Fellow Compeers and Conjurers:

We have so much going on with #31 and Ring #10, that I just have not kept up with my newsletter for Assembly #31. Plus my performance schedule has been a bit demanding, so here's a quick update.

May 17-A Day With Joshua Jay?

Joshua Jay the current director of Magi-Fest and a very accomplished magician is going to lecture the Indy Magic Clubs at 4 PM on Sat. May 17. If you're an S.Y.M. member or parent, you have a great opportunity to meet with Josh at 2:30. All this is happening at our meeting location, The Irvington Methodist Church. The location is:

30 N Audubon Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46219 which is located right behind Jockamo's Pizza.

The map to the location is this link: Irvington U.M. Church

May 22 is the S.Y.M. Year End show. This is being held at The Salvation Army Apartments, 4390 N. High School Rd., at 7 PM. I will perform along with Amazing Barry and the young magicians themselves. This should be a great evening and a wonderful look into the future of magic.

Our next Indy Magic Club Meeting is June 2 at 7 PM at the Irvington U.M. Church. Our theme is (Dale, please put the theme here, if you would.) We are also having S.A.M. elections. If you wish to run for an office, please let Dale Benson or Don Miller know at least a week before the meeting. We will be needing a new scribe to submit reports to M.U.M. I believe we have someone interested, but if you wish to take on the responsiblity, please let us know.

And our annual Indianapolis Magic Clubs Picnic is on Sunday, June 22 @ Noon with the lunch beginning at 1 PM. Admission to the park is $5 per car, $15 per van. We will have tables available for a bit of a swap meet, magicians will perform, and a good time will be had by all. We will provide the chicken, you bring the sides or desserts. It will be in Pavilion G at Eagle Creek Park. Location link:

Eagle Creek Park

Eagle Creek Park Map

And then we're into July. Where has 2014 gone?

All the best, M.U.M.,
Taylor Martin
President, Assembly #31, Harry Riser Assembly, Society of American Magicians

Spring has finally arrived so what better theme for our May meeting then “Spring and Flowers”! After some brief announcements concerning the action-packed summer that is planned for Assembly 31 and Ring 10, President Taylor Martin introduced us all to our newest member, Nicholas Geigle. Talk about dedication, Nick drives all of the way from Illinois (where he lives) to Indianapolis in central Indiana (close to a 200 mile round trip) to attend our magic gatherings. A tip of the top hat to you, Nick.

Mike Root kicked off the evening by performing a flower production using his wife’s botania. Although Mike did a wonderful production, he bemoaned what he considered to a weakness of the botania gimmick. He believes that the shape of the cone itself suggests to the audience that the flowers are concealed within the cone. He asked for some suggestions from his compeers on how to cover this flaw. His request sparked an outpouring of useful suggestions. This discussion once again was evidence of the strength of S.A.M. We saw compeers always ready to help their fellow magicians in order to strengthen the art of magic.

President Taylor next demonstrated for us his method of making napkin roses. It’s all in the little tears that make the petals appear life-like. Next up was our newest member, Nike Geigle. He shared one of his favorite card tricks using a deck of cards, his business card, some disappearing/appearing ink and a flame. His was a clever handling of this effect guaranteed to astonish his audience.

Finally, President Taylor and 1st V.P. Don Miller each shared a story of how magic can go terribly wrong while performing live-a fitting conclusion to an enjoyable springtime evening.