News

Everyone should be as lucky as I have been these past years, and I’m sure all of our club members feel the same way when it comes to any discussion regarding our wonderful friend, NICK PUDAR.    Although not unexpected, his recent passing is undoubtedly difficult for all of us to handle, as anyone who knew NICK for any period of time knew what a true GEM he was, not only for the magic community, but for anyone fortunate enough to have "experienced" him in some way or other. 

NICK was a true RENAISSANCE MAN blessed with many extraordinary talents, and he will always be one of the most versatile and amazing individuals we’ve ever known.   Not only did he support our magic efforts in RING 22, he managed to leave his mark all over the world.  We’ll always remember his commanding smile, his excited eagerness to share with us (magic or otherwise), and his humble willingness to help everyone around him.  No one will ever forget his STUNNING and INEXPLAINABLE MAGIC – made even stronger because we all inevitably felt it radiating from his heart.  NICK was and will always be loved by everyone, and it is only with great fondness that we will remember his wit, his wisdom, and the inspiration he brought to each of us. 

Bravely, he and his family accepted the cards life dealt to him while always exuding a positive energy – an energy that will surely be missed, an energy our world could use a lot more of today.  Reflecting on his sad passing, let’s never forget how lucky we all are because of him.  March on, my friend!   GOD BLESS NICK PUDAR!

RING 22 has many talented and dedicated club members - one of whom is our own MARV LONG!  An outstanding magician and creator of magic for many years, Marv was a longtime resident in the greater-Detroit area before migrating to Florida.  Now, even from afar, he manages to stay very connected to RING 22, and we're glad he's on board!  Recently (around our last winter holiday season), Marv officially published his latest magic effort, an Ebook entitled "RIFFLE DEEPER" - a completely different handling of a classic card move (often overlooked) as well as a dozen strong card effects that have been "field and battle" tested.  This isn't "move monkey" stuff, but rather, the kind of magic everyone will want to use in their repertory.  Best of all, several club members were involved in Marv's exciting project  (Norm Cattell, Paul North, John Luka, Tom Mosier, and yours truly).  the book is available for purchase from Penguin Magic (https://www.penguinmagic.com/p/16808).  For those unfamiliar with the book, be sure to check it out soon!

If you happen to live anywhere near the neighborhood of TROY, MICHIGAN, you're probably already familiar with the wonderful MAGIC SOIREE dinner/magic events created by our very own club members and world-class magicians, KEITH FIELDS and his wife, LADY SARAH.  The SOIREEs have been an enormous success, experiencing sell-out crowds and showcasing the talents of many local and nationally celebrated magicians.  The TROY CHAMBER of COMMERCE is currently holding an anonymous online vote for significant entrepreneurs within the Troy community ("BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS"), and both LADY SARAH as well as THE MAGIC SOIREE are up for special recognition awards!  Let's make sure these wonderful artists receive their "due" -- if you can, simply click the link below and cast your vote (pay particular attention to the ballot categories #5 and #12!).  We're sure KEITH and SARAH will appreciate your vote of confidence and support -- when it comes to promoting the art of magic, no one can deny their important contributions.   The ONLINE voting process is available through February 5, 2021, and it only takes a few seconds  -- VOTE NOW!

https://www.troychamber.com/events/business-excellence-awards/

Your friends at RING 22 would like to extend our warmest wishes to all of you as we are now nearing the end of a rather unforgettable year.  The current world crisis created many hardships for everyone, but fortunately for us, it did not extinguish our love for the art of magic!  Thanks to YOU for your continued support for our magic fraternity (now representing the greater-Michigan area and beyond!),  our recent “holiday” meeting (on Tuesday, December 15, 2020) ended with a BANG of SUPER NOVA proportions, and once again was very well attended!  With about 40 members and guests sharing magic, fun, and the usual mayhem, we shattered our own “glass ceiling”, featuring the extraordinary magic of our spotlighted magician and guest, the very talented Matt Stanley, a sensational hands-on mystery workshop with veteran magician John Luka, a magical historama with the very knowledgeable Dave Wirth, a special award ceremony for magician/entrepreneur, Josh Wilde and The Wunderground Magic Shop (presented by none other than IBM President Stephen Bargatze), a surprise “cabaret” performance with Michigan’s dynamic duo, Keith Fields and Lady Sarah, a world premiere video starring VP Fred Lenter, and of course, the highly entertaining magic performed by our members and guests.  That’s quite a line up, and just in case you missed it, members can now view a video version of the entire meeting in the “Members Only” section of our club website.  Heartfelt thanks goes to all of YOU for making modern miracles possible!

