Magic Collectors Weekend 2014

[Julie Eng]

We are thrilled to announce that the official 44th Magic Collectors Weekend will be hosted by Ken Klosterman in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 5, 6, and 7, 2014, at the Cincinnati Marriott at River Center.

Backed by his wonderful team, Ken promises a memorable Weekend, including a private tour of his "Salon de Magie". Registration will open October 1, 2013 under the direction of Mr. Steve Faris (wiztrix@aol.com). Unlike previous MCWs, registration will be limited given the nature of some of the planned events, so we suggest you register early.

Either way, save the dates.

All inquires regarding scheduling, accommodations and registration should be directed to Mr. Faris. We will provide updates on Mystery & History's blog http://magicol.magicana.com/blog, and in the pages of Magicol as information becomes available.

Most of you know Ken and his passion for magic history and collecting. You will not want to miss this gathering!

[hugmagic]

I just received this email from Ken Klosterman and he asked me to post it here.

"I am thrilled to be able to host the gathering of the Collectors again in Cincinnati. The last time I hosted it has been consistently talked about over the years. We have a top notch group of people helping me to put this all together. As you know there is a lot of work planning. We do have the hotel booked and are working on the other details at this time. We should be ready to accept reservations in October and expect this to sell out very, very quickly. The only regret I have is that we have to limit the group size due to space available for some of the programs. I would like have more room to get new and maybe younger people interested in this wonderful side of magic. I will keep you posted as things become finalized."

Ken Klosterman and Cincinnati Group

[MagiChrisMitch]

Already booked my room. Looking forward to seeing Ken's "Salon de Magie!" That will be the highlight of the weekend for me.

[Julie Eng]

An update on the status of the Magic Collectors Weekend from DAVID BEN:

MCW CANCELLED

We regret to inform subscribers to Magicol, and previous attendees to the Magic Collectors Weekend, that there will be no Magic Collectors Weekend staged in Cincinnati on June 5, 6, 7 as announced originally in the pages of Magicol and on various online forums.

While we were hoping to stage an MCW every two years, the next being in 2014, recent events, however, indicate that this is now not possible.

We will, however, renew our efforts to make Magicol the preeminent publication for those interested in magic history and collectibles.

We regret the inconvenience for those of you who have already blocked in the dates.

Sincerely,

David Ben

[hugmagic]

I talk with Ken almost daily concerning this convention. The Cincinnati Magic Collectors Convention will happen in June. Initial invites for presenters, performers, dealers and non USA persons, went out about two weeks ago. The balance of the invites went out Tuesday.

It is invite only as only so many people can be handled reasonably in the hotel and the tours. The invite will explain the website registration and paypal process or how to mail in the registration. Once we reach our limit of attendees, we maintain a waiting list in the event of a cancellation.

As a point of clarification, we are in no way connected to the Magic Collectors Association or Magicana.

This event is very, very much a go and will happen in June.
Richard Hughes

[Richard Kaufman]

This is confusing.

[Dustin Stinett]

It appears to me that the MCA is just no longer involved in the event—which is now by invitation only—so it is no longer being called the “Magic Collectors’ Weekend” but it is now the “Cincinnati Magic Collectors Convention.” It would be pure speculation as to why there has been a split (and a subsequent cancelation of the Collectors’ Weekend), so we should not go there unless we have verifiable facts.

[hugmagic]

It was never part of the MCA.

[Richard Kaufman]

I'm even more confused.

[Travis]

Likewise, Richard.

[Richard Kaufman]

I am told that while initially agreeing to various conditions set by the Magic Collector's Association, when the invitations were sent out, these conditions were not met. So when it was announced that the "Magic Collector's Weekend" was cancelled, this caused confusion. In fact, there will be a convention, but it has nothing to do with the Magic Collector's Association and is not a "Magic Collector's Weekend."

But evidentally there will be a convention for those lucky enough to be invited to attend.

[Dustin Stinett]

It was never part of the MCA.

Okay, I should have said "sanctioned by the MCA."

