967: Magic Collector Expo 2026 - Days One and Two

Schedule

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

10:00 a.m. – Registration Opens
1:00 to 4:00 p.m. – Dealer Room Open
4:00 to 5:00 p.m. – Session #1
7:00 to 8:30 p.m. – Session #2
8:30 to 11:30 p.m. – Dealer Room Open

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

9:00 a.m. – First Group Bus to NYPL/Lincoln Center
10:15 a.m. – Second Group Bus to NYPL/Lincoln Center
11:30 a.m. – First Group Leaves NYPL/Lincoln Center
12:30 to 5:00 p.m. – Dealer Room Open
12:30 p.m. – Second Group Leaves NYPL/Lincoln Center
7:00 to 8:30 p.m. – Session #3
8:30 to 11:30 p.m. – Dealer Room Open

I will give you the time stamps of who spoke when after I get some sleep.

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921: Abbott's Get Together 2025 - Day Three Report

FRIDAY, AUGUST 1st 2025

9:30AM REGISTRATION OPENS at the Abbott Plant
10:00AM ABBOTT'S DEALERS ROOM OPENS (Requires Registration)
11:30AM LECTURE Jeff Hobson (Requires Registration)
1:00PM MAGIC SHOW at Abbott's Magic Showroom Theatre $5
2:30PM ABBOTT'S CLOSEUP SHOW John Shyrock, Marc DeSouza, Tom Ewing, Diego Vargas (Requires Registration)
3:30PM MAGIC SHOW at Abbott's Magic Showroom Theatre $5
6:00PM-7:45PM DINNER (on your own)
7:45PM PRESHOW LIVE ORGAN MUSIC - by John Sturk
8:00PM GET-TOGETHER STAGE SHOW - Friday Night Gala Show
Featuring Dale Salwak, Tom Ewing, David Charvet, Marc DeSouza,Craig Diamond
Requires Registration or Tickets
10:00PM ABBOTT'S DEALERS ROOM RE-OPENS (Requires Registration)

Time Stamps for this episode:

00:00:19 - Mark Holstein has been the Stage Manager for 40 years and talks about some of the great acts he’s worked with over the years.

00:14:28 - John Sturk, Past National President of the S.A.M., has been the keyboard artist for the evening shows for the past 20 years or so. In the past, he has also coordinated the street performers shows.

00:26:50 - Terry Evanswood is a real pro who filled in on the previous night’s show for one of the missing acts. He talks about his new Evanswood Magic Theatre in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

00:35:31 Mike Miller is the talent booker for the Get Together and he talks about why he booked the acts he did.

00:45:32 - Gay Blackstone is so important to the Get Together and she never misses one of these. She is now busy producing the Masters of Illusion television show and preparing to tape season 11.

00:53:07 - B.J. Mallon has a couple new books out, one a book of poems and the other a children’s book. He is a perennial favorite master of ceremonies.

01:00:22 - Jania Taylor is one of the street performers at the Get Together again this year. She is also the President of the Board of Directors of the American Museum of Magic located in Marshall, Michigan, which is only about 30 miles from Colon.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. You can download or listen to the podcast through Stitcher by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here..If you have a Spotify account, then you can also hear us through that app, too. You can also listen through your Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

816: Protecting Secrets with David Sandy, Bill Smith and Mark Holstein

Over the last two weeks, we have presented two individuals who support and encourage magic exposure. This episode features three magicians who have vested interests in keeping magic secrets secret. David Sandy is a performer, producer and collector. Bill Smith is a builder, performer and collector. Mark Holstein is an attorney, performer and collector. What they all have in common is their passion for the keeping magic secrets from the prying public in order to keep our audiences amazed and mystified.

Each of our guests this week has a little different perspective on why we should protect the secrets of our craft. While agreeing that anything can be found online in an instant, it still takes time for someone to go to the effort of looking it up. They believe that magic secrets shouldn’t come across social feeds indiscriminately without the viewer requesting it. They believe that secrets are being shared with some people who would rather not know. The adage, “it’s fun to be fooled, but more fun to know,” is not what they believe. This week, they tell us why.