S.A.M. Assembly #12 gathered at Eagle Magic Store on Friday, September 18 — we had excellent participation with 14 members in attendance!
President Brad Gudim called the meeting to order before an evening of club discussion, member performances, and conversation. The group talked about sponsoring future lectures. Larry Kahlow and Paul Ladig volunteered to look into possible lecturers.
The evening’s performance theme was CUPS, BALLS & BOWLS!
Members also welcomed an idea for a recurring seven-minute presentation: each month, a volunteer could share a personal story, a piece of magic history, a performance lesson, or another subject of interest to the assembly.
Members who attended the recent Abracorndabra convention in Des Moines shared their impressions. The discussion then turned to possibilities closer to home, including whether to contact S.A.M. National about hosting a future national convention in the Twin Cities.
The group also raised the question of how Assembly #12 might take part in National Magic Week in October. These were exploratory discussions, with no event plans announced.
Members brought a wonderful variety of approaches to the table…
Magic Manny shared a fun sponge-ball magic routine
Chris Pidel shared several beautiful wooden balls and vases
Brad Gudim performed a marvelous cups-and-balls routine
Adam Moore did a show-and-tell with his neat cups and balls set
Jeff Kohagen presented an elegant ball-and-cone effect
Paul Ladig presented a very clever bowl vanish
Doug Andrus shared a cute square puzzle brain teaser
After the meeting, members stayed for snacks and more magic conversation.
Thank you to everyone who attended, performed, shared & contributed ideas. We look forward to seeing you at the next Assembly #12 gathering in October!
Thanks to everyone who joined us for our August 21 SAM Assembly #12 meeting at Eagle Magic Store! We had twelve members in attendance and a fun evening of club business, show-and-tell, performances, magic history and plenty of conversation.
Our theme for the evening was “Tubes, Boxes & Screens,” and members brought out a great assortment of classic apparatus and effects. Magic Manny shared his Vampire Block that his Uncle Paul made him when he was just nine years old.
Larry Kahlow and Chris Pidel presented a unique mirrored Square Circle and Blue Phantom.
Brad Gudim demonstrated a Silk Jap Box.
Paul Laidig shared his Genii Tubes.
Jeff Kohagen demonstrated a production chest that produced a bottle of wine.
Adam presented both Candle Through Arm and a Square Circle.
Keith presented a smaller version of a Square Circle.
Steve got into the spirit of the theme with a card trick—the card box was enough to qualify!
With several Square Circles making appearances, Larry also shared some of the history and performance principles behind the Square Circle, along with stories from his own experience performing the classic effect. Members compared methods, construction, handling and presentation ideas throughout the evening.
One thing we’re continuing to encourage at our meetings is that you don’t need to arrive with a polished performance to participate. Our second half can include performances, works in progress, demonstrations, interesting props, collectibles, questions or simply something magic-related you’d like to show the group. The show-and-tell approach made for a very interactive evening.
Around the Magic Community
The conversation also wandered into some great magic history and recent experiences.
Members shared stories from recent performances and travels, and we had an enjoyable discussion about Abbott’s Magic Get-Together in Colon, Michigan. That led into stories about Abbott’s, the long history of magic in Colon, the magician cemetery, and the Broken Wand tradition.
We also talked about how much magic is happening around the Twin Cities that members may not always hear about. Going forward, we’d like to do a better job of keeping everyone informed about local shows, lectures, restaurant magic and other magic-related events. If you hear about something, reply to one of our Assembly emails and let us know so we can help spread the word.
Assembly Business & Looking Ahead
A few items from the business portion of the meeting:
Annual SAM 12 dues will increase from $15 to $20. The additional funds will help give the Assembly more flexibility to support things such as guest lecturers and other activities.
We discussed forming or using committees to help with PR and special activities.
We’d like to create more opportunities to get together outside our regular monthly meetings, including lectures, local magic performances, picnics and informal group outings.
We’ve begun including an Upcoming Magic Events section in Assembly emails so members can more easily see what’s happening around the area.
Members are encouraged to attend the IBM annual picnic on Sunday, September 20, from 10:00 AM–2:00 PM at the Central Park Lions Shelter in Roseville.
We also began brainstorming a possible Houdini / Escapes theme for our October meeting, appropriately timed around Halloween and the 100th anniversary of Houdini’s death.
Next SAM 12 Meeting
Our next regular meeting will be Friday, September 18, 2026, at Eagle Magic Store.
More details about the September meeting and theme will be coming soon.
Thanks again to everyone who participated, brought something to share, and helped make August’s meeting such an enjoyable one. We ended the night with refreshments, fellowship and—of course—plenty more magic talk.
On July 17th the Members of Assembly 12 gathered at the Eagle Magic store in Burnsville, Minnesota. Nine people were in attendance (in group photo shown from bottom left going clock-wise): Magic Manny, Todd Anderson, Chris Pidel, Larry Kahlow, Magic Brad, David Farr, Steven Peer, Doug & Jeff Kohagen.
We normally don’t meet in the summer, but we have just elected new officers and the S.A.M 12 board has decided to continue meeting year-round to keep the momentum going, and keep the magic alive!
