 |
|
I.B.M. Ring 362
The Maine Mystics
Bangor, Maine |
|
|
|
Ring Event Report
April 13, 2007
MAGICIANS RECOGNIZE RUMFORD AS
MAINE'S CAPITAL OF MAGIC
RUMFORD, APRIL 11 - Mountain Valley High School will provide the backdrop for an evening of magic and superstition Friday, April 13.
Performing will be magicians from around the state: Bob Nixon, Scot Grassette, Wes Booth, Professor Miller and Dr. Wilson. Kaitlyn Grassette
of the Society of Young Magicians, will be master of ceremonies.
The performance, benefiting the class of 2009, will begin at 7 p.m. in Muskie Auditorium. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for student and
children under 5, free. For more information, contact Grassette at grassette@gwi.net, or 369-0129.
Assembly 174 of the Society of American Magicians, based in Portland, and Ring 362 of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, based in
Bangor, will present Rumford dignitaries with a plaque proclaiming Rumford as Maine's capital of magic - in honor of the late
Dr. James William Elliott (1874-1920), one of Maine's foremost magicians.
Rumford is the birthplace and burial place of Elliott, who was a friend of Harry Houdini. Upon Elliott's death, Houdini edited Elliott's
notes into a book on magic titled "Elliott's Last Legacy." Houdini, primarily known as an escape artist, began as a card magician.
Never known as a modest man, Houdini publicly acknowledged that Elliott was without peer with respect to his skill with playing cards.
Indeed, Elliott himself issued a public challenge to all magicians that he was "Champion Card Manipulator of the World." This challenge
stood for 22 years. No magician dared face the Boston physician whose devotion to practice and quality was legendary.
Sunday, April 29, Ring 362 of the International Brotherhood of Magicians will honor Elliott's legacy by staging the second annual
Elliott Card Challenge at 3 p.m. at the Hotel Harris. The contest is a test of skills at playing cards under demanding conditions. Contestants
will each be given a new, sealed deck of playing cards of unknown design and will have up to 10 minutes to perform card magic under the
watchful eyes of their peers. Booth, who was recognized as the 2006 Elliott Card Champion, will defend his title against a field of determined
contestants. The public is invited to watch the challenge.
SOURCE:
Lewiston Sun Journal, 4/11/2007.
|
AN EVENING OF MAGIC AND SUPERSTITION
RUMFORD, APRIL 13 - S.A.M. Assembly 174 joined I.B.M. Ring 362 in recognizing Rumford as Maine's Capital of Magic early in 2007.
To make it official, Scot Grassette, President of S.A.M. Assembly 174 organized a show in Rumford on Friday, April 13.
The show, titled An Evening of Magic and Superstition, was held at the Mountain Valley High School in Rumford to benefit the class of 2009.
Kaitlyn Grassette, a member of S.Y.M. and a member of the class of 2009, acted as the emcee.
The event proved to be a draw for magic talent from around the state.
Scot Grassette, Kaitlyn Grassette, Bob Nixon, Wes Booth, Professor Miller and Dr. Wilson performed on stage, while Steve Cornish and Alan Drew performed strolling magic.
S.Y.M. members Zach Grassette, Jared Arsenault, Kurt Chihak, Carl Zurhorst, and Jeffery Roy served as crew, stooges, and bodyguards for reigning Elliott Card Champion Wes Booth.
The second act opened with a presentation of a brass plaque recognizing Rumford as Maine's Capital of Magic to acting Rumford Town Manager Stacy Carter by
Scot Grassette and Bob Nixon, representing S.A.M. Assembly 174 and I.B.M. Ring 362.
Adding to the fun, before the show, Eric Roderick, the son of Dr. James William Elliott's niece, paid a visit with Elliott's photo album.
The album included autographed photos of Houdini, William Robinson (later Chung Ling Soo), Alexander Herrman, Buatier De Kolta, and many others.
Photos from outside the world of magic included an autographed photo of President Garfield.
Please see the photos.
MAGICIANS WOW RUMFORD CROWD
RUMFORD, APRIL 16 - Six magicians from around the state wowed more than 100 people of all ages during An Evening of Magic and Superstition
on Friday night at Mountain Valley High School. It was a benefit for the Class of 2009.
