Category: M-U-M Reports

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

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

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

Our December meeting was our annual Chili Dinner and Holiday Celebration! 13 people joined, plus one via Zoom, so it was a large crowd at Discovery United Methodist Church. Special thanks go to Sandy Meyer (and Steve!) who catered the dinner. The menu was chili, cornbread casserole, coleslaw, and an array of brownies, cookies, and cakes for dessert. Very good food, and everyone enjoyed it.

The business portion of the meeting was short, and included a brief confirmation of our upcoming 2025 meetings: January-normal meeting (theme: hearts and valentines), February–our Annual Auction, March–our “move night” (movie and guest To Be Announced…)

For the rest of the meeting, there were many conversations, stories told, and a couple of tricks presented (Paul Laidig demonstrated his work-in-progress goldfish production, and Larry Kahlow showed us the Stop Light trick). 

Everyone enjoyed the food and the company, and it was a great end of the year celebration. SAM 12 wishes everyone a Happy New Year, and please join us for our next meeting, in person or online from anywhere in the world via Zoom. Get the details at SAM12.org!

Look for this in the February 2025 MUM Magazine

Another SAM12 assembly meeting again with the strange but topical theme of Foul/Fowl Magic!! 13 people joined us at Eagle Magic and one person attended via Zoom (Hi Sandy!!). We welcomed two new SAM 12 members, too: Keith Hochstedler and Walt Pattinson!

The meeting started with the presentation of a plaque celebrating Eagle Magic’s 125th anniversary to the owner, and long-time SAM 12 member and former president,  Larry Kahlow.  It’s great to have North America’s oldest brick-and-mortar magic shop in the Twin Cities, and SAM 12 and Eagle Magic have had a great relationship over the years!

During the business portion of the meeting, SAM12 Treasurer Adam Moore gave his report: A reminder to pay your SAM12 dues, and a brief explanation of his struggles getting non-profit status for the club. Luckily we had an accountant in attendance who had some great advice for Adam.

Next, a few updates from the members: Larry and Jennifer Kahlow took the Sun Princess Magic Castle Cruise. Paul Ladig performed at a retirement home. Manny Betinis worked at a couple of holiday parties and did some walk-around magic at a wedding. SAM12 Treasurer Adam Moore spent some time in Vegas recently and saw a bunch of great shows including Minneapolis native Nick Deffatte. He’s also working on a new solo show. Looking ahead to our upcoming meetings, we talked about our annual chili dinner and holiday celebration in December and the annual auction in February.

On to the performances: Larry Kahlow gave us a mini-lecture on dove pans, demonstrating several different versions and how to get a larger rabbit to fit comfortably in a load pan. Paul Ladig used his “black art “ box to make a duck disappear. Manny Betinis told an amusing Thanksgiving story while performing Color Monte with some homemade cards–amazing!! Jeff Kohagen continues to work on his double color change–just when you think it can’t get any better; it does. SAM12 Scribe Paul Sedler brought an old Star Trek-themed, packet trick called “Star Trick”, a strange trick with some very bad reveals, putting it firmly in the “foul” category. SAM12 President Kevin Smith folded a yellow paper origami bird that found a selected card. Lastly, Adam Moore is working on a book test trick and asked for some advice on adding a little punch to the ending.

The evening ended with the usual socializing and snacks. Next month we’re having our annual Chili Dinner and Holiday Party. Join us in person or online from anywhere in the world via Zoom. Get the details at SAM12.org.

Look for this in the January 2025 MUM Magazine

Time for SAM12 to meet again!! An enthusiastic group of eleven people attended the meeting, all in person at Eagle Magic. Our theme: “Spooky Magic”. 

During the short business portion of the meeting, we talked about the Masters of Illusion performance in Burnsville. Everyone who attended it enjoyed it. After the the show Gay Blackstone, Dan Sperry, Mike Caveny, and other magicians visited Eagle Magic. Paul Cook gave us his annual report of his time at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, where he performed more shows and worked every weekend. The crowds were great and he was able to try out new material. 

On to performances: SAM12 President Kevin Smith spoke about a series of seance performances he did years ago in Portland and demonstrated some of the props he used during the “dark room” segment. Next, he showed us his annual Halloween prop haul from Michaels, including very creepy doll heads that he planned to turn into Zombie balls. Todd Anderson told us a story about the book “Spooky Magic” he bought when he was a kid and was surprised kids can still buy it today. (That led to a discussion on how Halloween shows have changed over the years.) Finally, Paul Ladig showed us his beautiful Mikame wrist chopper and walked us through a performance. That started a discussion on different versions and how to perform them safely.

