Minutes of March 2010 Meeting
March 21, 2010

The March Meeting of I.B.M. Ring 362 was held at Happy China Buffet in Bangor, Maine, on March 21, 2010, at 3:00 pm. The theme of the meeting was Old Wine in New Bottles. Please see the Ring Report for details.

President Geoffrey Miller 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.

The minutes for the February meeting were approved without amendment.

President Geoffrey Miller reported that he and Treasurer Prashant Srivastava had opened a new bank account at Key Bank and were preparing to transfer the funds from the old account at Machias Savings Bank. The balance in the old account was $1750; the balance in the new account was not available, but Prashant offered to send the information to the Secretary later for insertion into the minutes. Members voted to approve the Treasurer's Report.

In Old Business, the President called for the payment of 2010 dues. Dues are set at $10 for the year. Alex Turanski and Bryan-Keith Taylor paid dues at the meeting. The Treasurer presented the names of five members who had renewed by mail to the Secretary.

In Old Business, the Ring Name Raffle was held. Two names were in contention: Bob Nixon Ring and Magic Mainiacs. Members present at the meeting received raffle tickets; an additional $55 in tickets were sold. No tickets were received by mail. The winning name was Bob Nixon Ring.

In Old Business, Contest Official Danny Baker invited members to compete in the fifth annual Dr. James William Elliott Card Challenge, scheduled for April 18 at 3:00 pm at the Happy China Buffet. Danny said that he would bring a suitable table and that all of the decks are purchased. Prashant Srivastava, the 2009 Elliott Card Champion, posed for publicity photos with the trophy.

In Old Business, Contest Official Paul Szauter invited members to compete in the fourth annual Chung Ling Soo Stage Magic Competition, scheduled for Saturday, May 15 at 7:00 pm at Next Generation Theatre in Brewer. The performance will be open to the public, with general admission tickets at $8 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. The Ring will receive 50% of the gate. Contestants Danny Baker and Geoffrey Miller each tossed three coins six times to determine the order of performance using the I Ching. Dr. Wilson will be teaching a magic class at Next Generation Theatre at 2:00 pm on May 15 in order to generate interest in the contest.

In New Business, the President reviewed the calendar for 2010, calling for additional themes and Teaching Tables. The April meeting will be the Elliott Card Challenge, to be held at the Happy China Buffet, with Danny Baker as the Contest Official. There are currently no plans for a regular Ring meeting in May; the Chung Ling Soo Stage Magic Competition is scheduled for Saturday, May 15, at the Next Generation Theatre in Brewer, with Paul Szauter as the Contest Official. Prashant Srivastava asked to switch the order of the June and July themes so that he could be the Theme Leader in July. The theme of the June meeting is now Magic from DVDs, and the theme of the July meeting is now Magic of the Mind with Prashant as Theme Leader. The theme of the August meeting is Ball Magic, with Professor Miller as Theme Leader. Dr. Wilson offered to lead the theme of Paper for the September meeting. Danny Baker suggested the theme of Show Me the Funny for the October meeting. Several members spoke in favor of the ever-popular theme of Turkeys for the November meeting. Professor Miller said that he was working on a Teaching Table on Plot and Story Line, but he was not ready to schedule it. The question of a Ring Christmas show was raised; the Secretary suggested that the Ring consider holding The Magic of Christmas at Next Generation Theatre in Brewer, depending on how the upcoming magic events there are received.

In New Business, four members had paid for ads on the Hire a Magician page. A drawing was held to determine the order of placement of the ads on the page. The results of the drawing, in order, were: Danny Baker, Dr. Wilson, Phil Smith, Professor Miller. Alan Drew and Wes Booth did not renew their ads in time for the drawing.

In New Business, the Nate Leipzig Close-Up Magic Contest and the Max Malini Parlor Magic Contest will be scheduled in the fall. Members discussed holding the Nate Leipzig Close-Up Magic Contest at Next Generation Theatre in Brewer in September, provided that the Ring's experience with the venue is good and that there is a plan to develop an audience for magic there. President Geoffrey Miller named himself as the Contest Official for the Nate Leipzig Close-Up Magic Contest. Danny Baker has looked into the use of the Bangor Public Library as a venue for the Max Malini Parlor Magic Contest in November. As the library is closed on weekends, the contest will have to be held on a weekday in the first or second week of November.

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