On a personal note, I cannot help but reflect (especially during this special time of year) on some incredible moments – moments not related to the COVID pandemic, but to the wonderful and numerous friendships I have enjoyed – a privileged “byproduct” of membership in our SUPER club.  Not only have I enjoyed and learned from YOUR terrific magic, I’m also extremely lucky to experience extraordinary friendships that I will always cherish.  For that I can only humbly share my sincerest “thank you” to everyone!  No doubt, many of you share and have experienced those same strong friendships, and that is ultimately magic’s most important goal!

Don’t forget, our club “magic” is just getting started – PLEASE make sure to attend our first event of 2021, our online club meeting on TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 (CLICK HERE to REGISTER)!  Take the “plunge” and see first-hand why I feel RING 22 is the best magic club in the country, and I’m confident anyone who has seen us in action will whole-heartedly agree!  Thanks again for making us truly THE Detroit Magic Club! 

Happy holidays and see you all next year (it’s not that far away)!

Everyone knows that our RING 22 members include many very talented magicians.  Among our most celebrated members is the well-known magician Keith Fields and his wife ("The Lady Sarah").  Together they're not only regular performers at the legendary MAGIC CASTLE (in Los Angeles, California), their unique brand of magic, humor, and entertainment is commonly booked around the world.  Apparently not "busy enough", they've recently launched two HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL ventures.  Of course, you've probably already attended their monthly "hit" dining/magic galas (known as "Lady Sarah's Magic Soiree"), which brilliantly promote magic and magicians with  family-fun fare featuring top drawer close-up and parlor prestidigitation.   Normally scheduled on various weekend evenings at the Camp Ticonderoga in Troy, MI, you'll have to hurry to reserve tickets as every Soiree normally sells out quickly.

During the rise of the life-changing COVID-19 pandemic, Keith and "Lady Sarah" managed to make "lemonade out of lemons" - but in this case the lemonade happens to be "TEA TIME", a weekly television-type show airing every Tuesday afternoon at 2 PM on their Facebook and YouTube channels (see links listed at the end of this post).   This is must see viewing entertainment as Kieth and Sarah interview local celebrities, entrepreneurs, and representatives from many worthwhile organizations.  Not surprisingly, they even feature daily magic presentations by some of the best magicians in our area as well as several internationally known performers.  The 30 minute TV show experience is loads of fun - Kieth and Sarah possess a magic all their own and collectively bring out the very best from their guests.  A large part of the show's success comes from the help of their producer, their daughter, Felicity, who adeptly keeps everything on track.  Several RING 22 magicians  have been featured on TEA TIME, including the RING 22 VP Fred Lenter and Wunderground Magic Shop owner Josh Wilde,  just to name a few.   

Recently, our British TEA TIME hosts honored me as an interviewed guest (discussing, of all things, the success of RING 22!) and also as a performing magician.  The entire experience was a blast, and needless to say, I learned plenty from their experience regarding camera angles, backdrops, and interview do's and don'ts.  Below is the clip of the entire 30 minute segment.  Fortunately (in case you may have missed any of their previous TEA TIME shows), you're able to watch all of their past episodes directly from their Facebook page.   I'm sure you'll agree with me - Keith and "Lady Sarah" are well worth the watch - be sure to tune in for their next TEA TIME.  Check them out at https://themagicsoiree.com/.  CONGRATS and THANKS to Keith Fields and "Lady Sarah"!

Follow Keith and Sarah at:

Facebook/TheMagicSoiree 
Youtube/KiethFields 
The Magic Soiree

Our club is always excited to share the many wonderful activities we've scheduled - not only events hosted in the past but those planned for the future - and we're ALWAYS proud of the outstanding contributions and support of our unique membership!  In that spirit we've recently created a campaign to promote RING 22 and MAGIC in the Detroit area.  Below is a short three-minute YouTube video clip advertising and explaining the nature of our organization - we think you'll have fun watching this!

