-40 people at last month’s event honoring Bruce Jensen. Will Earley did an excellent job as the lead organizer and spoke poignantly about Bruce’s influence in Will’s life and magic. Tom Olenick presented an excellent commemorative video with well-wishes from a prestigious group of magicians who Larry Kahlow helped contact.
Jerry Johnson’s cancer has recurred in multiple locations. He started chemo several weeks ago, had a stroke on Saturday, and is back in the hospital.
President Adam Moore shared a message from I.B.M. Ring 19 President Rick Andresen inviting all Assembly 12 members to attend the Ring 19 meeting on October 13th.
Geoff Williams will be at John Luka’s Motor City Close-Up Convention in November and at Fechter’s Finger Flicking Frolic in April. He will also be shooting a new single-trick DVD on Jack Elmsley’s LA Wowee Zowee Card Prediction Miracle.
As you know, or could probably guess from the preceding paragraph, Geoff is a great magician and a great teacher. We have all learned something from him either formally through his lectures and videos or informally after an Assembly meeting. So, in honor of Geoff, we asked everyone to perform “Something You Learned from Geoff Williams.”
Darnay began with Knot So Tuff, Larry Kalow demonstrated a Vanishing and Appearing Knot, Bruce Kilber shared Talking Jokers. Secretary/Treasurer Dave Taylor “stumbled through” Coincidence, and Adam showed Geoff’s set up for linking rubber bands. Then it was Geoff’s turn.
He started with Miracle Coin Vanish. Next was Arnold Schwarzenquarter by Scott Franz (based on Dizzy Dial). Geoff then performed and taught Card in Pocket which he introduced as a way to build confidence palming cards. He followed this with a routine Scott Franz created in response to spectators who showed him the 21 Card Trick. It’s the same effect — except the cards are face down. Geoff closed with Paul Harris’ Solid Deception.
Assembly 12 invites you to the Sept. meeting to be held on the 19th. From 35W south take 90th west to Xerxes north to 8630 and St Marks Church. We meet at 7:30 and members are asked to bring magic to perform and snacks to share. The theme this month is magic you have learned from Geoff Williams. Dues are due, that’s $10 for local dues. Guests are welcome. Remenber the auction in October.
