Society of American Magicians, Assembly 12
Chartered in 1923 by Harry Houdini and based in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota) metro area, we are Assembly 12 of the Society of American Magicians. Today, it is the oldest and most prestigious magical society in the world with approximately 300 Assemblies worldwide. The primary purpose of the S.A.M. is to advance, elevate, and preserve magic as a performing art. Our members are magic performers, dealers, collectors, and historians — including professionals, serious hobbyists, and students.
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February 2026 Meeting Notes
Another month! Another great SAM12 meeting! 12 people in attendance in person at the Discovery United Methodist Church, and 2 more over Zoom.
During the business portion of our meeting, a couple of volunteer performance opportunities were announced and up for grabs at different assisted living locations. Also, SAM 12 alumnus Nick Diffatte is performing locally in a couple of weeks, and several members are attending the show. Upcoming conventions with SAM 12 members planning to attend include the Gateway Close Up Convention in St. Louis at the end of March, and, of course, don’t forget about National SAM in Appleton, WI, in July!
Two members discussed recent performances: Manny Betinis performed at a birthday party, and Paul Cook did some table-hopping. Paul discovered/confirmed that he is a disorganized magician, but also realized that “disorganized” was a persona he could lean into and make work for him!
Performances this month, with a theme of Birthday Party Magic:
- SAM12 President Kevin Smith and SAM12 Scribe Paul Sedler performed their BlackSmith Magic opener “Applause Catcher”.
- Manny Betinis wowed us with Brad Christian’s “Mind Reach”.
- Paul Ladig showed off his Chop Cup skills.
- Norm Barnhart did an amazing card routine he’s done for kids that featured a glimpse, in honor of the book club topic.
Our Royal Road book club continued with SAM12 President Kevin Smith going over Chapter 5 – The Glimpse. He demonstrated and explained the different glimpses and tricks in the book, as well as a couple of others. At our April SAM meeting, we’ll continue the book club with Chapter 4 – The Glide, presented by Jeff Kohagen.
The evening ended with the usual socializing and snacks. Next month, we’re having our annual SAM12 Magic Auction! Join us in person or online from anywhere in the world via Zoom. Get the details at SAM12.org.
See this in the April 2026 MUM Magazine
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February Hybrid Assembly Meeting
A lot is going on in February, and folks have many conflicts, but in an effort to keep our meetings consistent and on the “every third Friday schedule,” we’re keeping the meeting on February 20th at 7:00 and moving the location to Discovery United Methodist (thanks, Sandy!), located at 275 Lake Dr E, Chanhassen, MN 55317.
[Also note: We’re moving our annual auction to the March meeting. This gives you an extra month to dig through your magic junk drawer!]
Our February meeting theme is: Party or Birthday magic (in honor of Jennifer Kahlow’s and Kevin Smith’s birthdays this month!)
Continuing with The Royal Road to Card Magic, we’ll be discussing Chapter V: The Glimpse. (We’ll discuss Chapter IV: The Glide in April.) Please try to read Chapter V prior to the meeting — you’ll get more out of the discussion!
Please bring potluck snacks to share. Connection information for the virtual view of the meeting will be sent prior to the meeting.
See you on the 20th!
Location address:
Discovery Methodist Church
275 Lake Drive East
Chanhassen, MN 55317 -
January 2026 Meeting Notes
Time again for our annual Chili Dinner! It was a great crowd at Discovery United Methodist Church–13 people were there in person, andTodd Anderson joined us via Zoom. Special thanks go to Sandy Meyer (and Steve!) who catered the dinner. The menu was chili, cornbread, veggies, dessert, and more! Very good food, and everyone enjoyed it.
The business portion of the meeting was short (mostly because our mouths were full!) We continued our conversation on where and when we should perform in 2026, and discussed venues, show ideas, size, cost vs goodwill offering, etc. We are definitely going to do something during Magic Week this year.
Since performances were optional this year, we only had one: SAM12 President Kevin Smith demonstrated “Revised Mexican Poker” by David Solomon.
More good things to come!! Next month is our Annual SAM12 Auction, and then in March we’re planning another Movie Night, which usually includes a special guest. You won’t want to miss it!! Join us for our next meeting, in person or online from anywhere in the world via Zoom. Get the details at SAM12.org!
See this in the March 2026 MUM Magazine
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