Society of American Magicians Assembly 12

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.

See you in September!

-Magic Manny

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:

1. President: Brad Gudim
2. Vice President: Manny Betinis
3. Secretary: Todd Anderson
4. 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. 

See this in the July 2026 MUM Magazine

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.

See this in the May 2026 MUM Magazine

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