IBM Ring 252 Vice President David Williams
With Halloween not far away, our attention may turn to ghosts and goblins. But monsters are not the only things worthy of our curiosity. It is also a wonderful time for the amazement that magicians can conjure!
Whether they are illusionists, escape artists, close-up card tricksters, mentalists or quick-change, classical stage or street magicians, they come in all shapes and sorts. And it’s a good thing, too. There will never be a shortage of those fun and sometimes shocking effects.
Many in Murfreesboro may be surprised to learn that there is a local club that celebrates artistic magic all year-round. The Sam Walkoff Ring of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, #252 has been in Rutherford County since 1984. What’s more surprising is the vast amount of true talent within the club. Many members have performed on large stages in Las Vegas, and others still work professionally with local parties and events. Also referred to as the Middle Tennessee Magic Club, the organization itself has been delighting audience members with close-up trickery and stage performances for decades.
Magicians Tom Gibson and Alan Fisher
One of those performances is the annual Paul McCallie Memorial Veterans Show, a series started back in November of 2009 (by myself and other club members). Each year, about three or four of these talented tricksters perform in one of the dayrooms at the Alvin C. York VA Medical Center. Shows usually run 30 to 60 minutes and the room is always packed! Then, the team will make room visits to those who were too infirm to attend. Through the years, the Middle Tennessee chapter of the IBM has been able to gain access to the psychiatric ward, which, for security purposes, does not typically receive many visitors.
The entertainment is provided each year on Nov. 11, Veterans Day. This annual event was especially important to club member Paul McCallie, a walking encyclopedia of magic and Vietnam veteran whose stage name was the Amazing Maurice. McCallie passed away in 2017, but the club decided to name the show in his honor.
The magicians organization also performs publicly throughout the year at various theaters, so keep an eye out for their next show.
In the meantime, budding magicians who would like to hone their craft can always visit the club meetings. The monthly meetings are at 7:02 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the Linebaugh Library just off of the Murfreesboro Public Square. It’s a great time, filled with laughter and fellow magicians who are willing to help others. Pros as well as hobbyists are welcome to join.
“The local club is a launch point for new magicians,” Alan Fisher says. “It provides you with a safe place to fail so you can perfect your performance for the public.”
Master Magician Alan Fisher performs for the club
Alan would know. He is one of the world’s top 10 performers in parlor magic and ranked as No. 2 in the U.S. As this writer can attest, Fisher, and all of the members, are committed to bringing the best that magic has to offer to the public.
There is even a way for children, seven years and older, to get in on the act. The Amazing Abner Youth Magic Club meets from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month, again at the Linebaugh Library in Murfreesboro. The creation of local magician and businessman Jimbo Hooten, the Amazing Abner Club (named for magician Jim Ford) has been meeting for the past half decade. At each monthly meeting, kids will receive a new trick and are shown how to perform it. It all culminates with a show the kids themselves perform in December. It’s always fun and there is no cost to join.
Stage magic is a wonderful art to practice year-round. Learn more about the members of the Middle Tennessee Magic Club at ibmring252.com, especially if you would be interested in hiring one for a party this holiday season.
Feel free to visit their next club meeting, and you may see members at a haunted woods or house party this Halloween season as well. Catch them before they disappear!
___
Blaine Little is a member of IBM 252. Learn more about him at magicmentalist.com.
