Minutes of November 2008 Meeting
November 9, 2008

The November Meeting of I.B.M. Ring 362 was held at the Friars' Bakehouse in Bangor, Maine, on November 9, 2008, at 3:00 pm. The theme of the meeting was Turkeys. Please see the Ring Report for details.

There was a raffle of The Great Houdini's Book of Magic, donated by Alola Morrison and originally intended as the raffle in October. The raffle raised $19 for the Ring.

President Danny Baker called the meeting to order. He 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 the President called for the adoption of the agenda, which was approved without amendment.

The minutes for the October meeting were approved without amendment.

Treasurer Randy Von Smith presented the Treasurer's Report. The bank balance was $1,507.92 and there was $460.00 in petty cash for $1,967.92 in total funds. Of these funds, $1,494.81 (76.0%) was unrestricted and $473.11 (24.0%) was in endowments as follows: Ring Name Plaque Endowment ($140.00), Elliott Endowment ($130.35), Chung Ling Soo Endowment ($94.76), Max Malini Endowment ($111.00) and Lecture Endowment (-$3.00).

In Old Business, Danny reported on progress towards finding a new meeting place. There has been no official response from All Souls Congregational Church to Danny's proposal. Brother Don Paul reported that All Souls does not allow unattended use of the facility, meaning that a member of the church must be in attendence, probably ruling out this venue for Ring meetings. Brother Don reported that All Souls will be pleased to host the Chung Ling Soo Stage Magic Competition and the Max Malini Parlor Magic Contest, as it has for the past two years. St. John's was considered, and Dino's Pizza in Brewer was also mentioned. The problem must be solved soon, as the Ring will not be able to meet at the Friars' Bakehouse in January.

In Old Business, Paul Szauter reported on The Magic of Christmas. Danny Baker, Professor Miller, Randy Von Smith, and Dr. Wilson met previously to work out a set list. Brother Don suggested advance ticket sales through Bittersweet Gift Shop, next door to the Alamo Theatre. Paul agreed to print tickets cheaply to take advantage of this opportunity. Members reviewed technical details and agreed on transport of individual pieces to Bucksport.

In Old Business, the Secretary reported that Scot Grassette's project, the World's Largest Letter to Santa, is set for November 29 at the Mountain Valley High School in Rumford. Professor Miller and Dr. Wilson will be performing.

In Old Business, Treasurer Randy Von Smith called for the payment of 2009 dues. Danny Baker and Brother Don Paul paid dues of $10 for 2009.

In New Business, Brother Don Paul raised the subject of scheduling the Chung Ling Soo Stage Magic Competition and the Max Malini Parlor Magic Contest at All Souls. All Souls has a large, portable stage with full wings, that can be set up in the sanctuary. All Souls would prefer to use a large magic show as a fundraiser prior to their trip to Honduras in June. This would make it optimal to schedule the 2009 Chung Ling Soo Stage Magic Competition in May. Brother Don will discuss this with the people at All Souls.

Brother Don Paul suggesting amending the rules for the Chung Ling Soo Stage Magic Competition to require registration 30 days in advance rather than one week in advance. He moved to ask the Board to consider the amending the rules for a 30-day advance registration. Because four of the five 2008 Board members, and all five of the 2009 Board members, were in attendence, the Board members considered the question immediately. All Board members present voted unanimously to approve the change.

In New Business, Brother Don Paul moved to ask the Board to consider adding a People's Choice Award to the Chung Ling Soo Stage Magic Competition. Randy Von Smith defended the right of the originator of the contest (Paul Szauter) to write the rules. Paul agreed with the proposal, making the motion moot.

In New Business, Brother Don Paul suggested creating a Close-Up Contest. Following the lead of other magic clubs, members discussed a format in which contestants moved from table to table performing. Brother Don suggested Thistles Restaurant. Members discussed scheduling, ruling out January-March due to weather, April due to the Elliott Card Challenge, May due to the Chung Ling Soo Stage Magic Competition (or the Max Malini Parlor Magic Contest), and June-August because it is the peak of performing season for several members. This makes September and October optimal for the Max Malini Parlor Magic Contest and the yet-unnamed Close-Up Contest.

Brother Don and the members present sketched out Close-Up Contest rules. Brother Don recommended that all I.B.M. members (rather than just Ring members) be eligible. He suggested a ten-minute time limit with disqualification for going over time. Judging would be exclusively People's Choice by audience members sitting at the tables. Brother Don agreed to make a donation to start the endowment, and to formally work out the rules.

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