The performers are professional members of the Assembly 174 of the Society of American Magicians of Portland and/or Bangor's Ring 362 of the
International Brotherhood of Magicians.
Additionally, they gave acting Rumford Town Manager Stacy Carter a large brass plaque from both organizations, proclaiming Rumford as Maine's Capital of Magic.
The recognition honors Rumford native son James William Elliott (1874-1920), one of Maine's foremost magicians, a world champion card manipulator and
friend of escape artist Harry Houdini.
Both the award and card manipulator Wes Booth of Newport, also set the stage for the second annual J. W. Elliott Card Challenge, which will be held at
3 p.m. Sunday, April 29, at Hotel Harris and The Boiler Room in Rumford.
"I believe that when the dust settles and, it's all said and done, there will be a second Elliott Card Challenge trophy on my mantel," boasted Booth,
who wore a crown of playing cards, a large unsheathed sword, and a cloak of cards. He is the reigning J. W. Elliott card champion.
"I'm anticipating several challengers, because the gauntlet has been thrown down. Card manipulation is a very specific branch of magic, and there are
not that many people who do it. Some of it involves feats of juggling and making cards disappear and reappear. Elliott was the foremost card manipulator
of his era," he said.
Escape artist performer "Dr. Wilson," aka Paul Szauter of Bar Harbor, said the magicians performed Friday night as a publicity stunt for the card
challenge and, out of friendships with fellow magician Scot Grassette of Rumford, who performed a floating candle trick. His daughter, Kaitlyn, emceed
the show and also performed magic tricks.
The Grassettes and Auburn magician Bob Nixon performed during the first half of the more than two-hour show, while acts by Booth and Blue Hill's
"Professor Miller," who declined to state his off-stage name, led to Szauter's grand finale, the Chrysalis, a late 1930s death-defying human bondage escape feat.
Booth quickly got the audience laughing loudly during his handkerchief act, which began with him holding a red cloth in his closed fist and throwing
an orange Nerf ball with the other hand to a youngster named Tommy several seats back from the stage.
When asked by Booth to pick any color in the world, Tommy said purple. After Booth consulted Kaitlyn's brother Zach Grassette, one of Booth's two
"bodyguards," the magician asked Tommy to pick another color, a process Booth repeated after every "wrong" color.
"Something that reminds you of snow," he said.
"Yellow."
"Something that reminds you of fresh snow."
"White."
To applause, Booth poked the red handkerchief through his fist and pulled out a white cloth, then revealed no red cloth in either hand.
At Booth's request, Tommy then threw a line-drive Nerf a few rows back to a child named Andrew, who, when asked by Booth for a color, answered, "Periwinkle."
"Think of any other color that reminds you of the sky."
"Gray."
"Something that reminds you of a clear sky."
"A bird."
"A color that reminds you of a clear sky."
"Aquamarine."
"Andrew, has anyone ever told you that you have a future in politics?"
Booth then pushed the white handkerchief into his fist and pulled out a blue cloth, which he then pushed through the same fist and out came an
American flag, to loud applause. He next did a large three-card Monte trick, which was followed by Dr. Wilson's bondage escape performance.
SOURCE:
Lewiston Sun Journal, 4/16/2007
 |
| Left to right: S.A.M. Assembly 174 President Scot Grassette, I.B.M. Territorial Vice President Bob Nixon, acting Rumford Town Manager Stacy Carter,
and reigning Elliott Card Champion Wes Booth recognize Rumford as Maine's Capital of Magic on April 13, 2007, at An Evening of Magic and Superstition. |
 |
| Kaitlyn Grassette, member of S.Y.M. and Mountain Valley High School Class of 2009. |
 |
| Eric Roderick, the son of Dr. James William Elliott's niece, shows Elliott's photo album with autographed photos of many of the greats from the Golden Age of Magic.
Visible in this photo are autographed photos of Houdini (upper left), William Robinson (lower left), and Alexander Herrman (lower right). |
 |
| It's official! Rumford is now recognized as Maine's Capital of Magic by S.A.M. Assembly 174 and I.B.M. Ring 362. Acting Rumford Town Manager Stacy Carter holds
the plaque proclaiming Rumford as "Maine's Capital of Magic." |