Minutes of February 2010 Meeting
February 21, 2010

The February Meeting of I.B.M. Ring 362 was held at Pizza Oven of Bangor in Bangor, Maine, on February 21, 2010, at 3:00 pm. The theme of the meeting was Commando Cards.

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.

The agenda for the meeting had been made available in advance. Secretary Paul Szauter proposed an amendment to the agenda: a change in rules to the Nate Leipzig Close-Up Contest to allow the Contest Official to compete. The amendment to the agenda was approved unanimously.

The minutes for the January meeting were approved without amendment.

In the absence of Treasurer Prashant Srivastava, there was no Treasurer's Report. President Geoffrey Miller reported that the Board had approved the 2010 budget earlier that day.

In Old Business, the President called for the payment of 2010 dues. Dues are set at $10 for the year. Danny Baker, Brother Don Paul, Geoffrey Miller, and Gary Jewell paid dues at the meeting.

In Old Business, the Secretary reminded members that the Ring Name Raffle is scheduled for the March meeting. Two proposed names, Bob Nixon Ring and Magic Mainiacs, have been approved. Members who have paid dues will each receive an raffle ticket, with additional tickets available at $5 each. Indication of a name preference by mail in advance of the meeting is permitted, as long as the notice is received by the Friday prior to the meeting.

In Old Business, the President reviewed the calendar for 2010. The theme for March is Old Wine in New Bottles, with Professor Miller as the Theme Leader. Dr. Wilson will present a Teaching Table on Ball, Cone and Silk at the March meeting. The April meeting will be the Elliott Card Challenge, to be held at the Happy China Buffet, with Danny Baker as the Contest Official. There are currently no plans for a regular Ring meeting in May; the Chung Ling Soo Stage Magic Competition is scheduled for Saturday, May 15, at the Next Generation Theatre in Brewer, with Paul Szauter as the Contest Official. The theme of the June meeting is Magic of the Mind, the theme of the July meeting is Magic from DVDs, and the theme of the August meeting is Ball Magic.

The Nate Leipzig Close-Up Magic Contest and the Max Malini Parlor Magic Contest will be scheduled in the fall. Danny Baker is going to look into the use of the Bangor Public Library as a venue for one or both contests, and has also suggested the Next Generation Theatre in Brewer as a venue for the Close-Up Contest.

In New Business, the President reported that the Ring continues to explore venues for Ring meetings. It is important that members buy food at restaurant venues, or the Ring will risk the loss of use of the venue. The Happy China Buffet is only $7.50. Several restaurant venues have been ruled out due to a minimum price for the room.

In New Business, the President called for more suggestions for themes and Teaching Tables.

In New Business, Danny Baker and Geoffrey Miller paid for their ads on the Hire a Magician on the Ring website. Payment of $10 is due by the March meeting, at which time a drawing will be held to determine the order of the ads on the Ring website.

In New Business, the Secretary presented a motion to change the rules for the Nate Leipzig Close-Up Contest. This change had been unanimously supported by the Board. He moved that this text:

Contest Officials. There shall be at least one Contest Official who is a Ring member. This Contest Official shall not be a contestant. It shall be the responsibility of the Contest Official(s) to see that the rules of the Close-Up Magic Contest are correctly followed. Contest Official(s) shall be appointed by the President at least three months before the date of the competition.

shall be changed to:

Contest Officials. There shall be at least one Contest Official who is a Ring member. This Contest Official is eligible to be a contestant. It shall be the responsibility of the Contest Official(s) to see that the rules of the Close-Up Magic Contest are correctly followed. Contest Official(s) shall be appointed by the President at least three months before the date of the competition.

The motion passed unanimously.

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