There are certain requirements--most legal in nature--that must be met because the MCA is now part of Magicana, a nonprofit organization that must follow applicable laws and regulations with anything that it is associated with. I'm not saying that's what caused the split, but based on Richard's post, I think it's a pretty good guess. I'm just as certain that there is no animosity happening, it's just one of those things.

[Julie Eng]

David Ben has posted an update on the Thayer Magic site. We have reposted his response about the convention on our Mystery & History blog, if one wishes to read the details.

http://magicol.magicana.com/more-on-the-cancellation/

[Dustin Stinett]

Hmm ... so much for my certainty. Thanks to David and Julie for the clarification.
I do hope that the MCA will continue to do (or sanction) MCWs in the future.
I also hope that those invited to the Cincinnati event have a wonderful time.

Dustin

[Travis]

How does one get invited?

[Richard Kaufman]

A question with no clear answer/

[Andrew Pinard]

Received a printed invitation in the mail today. The graphic on the front: a white image of a bird and white text on a field of black. The text reads: "The Vultures are Gathering".

Gave me a good chuckle...

Don't know yet whether I can go or not, but it was a great invitation...

[JohnCox]

Great. Another closed "convention." If it's an issue of space, just limit the registration. This invitation only thing is a slap in the face to those who aren't invited. God forbid new people should be brought into the field.

If you want to hold a private party, fine, but don't advertise it. It's no fun for to hear about events that one isn't "collector" enough to attend.

[Andrew Pinard]

As someone who is very late to the invite list (I got one for LA but it was too late for me to make it happen with my performance schedule), all I can say is this:

John, you can come hang out at my house and talk magic history any time...

[JohnCox]

As someone who is very late to the invite list (I got one for LA but it was too late for me to make it happen with my performance schedule), all I can say is this:

John, you can come hang out at my house and talk magic history any time...

Haha. Thank you, Andrew. I'll bring the pretzels.

[hugmagic]

Travis,
I sent you a PM.
Richard

[hugmagic]

Ken Klosterman asked me to post this as he is still unable to get to his computer and you can only do so much with an Iphone.

[color=#0000FF]Important Announcement from the Head Vulture

I am 81 years old and would like share and enjoy magic with old friends and collectors all over the world. I have asked a team of people to help organize this convention in Cincinnati next June 5-7, 2014.


This convention is not affiliated with the IBM, SAM, MCA, ABC or XYZ. It is simply a gathering of people that love magic history and want to help preserve and collect it.


I wish we could have everyone that wants to attend be able to. But we are limited by the facilities for the number of attendees that we can handle for our programs. Think of this convention as a midwest version of the LA History Conference or New England Magic Colletors Association which have the similar space limitations.

The initial invites were sent out two week ago. If you have not received it, contact me and we will check our list and make sure we had the proper address. We will be keeping a waiting list for this convention.


Again, the Cincinnati Magic Collector’s Convention will be held in Cincinnati on June 5-7, 2014.


Ken Klosterman (kenklosterman@gmail.com)[/color]

[CincyMagic]

For those interested in attending, we are currently processing our waiting list and have a few spots available. The Cincinnati Collectors Convention is alive and well. You won't be disappointed. The Vultures are Gathering! You may contact me (Rob Hewlett) Ken Klosterman's good friend and convention coordinator at hewnascar@cinci.rr.com.

[Bill McFadden]

Great. Another closed "convention." If it's an issue of space, just limit the registration. This invitation only thing is a slap in the face to those who aren't invited. God forbid new people should be brought into the field.

If you want to hold a private party, fine, but don't advertise it. It's no fun for to hear about events that one isn't "collector" enough to attend.

I couldn't agree more. This "invitation only" trend in magic gatherings is [censored]. Of course, I had my ass handed to me when I posted a similar complaint against the LA History Conference, so I don't expect any sympathy here.

Limiting attendance at magic conferences is a great way to kill the history and discourage interest from subsequent generations. I'm against elitism in any endeavor.

