The International Brotherhood of Magicians is a worldwide group of magic enthusiasts.  We are the largest magic group in the world.  We'll use this site to get the word out to friends of our organization and create a better sense of community among our members.  We'll also include pictures of our work and members.

 Our Mission

We are dedicated to the enhancement of magic as an art form.  To accomplish this, we hold regular meetings on the 4th Tuesday of every month.  We commence at 7:00 pm at the S. W. Pitts Hose Company, 226 Old Loudon Road, in Latham, NY.  There are also several other magician meetings throughout the month.  See the news below for more.



 THE CAPITAL MAGIC CONNECTION

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    July 25, 2026

    This newsletter is early because I want to get the information about the picnic out so everyone will have time to sign-up.

    ANNUAL SAM - IBM PICNIC AT THE BECKLEY PLACE ON LAKE GEORGE

    This year’s picnic will be held on Sunday, August 9, at Ken and Sara Beckley’s place on Lake George starting at 1:00 pm. It is open to all paid members of either IBM Ring 186 or SAM Assembly 24 and one guest per paid member. There will be no charge for members or their one guest. Extra guests and non-members will be charged $22.00 per person.

    This year’s picnic will be catered. The menu will be grilled chicken (boneless thighs and boneless breasts), veggie kabobs, salt potatoes, coleslaw or garden salad, macaroni salad, rolls and butter. People attending are expected to bring their own beverages and a dessert to share.

    If you are planning to come, please contact either Karl Johnson at krj102@aol.com or Tom McKiernan at tfm@hardstone.com on or before Friday, July 31. Let them know how many guests you will be bringing and what kind of dessert you will be planning to share. Also, magicians are encouraged to bringing some magic to perform at the after dinner show.

    For those of you who have never been to the Beckley’s place, or for those who have been there but forgot how you got there, here are the directions: Take Exit 22 of the Northway. At the stop light turn left on Lakeshore Drive (State Route 9N) and go north for about 5 miles. After you pass the Treasure Cove Motel on the right, Beckley’s is the very next driveway, also on the right.

    The address is: Beckley’s Lakeside Cottages, 3950 Lake Shore Dr., Diamond Point, NY 12824.

    MORNING MAGIC GROUP

    The next meeting of the morning group will be on Tuesday morning, August 4, at 8:30 am at the Ugly Rooster off Exit 12 of the Northway. Everyone interested in magic is welcome to join us. .

    If you need more information or directions, call Cliff Bruce, Dave McClements, or Ken Marcinowski.

    AUGUST MEETING OF THE SAM ASSEMBLY 24

    SAM Assembly 24 will meet on Tuesday, August 11, at 7:00 at S. W. Pitts Hose Company, 226 Old Loudon Road, in Latham, NY. Dave Lieberman hasn’t suggested any topic for this meeting, so I am suggesting we leave it wide open and you can do anything you like. Maybe something you did before and you would like to do it again.

    No one is scheduled to bring refreshments for this meeting. Currently, we don't have anyone signed up for the August, November, or December meetings. If you haven't brought snacks this year, this is your chance! Call Dave if you want to bring refreshments to your fellow magicians.

    We are still looking for someone to take over for Allan Alexander who is stepping down as our secretary and we need to find someone to fill this important office.

    AUGUST MEETING OF IBM RING 186

    IBM Ring 186 will meet on Tuesday, August 25 at 7:00 at S. W. Pitts Hose Company, 226 Old Loudon Road, in Latham, NY. Everyone is encouraged to have something magical to share with your fellow magicians. Refreshments will be served

    Karl Johnson, reports that he will not be pitching any more items from the batch of magic donated to the Ring 186 by Andrew Garland at the August meeting. Karl also reports the treasury made about $2000 from this sale and many magicians have obtained some very nice magic at very attractive prices.


    PLANS FOR THE SAM BANQUET

    The 2026 SAM fall banquet is scheduled for October 11th at the Holiday Inn in Saratoga. Chad Currin will be our featured entertainer for the evening. Some of you may know Chad as Mr. Twistie, the guy who does all the balloons. But he is really a fine magician and performed at our 2017 banquet. I’m looking forward to seeing him again.

    If any of you are interested in being part of the close-up show, let Dave know at your earliest convenience. Please remember, we only have space for four close-up performers, but you could be one of the four.

    MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THESE UPCOMING SHOWS AND EVENTS

    Every day until Labor Day, starting June 20: Jimmy Brown will be performing three shows daily at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm at the Lake George Expedition Park (formerly the Magic Forest) on Route 9 just south of Lake George Village. Jimmy reports that the best show is his one o’clock show. This will be Jimmy’s 43rd year of performing at this park

    Sunday August 9: Our annual picnic at Ken and Sara Beckley’s place on Lake George. See details above.

    Wednesday,Thursday, & Friday September 9, 10, &11: Magicians’ Alliance of Eastern States (MAES) Convention at Cherry Hill, PA. Please note: This year, this is not a weekend convention, but it starts on a Wednesday and ends on a Friday. Check for details here: https://maesconvention.com/

    Sunday October 11: Our annual SAM Banquet at the Holiday Inn in Saratoga. See details above.

    ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS

    If you know of a magic related event or show which might be of interest to capital area magicians, send that information to me in time for it to be announced in our next newsletter.

    Also if you would like to contribute an original article, trick or review of a book, dvd, trick or internet site, send it to me for inclusion in this newsletter. PLEASE DON’T COPY WHAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS WRITTEN UNLESS YOU DOCUMENT THE SOURCE AND HAVE PERMISSION TO SHARE IT.

    Send contributions and announcements to: cliffordbruce@earthlink.net



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