RING 22 is proud of its unique members and from time to time we like to feature one of our many “superstars” of magic.  Whenever I think about the long-running history of our club, I’m always reminded of  MARVIN MATHENA, who actually became a RING 22 member soon after the club OFFICIALLY began!   In case you didn’t know, MARVIN was originally from Bluefield West Virgina and moved with his father in his early years to Detroit, his father seeking work in our auto factories (the rest of his family reunited in Detroit shortly after a year or two).  He's been a "Detroiter" ever since, becoming a professional magician as a mere teenager after frequenting and “sessioning with the guys” at the Roy Hall Magic Shop in downtown Detroit. 

He’s the proud recipient of IBM’s rarely issued certificate for 60+ consecutive years as an IBM member.   MARV actually served as a past President of RING 22 (way back in 1986, when the club met monthly in Ferndale, Michigan), and he has taught magic to many students while working for about 12 years behind the counter at an unnamed magic shop in Garden City that has since fallen by the wayside. 

MARVIN is certainly an impressive and accomplished magician.  He has officially been inducted into the IBM MAGIC HALL OF FAME (yes, that’s his picture currently displayed in the American Museum of Magic in Marshall, MI). He’s also been honored in recent years, being inducted into the MICHIGAN MAGIC DAYS HALL OF FAME in 2014, along with well-known magicians Claire Cummins (as in “Milky the Clown”), and Kevin James.  Like many of us, he cut his teeth reading magic books, attending countless lectures, and perfecting his craft while learning the finer points of magic from a couple of well-known mentors you may have heard of -- Carrol Fox and Wayne Dobson. 

There are a lot of “FIRSTS” under MARV’s belt since he became a full-time stage illusionist back in the 1970s – the FIRST to cut a lady into sixths, the FIRST to use a fiberglass Hindu Basket (as well as the FIRST to fill the basket with no less than three assistants at one time!).  Not surprisingly, he’s well-versed and familiar with close-up effects as well, and currently his favorite tricks make use of cards, coins, silks -- just about anything he can get his hands on (he even does memdeck work) – all quite remarkable since he is the survivor of two strokes in recent years and is still going strong in the world of magic!

Hats off and a "STANDING O” to MARV MATHENA – it’s safe to say he’s truly a “magician’s magician”, and we're glad he’s always happy to share his unique history with all of us!  THANKS MARVIN!

One of the largest magic festivals over recent years is Vanishing Inc’s annual MAGIFEST.  This year (January 2020) it became even larger (watch out, Blackpool!), with well more than 1000 magicians gathering in the same hotel (in Columbus, Ohio).  Among the star attractions were DAVID WILLIAMSON and DANI DAORTIZ, just to name a few.  Proudly, RING 22 was well represented with 11 members attending the convention, sharing magic, mayhem, and fun.  Some of our members took a moment to pose with our new friend, DANI DAORTIZ, as shown in the photo below! 

Wherever the magic convention and regardless of the location or time of year, there’s always some dedicated RING 22 members present!  Next stop:  Abbott’s Close-up Convention, March 27-28, in Colon, MI.  See ya' there!

Many of us have heard with saddened hearts the unfortunate passing of our good friend and master magician, Bruce Florek, on Wednesday, January 9, 2020.  One of our dearest RING 22 members, Bruce was a mentor and inspiration to so many of us who had the pleasure and opportunity to know him.   He will be missed by all of us, and we will always remember the unique gift his presence brought to everyone in some special way. Bruce was one of RING 22’s most knowledgeable members, a noted performing magician among the magic fraternity, and he will always be a true friend to each of us.  Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers are with the entire Florek family.

We will hold a special tribute to Bruce as an honored RING 22 member at our next meeting on Tuesday, January 21, 2020.

"Our world will be a much less magical place without Bruce Florek.  We will miss him, but we will never forget him, and he'll always be in our hearts." - his friends at RING 22