I.B.M. Ring 362
Dr. James William Elliott Ring
Bangor, Maine

Minutes of January 2007 Meeting
January 21, 2007

The January Meeting of I.B.M. Ring 362 was held at the Friars' Bakehouse in Bangor, Maine, on January 21, 2007, at 3:00 pm. The theme of the meeting was The Four Elements. The meeting began with member performances. Please see the Ring Report for details of the performances.

A Thurston throw-out card from an anonymous donor was raffled and won by Kim Hawkins. The raffle raised $30 for the Ring.

President Alan Drew called the meeting to order. Sergeant At Arms Geoffrey Miller cited a set of simplified Rules of Order that have been made available as a PDF on the Ring's web site, which were adopted as the Rules of Order for the meeting.

The agenda for the meeting had been made available in advance, and Alan called for the adoption of the agenda, which was approved without amendment.

The minutes for the November meeting were approved without amendment.

Treasurer Randy Von Smith reported that the Ring's bank account has a balance of $760. There is $100 and change in petty cash plus dues payments and raffle proceeds from the meeting in progress. The Ring's funds include two endowments: $40 to purchase a plaque listing the Ring's annual descriptive name, and $10 in the Dr. James William Elliott Card Challenge endowment. Randy has opened a second bank account containing $75 from the first account, and made a donation of $20 to buy checks for the new account. The reason for opening the second account is that the new bank does not charge a monthly service charge to non-profit organizations; up to ten checks/month may be written for free, with additional checks costing $0.10 each. He moved that the first bank account, with its $5 monthly service charge, be closed, and that the funds transferred be to the new account. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The Treasurer's report was approved without amendment.

In Old Business, the election of Ring President for 2007 was held. The Ballot Committee (Paul Szauter, Randy Von Smith, and Dayton Salisbury) reviewed the election procedure for the benefit of the members. All mailed-in ballots were reviewed to determine whether they were from members whose dues were paid. Return envelopes were opened, ballots deposited into a clear glass bowl, and any dues payments given to the Treasurer. Twenty return envelopes bearing member's names were received. One ballot was destroyed for nonpayment of dues. One return envelope contained a dues payment but no ballot. A third return envelope did not bear a member's name or return address and was destroyed. Three members voted in person. Dayton opened the coin envelopes containing the ballots one at a time and read the votes. Paul recorded the vote count, then Randy recounted the ballots. The vote was twelve votes for Danny Baker and nine votes for Wes Booth. Detailed election results are posted on the Ring's website. The Ballot Committee declared Danny Baker as Ring President for 2007. The remaining four offices were uncontested and filled without balloting: Vice President (Carroll Chapman), Secretary (Paul Szauter), Treasurer (Randy Von Smith), and Sergeant At Arms (Geoffrey Miller).

In Old Business, the October 2006 issue of TLR reported that Bob Nixon has been nominated for TVP. Any I.B.M. member in Maine may be nominated by collecting the signatures of twenty I.B.M. members residing in Maine on an official petition available from the International Office. Once the required number of signatures has been collected, the petition must be notarized and returned to the International Office by February 1, 2007. In the event that there is more than one candidate, balloting will be conducted by the International Office. The full details on nominations for TVP are may be downloaded as a PDF here:

I.B.M. Election Rules

Randy Von Smith suggested that any member seeking the office of TVP for 2008 complete the petition prior to the 2007 I.B.M. Convention in late June, and that they commit themselves to attending the 2008 convention. Alan Drew outlined the responsibilities of the TVP, and agreed to check on whether the TVP could hold elective office in the Ring concurrently.

In Old Business, there was a call for names for the Ring Name Raffle in March. Two names have been proposed: Dr. James William Elliott Ring (the current name), and Ralph Greenwood Ring. Portland S.A.M. Assembly 174 has recently renamed itself after Ralph Greenwood.

In Old Business, Rumford was named as "Maine's Capital of Magic" by the members at the November meeting. S.A.M. Assembly 174 has passed a similar motion. A committee of three members has formed to promote the Elliott Card Challenge in Rumford on April 29, 2007: Wes Booth (current Elliott Card Champion), Scot Grassette (emcee and Rumford resident), and Paul Szauter (contest security). No other members expressed an interest in serving on the committee. Members were encouraged to compete in the 2007 Elliott Card Challenge.

In Old Business, Paul Szauter reported on the Worldwide Escape Artist Relay 2007, scheduled for October 27, 2007. Since the posting of the WEAR 2007 registration page on the Ring's website, 46 performers from eight different countries have registered, with many others expressing an interest in the event. A pre-event article, with photos, describing WEAR 2007 has been submitted to The Linking Ring. Publication, if it occurs, would be expected in the March or April issue.

In New Business, Carroll Chapman raised the subject of magic instruction for young people. Several members are currently involved in youth instruction of some kind. After some discussion, Randy moved that a committee be formed to formulate written guidelines for youth magic instruction. As members were leaving during this discussion, Paul moved that the motion be tabled, but the motion to table was not seconded. The motion to form a committee to write guidelines passed, and Carroll Chapman, Randy Von Smith, Geoffrey Miller, and Kim Hawkins volunteered to serve on the committee.

In New Business, Brother Don Paul reminded members that he would be away for the March meeting but would still make the Friars' Bakehouse available as a meeting site.

In New Business, Brother Don Paul suggested that the Ring pursue an opportunity to use the Isaac Farrar mansion, a restored Victorian home, which has a room perfect for a parlor magic show and contest, capable of holding perhaps 30 to 40 people. Members were enthusiastic and encouraged him to investigate possible dates in late spring.

With no further business at hand, a motion was made to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed unanimously.