Looks like I'm becoming the reviled magic consumer watchdog around here.

So have fun with Klosterman and the gaggle of invited, qualified old farts. I'm going to Amsterdam to attend a Duke Ellington Study Group Conference instead. Betcha' I have a helluva better time . . .

[hugmagic]

I am sorry that you feel this way. We were denied a mailing list so we had to develop one of our own. We gave those over 350 people until February 1 to register and pay for 200 spots. We have now opened it up to the waiting list. To get on the waiting list is really difficult...you have to write and ask to be invited. Boy that is a tough one.

I fail to see how this an exclusive convention of "old farts". Hotel facilities often limit the number of attendees that can be handled so all can see and enjoy the presentations. It is obvious that you have never had to deal with a hotel in planning something of this type. Even the IBM/SAM combined convention is limiting the number of attendees.

BTW, there are several people that are new to collecting and history of magic that are attending this convention.

I guess some people just have to throw dirt whenever and wherever they can. And you both are still very much welcome to attend should you chose to and space remains.



Richard

[magicam]

Great. Another closed "convention." If it's an issue of space, just limit the registration. This invitation only thing is a slap in the face to those who aren't invited. God forbid new people should be brought into the field.

If you want to hold a private party, fine, but don't advertise it. It's no fun for to hear about events that one isn't "collector" enough to attend.

I couldn't agree more. This "invitation only" trend in magic gatherings is [censored]. Of course, I had my ass handed to me when I posted a similar complaint against the LA History Conference, so I don't expect any sympathy here.

Limiting attendance at magic conferences is a great way to kill the history and discourage interest from subsequent generations. I'm against elitism in any endeavor. …

It is doubtless true that capacity limits in hotel conference rooms (and other logistical realities) ultimately dictate and limit the number of attendees to these sorts of events, and to John and Bill’s point about new people, I certainly share their concern and believe that all possible efforts should be made to attract newcomers to our little field. We can scarcely afford to do otherwise.

But I think both John and Bill judge the organizers of these conventions too harshly. From all I’ve heard, it’s a thankless and difficult task organizing and running these gigs. To be sure, some people are invited because they’re friends of the organizers, or because of who they are or what they possess in their collections (not what they’ve contributed to the community), or even simply because they are indeed “old farts.” But on the other hand, I’d guess that a very rough sort of meritocracy comes into play when the list of invitees is compiled or selections are made from a waiting list – at least such a concept would apply if I were running a collectors’ convention.

I can appreciate John’s frustration in particular, because he’s contributed to magic history via his website. So to John I can only say that if you are interested in attending the LACoMH or an MCA or NEMCA event, you should become a member of those organizations, or in the case of the LACoMH, write to Mike Caveney, Jim Steinmeyer, or Johnny Gaughan and let them know you want to attend.

As for Bill, while your interest in magic history and/or collecting seems clear, have you contributed any articles to the MCA or NEMCA journals, or made similar offerings in another widely-circulated venue? Are you a member of the MCA and/or NEMCA? If you haven’t, or you aren’t, please understand that I am not knocking you for such things, but in the case of membership, I think it entitles you to attend the MCA and NEMCA meetings, and in the case of the LACoMH (or any other collectors’ convention, for that matter), while I don’t think it should be a requirement, I do believe that making such tangible contributions would greatly help your cause.

[AJM]

A Duke Ellington Study Group Conference eh?

I'm going to try that one on Mrs AJM the next time I try and convince her that I need to spend the weekend in Amsterdam.



Andrew

[hugmagic]

Thank for your thoughtful response. One quick clarification on the Cincinnati Magic Collector's convention, we are not requiring any type of membership in anything....IBM, SAM, MCA, NEMCA or PTA. We simply want people to attend who are interested in preserving the history of magic and collecting. I think we have made that very clear.

One needs a certain amount of "old farts" whether in collecting or any form of magic interest. Those guys give a perspective and help us realize where we have been before we can make an intelligent decision in what direction to move forward. We all stand on the shoulders of those before us.

