SAM Sponsored Magic Lessons
Since Steve Ehlers did such an excellent job teaching card controls in March, he has agreed to conduct another magic lecture in May. Mark Wednesday, May 22nd down on your calendars. The lesson will be between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM at William's Magic Shop. Steve will teach card palms and some practical forces, combined with some of his favorite deceptive routines. So, learn from one of the best and we'll see you on the 22nd.

Next Meeting
The next meeting of Assembly 136 will be on Monday, May 6th, 1996, at Hotel Park Tucson, 5151 E. Grant Road at 7:30 PM. There will be a board meeting from 6:30 PM until 7:30 PM, and all members are welcome to attend any and all board functions. After the meeting, everyone is welcome to walk over to the IHOP for late night discussions.

At Our Last Meeting
Our last meeting was held on April 1st. "Mr. Showmanship", Joe DuPerry, wore two hats that evening - Treasurer and he also filled in as Secretary. Our guests for the evening were Steve Lee and Marshall "Skeeter" Williams.

If you entered last year's Magician of the Year contest and would like to know your judging scores, please contact Frank.

Magic on the Internet - Greg Chmara suggested that we use our World Wide Web pagfe as a fund raiser to sell antique magic. Greg and Mark Newhouse will work out some of the details and generate a proposal.

New Members
The newest members of SAM 136 are Greg Chmara and Steve Wright. Greg has patiently waited for his membership packet for a looooooong time. Since Steve is out of town for the next few months, his SAM national membership packet has been mailed to him. Welcome to our club Greg and Steve!

National SAM Convention
Approximately twelve club members are currently planning to attend the National SAM convention in Las Vegas in July. If you are not flying to Vegas, come to the May meeting to see if you can get a ride with someone who is driving.

Stage Magician of the Year
To give more people an opportunity to compete, the Stage Magician of the Year contest has been moved to Tuesday, June 25th. It will be held at the Gaslight Theater. Tickets will be sold at $4.00 per person (adult and child). Our objective is to break even, which should be acheivable if around 100 tickets are sold. Hopefully this extra month will allow some more people to put together a respectable magic act.

Stars of Magic 1996
Since the Stage Magician of the Year contest is being pushed back a month, so are the Stars of Magic Auditions. Auditions will be held on July 1st. Please prepare to submit either a videotape or a live performance for Stars of Magic.

This year, Stars of Magic will be held on September 21st. There are no football games to conflict with this date (yea!), so we anticipate a good turn out just like the past few years.

Close-Up Magician of the Year Contest Review

SAM-Sponsored Lectures
Our monthly lectures have already been a great success. In March, Steve Ehlers lectured to twelve eager students. The card controls curriculum consisted of the peek, various controls to the top and bottom of the deck, the double lift and the Horwitz control. Each sleight was meticulously described. The practice sessions were carefully monitored by the caring instructor who provided valuable feedback to the students. Steve's strong presentation skills have defined the standard for these lectures. To see Steve's next lecture please drop by William's Magic at 5:00 PM on May 22nd.

Adrian Van Vactor taught basic coin sleights on April 23rd. Adrian's lecture focused on the classic palm, finger palm, and the shuttle pass. Combining these sleights, a coins accross routine was taught as an example. Definitely worth the price of admission, Adrian shared many of his key philosophies on misdirection in coinology. Due to this newsletter's late publishing schedule, only a few people participated. Adrian has agreed to provide a special encore lecture if there is enough interest. If you want to see one of our club's best performers lecture on coin basics, please let Frank know at the May meeting.

Good of the Order
Tim Ayers is performing table magic at Box Seats on Fridays and Saturdays. Also on weekends you can find Adrian Van Vactor at the Olive Garden (Oracle road location). John Shryock is currently on a cruise ship travelling Europe. Mari Worman will be joining him later this month in London where they will hop on a ship and sail into Russian waters. When John gets back from travelling abroad, he will be performing in Houston at the Magic Island. Agreeing to wear a shirt during his award winning stripping act, Eric Buss has gladly accepted an invitation to work at the Magic Castle. Congratulations Eric! Bruce Spell performed at the SAHBA Home Show on April 14th. And Norm Marini performed for crowds at this year's University of Arizona's Spring Fling.

Future Monthly Meeting Themes
June - "Each One, Teach One"
July - Stars of Magic Auditions
August - Parlour Magician of the Year Contest
September - Auction
October - Halloween Magic
November - Turkey Magic
December - White Elephant

Last updated May 6, 1996 by Mark Newhouse