Brad Gudim, our new president, conducted the meeting. We talked about new and old business, the future of the assembly and new opportunities for the coming year. Items discussed to include in future meetings:
more lectures
more public shows
how to attract new members.
working on a yearly calendar of events so members can see future opportunities
Steve Peer opened a discussion around the open mic night @ Sisyphus Brewing in Minneapolis that occurs on the 2nd Tuesday of every month @ 7PM.
The group recapped the national S.A.M convention in Appleton WI (many members attended).
We also discussed how Houdini made the only known recordings of his voice on Edison wax cylinders on October 29, 1914, in Flatbush, New York. On them, Houdini practices several different introductory speeches for his famous Chinese Water Torture Cell. You can listen to these rare audio bits and read the article at this link here. Thanks to Steven Peer for sharing the link post-meeting.
Performances: Magic Manny shared his fruit cards packet trick w/ Larry (a mentalism effect) and David Farr shared an effect utilizing a peek and a practical in-the-hands version of the cross-cut force. A special thanks to David for attending!
Post meeting Magic Brad also shared this photo of Kevin Smith & Paul Black of Blacksmith Magic performing in The Magic Lounge at the Fridley 49’er Days Festival in July 2026
With many opportunities presented for S.A.M. Assembly 12 in the year ahead we are looking forward to a great 2026-2027 season!
Another month, another SAM12 meeting! Ten people joined us in person at Jeff Kohagen’s house in his secret magic room. (Thanks, Jeff!!) Two more attended via Zoom.
During the business portion of our meeting, we started with the most important task of elections! We had a single nomination for each position, so the vote was quick and easy. Our new club officers are:
President: Brad Gudim
Vice President: Manny Betinis
Secretary: Todd Anderson
Treasurer: Jeff Kohagen
We also chose the delegate for SAM 12 at the SAM National Convention in July–past president Kevin Smith volunteered and was chosen as delegate.
Other performance news:
Brad Gudim was recently the opening act for a sold-out Neil Diamond tribute show!
Brad is looking for volunteer help for a booth he’s hosting in July at Fridley ’49er Days.
Adam Moore is performing a ‘mystery show’ coming up for 10 to 50 people. Good luck, Adam!
Manny Betinis had his best gig ever–he did some strolling magic for fancy execs at a fancy hotel downtown and had a great time!!
Next, Jeff Kohagen gave us a tour of his amazing magic collection, displayed in his secret magic room and beyond. Very impressive.
Performances:
Manny Betinis performed his entertaining version of “Fruit Forecast”.
Finally, our Royal Road book club continued, and Past President (as of this meeting) Kevin Smith taught Chapter VI: The Key Card. He went through the various moves in the chapter, performed Do As I Do, and discussed pencil dots and other methods of marking the back of a key card.
The evening ended with the usual socializing and snacks. While we typically do not meet in the summer, we discussed having some informal meetings, a cookout, etc. A good number of us will be attending the SAM National Convention in Appleton, and we plan on getting together there, too. Watch for details at SAM12.org.
We’re meeting on Friday, May 15, at 7:00 PM. Our meeting will take place at the home of Jeff Kohagen in Rosemount. (There’s a magic-related reason for meeting at Jeff’s, but it’s a secret, so you’ll have to be there for the tip!)
Our primary order of business will be electing officers. A slate of candidates will be presented at the meeting, but nominations from the floor will be accepted. Also, our own Paul Black will be leading the next installment of The Royal Road to Card Magic book club. We’ll be discussing Chapter VI: The Key Card. Please try to read Chapter VI prior to the meeting — you’ll get more out of the discussion!
Bring potluck snacks to share. Location address and connection information for the virtual view of the meeting will be sent before the meeting.
We’re meeting this Friday, April 17, at 7:00 PM. Our theme this month, in honor of it being so close to Tax Day, is Magic with Money!
And our own Jeff Kohagen will be leading the next installment of The Royal Road to Card Magic book club. We’ll be discussing Chapter IV: The Glide. Please try to read Chapter IV prior to the meeting — you’ll get more out of the discussion!
We’ll meet at Eagle Magic and Joke Store. (Eagle Magic is in Burnsville, MN, 4 lights east of 35W on Hwy 13, southeast corner, next door to the BP gas station.) Bring potluck snacks to share.
Connection information for the virtual view of the meeting will be sent before the meeting.
The meeting you’ve all been waiting for: The SAM12 annual magic auction! 20 magicians and guests were in attendance, and all were looking for great deals on tricks, props, cards, and kits that others no longer wanted. Assembly #12 benefited by receiving 10 percent of all purchases and by encouraging that the members’ dues were current.
Guests paid $5 to participate. Many popular items were sold for as little as $1. An evening of sales, stories, and fun!
Special thanks to SAM12 Treasurer Adam Moore and SAM12 President Kevin Smith, who were responsible for coordinating the financials of the auction and to former Minnesotan Geoff Williams for creating the sophisticated Excel spreadsheet that tracked all of the sales.
The evening ended with the usual socializing and snacks. Our Royal Road book club will continue next month, looking back at Chapter 4 –The Glide, presented by Jeff Kohagen. Join us in person or online from anywhere in the world via Zoom. Get the details at SAM12.org.
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.
