Before the scheduled start of the April meeting of Ring 216, Don White led a workshop to practice the pen and cap trick that had been taught in the previous month’s Michael Feldman lecture.
The meeting proper began with a greeting to new visitors and a free-for-members raffle of some generously donated magical items. It was Open Performance Night and a variety of valiant volunteers stepped up to practice and baffle.
Rafael Delgadillo started things off by divining a chosen card while his back was turned.
John Jones performed a 3-fly routine with differently colored poker chips.
John Mosh caused a spectator’s imagined red-backed card to materialize reversed in a blue deck, and he took care to show both sides of the deck.
Grant Yang, in his first performance for the Ring, performed a series of intertwined card mysteries, as a single selection is found three different ways.
Mitch Kothe used a spectator’s password to find a selected card, then the whole audience participated with cards in hand to find their own cards with their passwords.
Fred Rasmussen pitted a man and a woman against each other in trying to guess the color of a series of cards; the man was always wrong and the woman was always right.
Ken King told a history-based Old West tale where a gambler cut to four kings – which subsequently changed to four deuces.
Don White performed an inventive and deceptive close-up Miser’s Dream - the endless production of coins -- which he then taught to all.
David Martinez and a spectator took turns playing detective to identify the culprit among a group of spectators who held the guilty envelope.
Tom Collett closed out the evening with his presentation of a transforming sponge ball.