The evening ended with the usual socializing and snacks. Next month the theme is “Fowl/Foul Magic.” Join us in person or online from anywhere in the world via Zoom. Get the details at SAM12.org.

Look for this in the December 2024 MUM Magazine

SAM Assembly 12 is back after the summer break!! 

Eight people attended in person at Eagle Magic, with two attending remotely via Zoom.

Our theme this month: What I did over the summer; magically speaking.

Many SAM 12 members attended conventions over the summer, including Abracorndabra (many attended and had a great time), Magic Live (a huge conference with many big-name performers), and the TAOM/SAM convention (spread out and a bit disorganized, but still a good convention.)

Other summer magical activities included a trip to the Magic Castle, a local IBM fundraising event, and SAM12 participation in a Houdini birthday-themed show at the Jewish Community Center. The Houdini show was well attended and a success, and might even become an annual event. 

A few of us had some performances over the summer as well. Paul Ladig worked at some assisted living facilities. Jeff Kohagen dusted off his magic props for a family gathering, performing both kid and adult magic.

On to performances: 

Jeff performed a quick coins-across routine that looked amazing! He also demonstrated a double side-steal color change he’s working on that shows great promise. Next, Brad Gudim performed an excellent ring-on-string routine. Then SAM12 president Kevin Smith talked about his summer task of cleaning out his old magic and discovering his old Reiss Games magic props. He performed and explained  “Your Favorite Ace” by Garcia and Schindler from a booklet that accompanied a Reiss Games card trick set.  (This booklet was an excerpt from the excellent “Magic With Cards”  book by Garcia and Schindler.)

The highlight of the evening was Todd Anderson talking about “top shelf magic,” those large expensive magic props on the top shelves of magic shops you always wished for. Todd showed us a classic mirror box he restored, painted like an old radio. He wondered if he could do better. Did he ever!!! Todd spent months over the summer building a mirror box that looks like an old time radio with knobs, a lighted dial, a working antenna, and even a way to tune in the local radio stations!!! Absolutely amazing!! 

The evening ended with planning for next month, as well as the usual socializing and snacks. Next month the theme is “Spooky Magic.” Join us in person or online from anywhere in the world. Get the details at SAM12.org.

Look for this in the November 2024 MUM Magazine

SAM12 usually take the summers off, so there will not be an official meeting until September.  There might be a summer cookout, keep your eyes on SAM12.org for all the details. SAM12 Fact: SAM12 is actually 104 years old this year, but our original charter that was signed by Harry Houdini in 1920 when he was president of S.A.M. was lost. It’s likely in the secret warehouse that was featured at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Join us, won’t you? Either in person or via Zoom. Get the details at SAM12.org.

Look for this in the August 2024 issue of M-U-M

SAM12 meets every third Friday of the month. Do you know what else happens the third Friday of the month of May? AbraCORNdabra in Des Moines, Iowa. SAM 12 was very well represented at the Iowa magic convention. 13 of us met over pizza and drinks at the hotel bar for our “official meeting.” Pizza, drinks, friends, and magic. A good time was had by all! Join us won’t you? Either in person or via Zoom. Get the details at SAM12.org.

Look for this in the July 2024 issue of M-U-M

Has it been another month already?! Time for SAM12 to meet again! The April meeting was attended by 10 people in person and 4 via Zoom.

Lots of business was discussed including our afterthoughts on the Gateway Closeup Convention that recently happened in St. Louis. It was a great time and well attended by many members of SAM12. We’re also looking forward to Magic Collector Expo and AbraCORNdabra coming up in May. Our treasurer, Adam Moore gave a report on our financial status (including noting that he properly filed things with the IRS). Adam also talked about a recent performance at a local church.

Next, we discussed the upcoming Houdini birthday celebration coming up this summer, and how SAM 12 will be involved. This led to a robust discussion on how to get more members to the Assembly.

Paul Cook kicked off our performances with a rather funny, and rather messy, vanishing salt. Next, Paul Laidig performed a spooky rendition of Kurotsuke that included music and a light show. Larry Kahlow attempted to stack dice…and was mostly successful! Finally, in the spirit of our theme (“Magic That Might Convince Ancient Peoples That You’re a Wizard!”) Adam Moore told a couple of stories about impromptu magic presentations that had a much larger impact than expected, including a performance of the Balducci Levitation!

The meeting concluded as it always does with refreshments and socializing. Join us won’t you? Either in person or via Zoom. Get all the info at SAM12.org.

Look for this in the June 2024 issue of M-U-M