Minutes of February 2009 Meeting
February 22, 2009

The February Meeting of I.B.M. Ring 362 was held at Dino's Pizza in Brewer, Maine, on February 22, 2009, at 3:00 pm. The theme of the meeting was Tarbell Night.

The raffle of a 1928 Thurston Good Luck Token raised $26 for the Ring.

President Geoffrey Miller called the meeting to order. He cited a set of simplified Rules of Order that have been made available as a PDF on the Ring's web site, which were adopted as the Rules of Order for the meeting. Geoff reminded members that the Rules of Order specify that the agenda items may be added prior to the meeting by simply raising them with him in advance. Once the meeting is called to order, a majority vote is required to add agenda items. Once the agenda has been approved, it requires a 2/3 majority to add an agenda item. Items not on the agenda are not to be discussed at the meeting.

The agenda for the meeting had been made available in advance, and the President called for the adoption of the agenda, which was approved without amendment.

The minutes for the January meeting were approved without amendment.

Treasurer Randy Von Smith presented the Treasurer's Report. The bank balance was $1922.08, with $447.00 in petty cash for a total of $2359.08. Of these funds, $1995.08 (84.6%) was unrestricted and $364.53 (15.4%) was in endowments as follows: Ring Name Plaque Endowment ($140), Elliott Endowment ($107.71), Chung Ling Soo Endowment ($94.76), Max Malini Endowment ($111.00), and Lecture Endowment (-$3.00). These totals do not include funds received at the meeting (raffle and dues payments). Members voted to approve the Treasurer's Report.

In Old Business, there was a call for payment of Ring membership dues for 2009. Dues, payable January 1, are due by April 1 in order to prevent suspension of membership privileges. New member Alex Turanski, attending his first meeting, paid dues for 2009.

In Old Business, President Geoffrey Miller called for new meeting themes and Teaching Tables for 2009. The current calendar has themes through September. Geoff has offered a Teaching Table, as yet unscheduled, on Costume & Character.

In Old Business, the President reminded members that the Ring Name Raffle will be held on March 15 at the March Ring meeting. Three names have been approved: Bob Nixon Ring, Chung Ling Soo Ring, and Dr. James William Elliott Ring. Members who have paid their 2009 dues will receive a single ticket for the Ring Name Raffle, and may purchase additional tickets at $5 each. Members may also submit their tickets by mail. Forms will be mailed out with the March issue of The Rapping Hand.

In Old Business, Dr. Wilson, Theme Leader for Magic Class in March, explained the theme. Members are asked to perform simple magic with inexpensive props suitable for students at Summer Festival of the Arts. The performances and explanations will be shot on video for possible inclusion on a DVD to be given to students. Students will also be given a copy of Joshua Jay's Magic - The Complete Course. Copies of Joshua Jay's book will be available for approximately $10 at the March Ring meeting. Members are requested not to duplicate effects on the DVD supplied with that book.

In Old Business, the President reported that Scot Grassette had agreed to host the 2009 Dr. James William Elliott Card Challenge in Rumford, Maine's Capital of Magic, on Sunday, April 19. The contest is scheduled for 1:00 pm at the Hotel Harris in Rumford, with a Ring meeting and other activies to follow. Scot has a schedule conflict and had asked to reschedule the contest. The prior Sunday (April 12) is Easter, and the following Sunday (April 26) Tom Craven will be attending FFFF. Members were encouraged to compete.

In Old Business, the Secretary reported that the Chung Ling Soo Stage Magic Competition is scheduled for Sunday, May 17, 2009, at a time to be announced, at All Souls Congregational Church. The registration deadline is 30 days in advance; members were encouraged to compete. Brother Don Paul reported that he will be seeing Rev. Renee Garrett within a week to discuss details.

In Old Business, Brother Don Paul reported that he had formulated the rules for the Nate Leipzig Close-Up Magic Contest, which have been posted on the Ring's website. Brother Don hopes that we will be able to hold the contest at Thistles Restaurant on Sunday, September 20. Thistles is not normally open on Sunday afternoons, but they would open for the contest. Brother Don proposing limiting the number of contestants to six, making for an hour of performance. After some discussion, it was decided to have the Contest Official accept the first six registrants, rather than holding auditions. After some discussion, it was decided not to write this restriction into the rules, but to allow it to change from year to year at the discretion of the Contest Official.

In New Business, the Secretary reported that payment for ads on the Hire A Magician page is due March 1. Members who have paid for ads by the March 15 Ring meeting will participate in a drawing to determine the order of placement of the ads on the page. Ads paid for after that date will be placed at the bottom of the page in the order received.

With no further business, a motion was made to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed unanimously.