Collecting and magic history has an aging demographic. No one realizes this more than this conference committee. We tried to get as many new people into the conference as we could but we are not going to push out the old faithful people that have help preserve magic for years.

When the conference is over, we will sit down and evaluate all that was done. I know there are things that could have been done differently. There always is and will be. But that compiled information can be passed onto the next group that would like host a similar conference so they do not have to start from square one.

Thanks again for the thoughtful reply. We all love this art and are simply trying to do what we can to promote and preserve it.

Richard

[cwilcox]

I would love to attend as I live in Indianapolis and it's a short drive. Can anyone provide info as to what is actually planned for this gathering? I realize it's early but as obtaining an invite seems to be an issue even six months out it would be nice to be able to make a more informed decision.
Thanks!

[hugmagic]

CWilcox,
I just sent you a PM.
Richard

[hugmagic]

Here is a link to the website and the schedule...http://salondemagie.com/schedule.html.

Richard

[Diego]

For different magic history/collecting conventions, it has been both a case of how can they increase interest/attendance or control/limit it.
Like other magic conventions, there is the concern for the graying of the those who attend. At the last L.A. Conference, I couldn't help noting those who weren't there, or couldn't be there, or those who were there, were moving slower.
(I have a fear, that I am turning into my late friend, Manny Weltman...kvetching about everything.)

MCA conventions have been open to all who were paid up members, with the possible exception of the Las Vegas convention that drew many more people with the attraction of seeing the David Copperfield Museum, and on a contentious note for some, that the museum would not welcome everyone who might attend the convention.

One of the organizers of the L.A. Conference, noting that it did make money, said they would be just as happy or happier if the attendance was smaller, keeping it more intimate, personal. (WE care about seeing the Hooker Rising Cards, meeting Mrs. Piddington, or experiencing "Astarte", but most of the magic world and beyond doesn't.)

I enjoy going to these meetings...often just to see and talk with others who share the madness. I remember asking the late Norbet Berry how he managed over the years to attend and maintain friendly relations with the different magic clubs in Columbus, Ohio, whose rival leaders, had fallen out years ago.
He said, "I didn't care, I just wanted to have fun."

[hugmagic]

Dom,
You are right on the money.
Your mention of Norbert Berry made me smile. What a great guy. I am fortunate to have a copy of a movie he took at the Magifest of the dealer room. Of course, that was in the old days of Magifest when it was a totally different convention. But all things change and so it is with the collectors.

Richard

[Bill McFadden]

A Duke Ellington Study Group Conference eh?

I'm going to try that one on Mrs AJM the next time I try and convince her that I need to spend the weekend in Amsterdam.



Andrew

HA! Good luck with that, Andrew. The Conference is held biennially, rotating among in major cities in Europe and NA. 2014 may be your only chance for Amsterdam with us auld fecks
who celebrate the lives and music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.

http://www.ellington-2014.nl/

Cheers,
William McFadden, Editor
Ellingtonia- A Publication of The Duke Ellington Society, Inc.

http://www.depanorama.net/
Ellingtonia@comcast.net

[Bill McFadden]

To Messrs. Hughes and Shevlin,

Points taken, Gentlemen. The pushback was anticipated. Let's test your assumptions In a nutshell:

In the mid-1970's I became a manager of conventions, conferences, and trade shows for a professional association; this expertise was utilized for subsequent employers until about 1986. Hotels, conference centers, expo halls; everything from golf outings to technical symposia to cocktail parties - from 10 to 10,000. I don't recall ever having denied registration to anyone outside the membership rosters who had a legitimate reason for attending. We always planned for overflow housing and chose hotel properties with flexible meeting space in anticipation of the number of attendees forecast for the particular event.

Since 1998, at age 44 I took an interest in magic; it quickly became an avocation - particularly the scholarship and history, but also technique/performance of sleight-of-hand, close-up, parlor, and mentalism. I collect books and the odd piece of apparatus now and then. I've bought (mostly), sold and traded. My library has been built book-by-book for these 16 years thanks to major, direct assistance from Jamy Swiss, Denny Haney, Michael Canick, the late Earle Oakes, Byron Walker, Mario Carrandi, Dick Hatch, and Andy Greget.

