The August Performers

The Amazing Vijay started the evening by offering some tips on rope magic professors nightmare. For example: the ropes should REALLY look unequal. The LONG rope should be long. And the medium rope should be a goodly length, too. Vijay also suggested a method for folding the ropes in the hands. Vijay then demonstrated a piece of rope with two ends and a middle. He tied them and then cut them with his magic scissors (known to ordinary folk as fingers). Unfortunately he did not end up with two equal pieces of rope. So he restored the pieces as one rope and started over. The second attempt required a bit more magic to get the ropes to be equal lengths. The routine is from George Sands Rope Sational. Ending from Daryl.

Patrick Reed brought Vinit up to help him. Unfortunately the scissors wouldnt open. Patrick then handed them to him already opened but they wouldnt close. Using the magic finger scissors would not cut the rope either. Several attempts to trim the ropes to equal lengths were unsuccessful. Patrick gave up on equality and tied the two ropes together. Sliding the knot down made them appear to be equal. Removing the knot revealed a restored rope.

Stefan Fisher brought a card trick. Patrick Reed volunteered. Stefan showed an envelope containing a prediction. Stefan cut off a packet for Patrick and one for himself. Several cards were turned face up from each packet and intermixed with the other packet. This was repeated leaving a packet of cards, some face up, some face down. The envelope was a book Little Bunnies Card Trick. 13 Face up, 7 black, 6 red. All black were clubs

Greg Finch was next with Deans Box. He presented a red and white length of rope. They somehow became interconnected inside the box. Next he placed the ropes in the box and had two volunteers help. The ropes linked again while they were held. Finally a rope threaded through the box instantly held a ring thrown in to the box.

Joe DeRosa, a visiting magician from New Jersey was next. He related how he had learned hypnosis from a stage hypnotist. Hypnotism is about how the mind perceives reality. He started with two equal length ropes and rolled up in his hand a rope that looked much longer. He then explained how the long rope was just made to look short. And apparently it really was! He next explained how the long rope could appear to be lengthened (and it ended up quite long). He followed this with a nice clean PN.

Subha exhibited a rope into which he threw a knot one handed! He then tied a knot which wasnt really a knot (it dissolved). A second knot also dissolved. Subha then brought out red, green and yellow ropes which he tied yellow to yellow, red to red, green to green. But they ended up making one rope.

John Bodine was next doing a very brief PN. He then brought out a deck of playing cards. Two selected cards were then produced magically. The first jumped from the deck, the second replaced the first.

Joe Caffall told about a wizard who wandered strange lands. The wife was unimpressed and demanded that the wizard perform magic with a necklace and her bracelet. After 3 tries the bracelet was tied firmly in the middle without going over the ends. Next the wizard removed the bracelet magically. Finally by casting the necklace it was magically bound into three knots.

Next up was Bob Dippel. With Night and Day 2. He showed a colorful circle square from which he produced a green and yellow handkerchief. Tying the two together and throwing them in the air we found several handkerchiefs tied together followed by a large streamer, a dragon silk, a LARGE dragon silk.

Steven Christenson then performed Bob Sheets Hang em High having been handed the effect that evening by Bob Dippel. Two burly men at either side held the ends of a long piece of rope, Steven reached behind him and pulled the rope through his body.

The performance award for the category Most Outrageous Premise went to our visitor from New Jersey:

 Joe DeRosa

. Honorable mentions to Stefan Fisher, Patrick Reed and Greg Finch.