Tri-Cities Magicians' Society

Newsletter No. 4: July 2005

What does a magic club do for its members? If it’s the Tri-Cities Magicians’ Society, quite a bit.

Since January, we’ve offered members six venues to display their talents:

Events included shows at three Christian County Elementary Schools (Christian County, Sinking Fork and Millbrooke); two shows supporting local charities (Eagle’s Telethon for victims of domestic violence and Trigg County Relay for Life) as well as supporting an anniversary at Jennie Stuart Medical Center.

For members looking to expand their skills, the TCMS has led two lectures:

Ron London came for a visit on May 17th. Ron is a professional magician from Lafayette, IN, who has performed and lectured all over the world. He shared some of his unique magic with us and offered a dealer demo following his talk.

Danny Archer lectured on May 25th. Danny has also lectured and performed in various locations around the globe. His lecture, entitled "On Target" included great practical magic with cards, coins, bills, photographs, wind-up animals & business cards. Danny offered his magical effects after the show.

Our members share their experience and talent. We’ve added two members to the roster:

We’ve gained two new members, David Bilan and Sam Lyon. David is returning to magic after a short (15 year) break. Sam is a soldier at Fort Campbell and his enthusiasm helps keep the entire group excited about our “secret” art.

On a slightly sad note, one of our members, Kyle Gray, bid the TCMS a reluctant farewell as he left for Florida to pursue career advancements.

Are we about self-promotion? You bet:

 Journalist Ann Wallace of the Clarksville Leaf Chronicle attended the June meeting with a photographer and experienced a quick display (of magic) from each member. Photos were taken and the guilty will be featured in an article to be published in the near future.

 What does the future hold for the TCMS? Excitement and Opportunity:

Stephen Bargatze will be speaking to us on August 16th. Stephen has worked with or for top stars that include Bill Cosby, Garth Brooks, Barbara Mandrel and Ray Stevens. He is a three- time World of Wizards Champion, South Eastern Association Magician of the Year, Midwest Association Magician of the Year and the International Brotherhood of Magicians Close-up Champion.

As Director of the Student Services Program for the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, Mr. Bargatze gets the opportunity to speak to over 45,000 students each school year.  Mr. Bargatze uses his magic to show today's youth how drugs, alcohol, and tobacco can affect their life. His "Magic with a Message" presentation is not only enlightening to students but also inspirational to them.

In the works:

Magic Jam Session: An opportunity for club members to spend a day/evening with each other and practice, demonstrate and share talent, tips and techniques.

Battle of the Wizards on October 15th: the TCMS competition providing each magician eight minutes to strut their stuff. Judging is conducted by non-magicians, so the priority is to focus on entertaining the public, not impressing other magicians.

We are in the planning stages of producing an evening of magic at a public venue, sponsored and produced by the Tri-Cities Magician’s Society and will be performing at events in the Clarksville, Hopkinsville area as opportunities arise.

Finally, we have our monthly meeting. Each meeting has a theme. One member provides a short lecture and the rest of the club has an opportunity to perform an effect based on that theme.

We hold our meetings the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 PM in the Clarksville, TN Shoney’s at exit 4 of Interstate 24. If you’ve been seeking something to re-kindle the spark for your first love (magic), drop by one of our meetings.

David Bilan (Events Coordinator)