175: Ground Zero - Abbott's Get Together 2014

Lots of stuff to do on the day before the official opening of the 77th Get Together. Upon my afternoon arrival , we headed over to Shipshewana, Indiana for an "all you can eat" chicken dinner that as fantastic. Fifty people joined the group that was arranged by Michael Mode. After dinner we went to the farm home of Merle and Marlene Hostetler who invited many of their Amish neighbors and families to enjoy a magic show that was put on by about ten magicians. After the show they gave us buggy rides and had cake, ice cream and lots of food for us to enjoy. I was going to head over to David Seebach's party, but by the time I got back to Colon, Michigan, it was a little late in the evening plus I needed to get this podcast edited and uploaded. If it wasn't for the nice hospitality of Losander's son, Timothy Cripe, then I wouldn't have had access to wi-fi tonight. Thanks, Tim.

This podcast is a little shorter than the usual one I post. To help put you in the mood, I think you will enjoy a video I found that I recorded 30 years ago when I first attended the Get Together. I brought along my video camera and recorded some of the sights and sounds of the city. I really didn't know too many people back then so unfortunately I didn't record any interviews with the attendees; however, I did get a personal tour of Abbott's from a very young Greg Bordner.

Enjoy a trip to the past as I walk down the streets of Colon, Michigan and record all the sights and sounds on the street, at the cemetery, and the Magic Carpet restaurant plus a guided tour of Abbott's Magic Company by Greg Bordner. See some of the street vendors as well as the dealers in the gymnasium.

The end of the film is the tech rehearsal for Rick Walker, my very good friend who was an illusionist from Dallas, TX.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:02:36 - Mike Miller talks about his experience in China and working with the recent touring magicians over there. Jania Taylor, a long time attendee, tells why she never misses this week.

00:07:22 - Ken Dumm and his son Austin tell us what is most important about the Get Together...Family.

00:16:38 - Local Amish farmer, Merle Hostetler opened his home to us for a delightful evening of food and buggy rides as many of us performed magic for his family and neighbors.

00:20:50 - Michael Mode was the one who put together this Amish magic show. He talks about how it can to be.

00:23:09 - Enjoy the last few minutes of my buggy ride as you hear the "clip clop" of horses hooves along the trail.

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170: Day 5 - IBM/SAM Combined Convention 2014

It's here...the final day of the Combined Convention. This brought us the long awaited results of the days of competitions. But first, the I.B.M. hosted its annual Order of Merlin breakfast which honors those who have 25 or more consecutive years of membership in the organization. Lupe Nielsen was the guest speaker who showed us slides from Norm's and her massive collection.

The afternoon included a lecture by Dani DaOrtiz before the buses loaded for the evening gala show, "The Magic of Korea". Afterwards was the awards presentation back in the hotel. First of all, The FISM Close-Up champion was Shin Lim and the Stage champions were Trevor and Lorena Waters. The representatives who will go forward as the representatives from North America for stage will be: Trevor & Lorena Waters, The Reed Sisters, Tim Wright, Trent James, Trigg Watson, and Christian & Katalina. The Close-up representatives will be: Shin Lim, Alberto Lorenzo, Reuben Mooreland, Chris Hannibal and Michael Dardant.

The I.B.M. winners for Close-up was Alberto Lorenzo in second place and Michael Dardant in first place. The stage winners were: Den Den (from Japan) in second place, and Hun Lee (Japan) in first place. There were no Gold Medal or Gold Cup winners announced for the I.B.M. this year. First place in both categories included a cash award of $2,000 and second place received $500.

The S.A.M. close-up winners were: Reuben Mooreland in second place and Seoul Park (S. Korea) in first place. Winning the Silver Medal Award of Merit for close-up was Seoul Park. In the Stage competition, Hun Lee (S. Korea) took second place and Den Den (Japan) took first place. The Silver Award of Merit for Stage went to Hun Lee. I believe that the S.A.M. cash awards were the same as for the I.B.M.

The highest award from the S.A.M. for stage is the Gold Medal Award of Honor which has only once before been awarded. It went to George Saterial. It was awarded for the second time this evening to Den Den (Japan)

And the People's Choice Award, along with a $3,000 prize for each went to Shin Lim for Close-up and to Hun Lee for Stage. Congratulations, one and all.

And speaking of money, there was both a silent and live auction for select memorabilia from Joanie Spina, They raised $5,500 which all will go to help offset some of the astronomical medical expenses for Joanie.

Here are some photos of a small part of the Nielsen poster collection that I took in 2007 while Dick Olson and I were visiting with Norm and Lupe Nielsen in their home.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:01:58 - At the Order of Merlin (25+ years of consecutive membership in the I.B.M.) breakfast, Lupe Nielsen was the guest speaker. She allowed me to record and broadcast her speech on the Neilen poster collection.

00:35:19 - The new National President for the S.A.M., Kenrick "Ice" McDonald, tells us his vision for magic and what he hopes to achieve during his one year tenure as President.

00:39:28- Eugene Burger and Larry Hass chat after lunch about fine tuning your act, the importance of scripting, and more.

01:04:32 - Stan Allen, editor and chief of MAGIC Magazine, tells us about M360 and how it has evolved as well as a little about next year's MAGIC Live! convention plus the Magic Summit planned for this coming Fall.

169: Day 4 - IBM/SAM Combined Convention 2014

On this Independence Day in the U.S., we saw plenty of fireworks in the close-up and stage contests today. The finals were held in the evening with some solid competitors that made it difficult for the judges to decide upon a clear winner.

Also this day was the annual banquet which included the awarding of the Milbourne Christopher trophies. This year the recipients were:

Illusionist Award - Alex Ramon

Mentalist Award - Joseph Curcillo

Close-Up Award - Dani DaOrtiz

Visual Magic Art Award - Rick Heath

Masters Award - Dale Salwak

Literary Award - Jim Steinmeyer

Lifetime Achievement Award - Stan Kramien

Some of the past winners of the Milbourne Christopher Award.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:01:48 - Eric Jones will be traveling to China and Australia to perform, plus he has a new effect that will soon be on the market.

00:10:56 - Christian Painter (one half of the Christian and Katalina mind reading duo), was one of the contestants in the FISM North American Championships. He talks about entering contests plus some of his advice and tips.

00:27:41 - Past National Presidents of the S.A.M, Mark Weidhaas and Vinny Grosso talk about this convention as it relates to registration and the contests as each chaired those respective positions for this event.

00:36:33 - Chris Hannibal, another of the contestants (close-up, in this case), tell us about his road to prepare for this competition and his creative process in developing this routine.

00:40:40 - Joe Curcillo talks about his excitement of being a recipient of the Milbourne Christopher award.

00:44:17 - Inside the banquet, I set my recorder to capture the auction for a prized photo of Joanie Spina and David Copperfield, the proceeds of which went directly to help with Joanie's medical expenses. We also hear the announcements of the recipients for the Milbourne Christopher awards.

01:18:43 - Bill Gleason tells about the history of the "Patriot and Patriotism Award" and how deserving members can apply or suggest a recipient for this prestigious award.

featuring Christian and Katalina in Indianapolis, Indiana

175: Ground Zero - Abbott's Get Together 2014

170: Day 5 - IBM/SAM Combined Convention 2014

169: Day 4 - IBM/SAM Combined Convention 2014

The Magic Word