In 1999 I joined IBM and SAM and have since maintained my dues. I became a member of the Magic Collectors Association in 2005, and have attended conferences in Illinois and Washington, DC. Due to finances, I have not been able to attend a Collector's Weekend since 2007. Nevertheless, I maintain my MCA dues, and receive regular mailings from MCA dealers. I did receive the email notifications of Ken Trombly's event last year, but a conflict in dates prevented my attendance.

When I'm flush, waaaay too much of my income is spent on quality items from only the most reputable dealers.

My relationships in this rarefied world are treasured ones. However, the profile I've maintained has been rather unobtrusive precisely because of my lack of standing. In fact, I'm often concerned that it's a rather diffident vibe emanating. Still, I describe myself as, to use Vernon's term, "a serious student of magic." If all of this points to a thin resume, or indicates I'm a dilettante, a punter then so be it.

Now, take a brief look at things from my end: as indicated above, 2014 would be the first time I have been able to attend Collector's in a few years. I was eager to register for Cincinnati when the process became operable in October 2013 because (1) I get to go to Collector's again. (2) I can probably drive to Cincinnati, and 2014 may likely be the only chance I ever get to visit Salon de Magie. Then I get the rug pulled out from under me by Magicana's cancellation notices, and the switch to "invitation only." After that, I turned out the light on any hope of coming to Cincinnati. Begging to be placed on a stand-by list was not an option considered.

So when one is prohibited from attending an event in which one has deep interest, one immediately becomes disappointed. Bitterness then encroaches when one is left feeling "less than." One person's meritocracy is another's discrimination.

I will retire from my regular job at the end of this year, and plan to expand my interests in magic - including research and writing. When this occurs, it will be for reasons of both making a "contribution" and personal fulfillment - not in order to make a name for myself so I can attempt to pass muster with the powers that be. But it's very helpful to learn how high the bar can get raised for one of us nobodies.

I certainly wasn't hurling dirt with the "old fart" lines; in fact the Ellington conference I'm headed to consists mostly of us auld fecks. At the very worst, you could think of what I stated being akin to Earl Weaver kicking the first base dirt after getting tossed by the ump.

Your collectors event in Cincinnati will be a huge success, and I am envious because I'll be on the outside looking in. My original post was meant to express my ire for restricted events, that I call them the bull's chit. I'm a strong believer in equal opportunity. I regret your taking it personally, Mr. Hughes.

I believe candor and dissent are healthy, at least for yours truly. I'm very grateful that RK maintains this Forum where I feel comfortable expressing it.

[hugmagic]

I do respect your views and can see where you are coming from.

Several points need to be addressed, We never cancelled the event Magicana did who had no right to as it was not their event. We had tried to reach agreement to use the MCA name but were told we could not without paying for the use and mailing list. We declined. Enough said on that subject.

Our initial planning was to open the convention up to a lot of young guys and new peopls. Set up a kind of collecting and history mentoring system. We quickly realized that we simply could not handle that many people with the hotel we had to use. We were planning over a year out and most of the hotels in Cincinnati were booked. They were not interested in a small groups such as ours because we do not book enough rooms or produce other income streams for them. Even your big national magic conventions are facing this same problem. Thus it became an invite convention out of necessity.

If we were were to do it again in three years (or if someone else wants to), we are putting together a file of the things we have learned and what could be done differently. One thing is I have plan to use other facilities that do not tie you into hotels which charge you for everything, restrict outside vendors, and drive the price up. We did not have this advantage as we only had the information from the event Mr. Klosterman hosted almost ten years ago. The next group will get all we know to help them expand the convention and hopefully even cut the costs down.

I would hope that if your schedule would allow that you would consider still attending. There was no intentional snubbing of anyone for this convention. As I said we sent out over 350 invites for 200 spots. We have since registered over 20 people from the waiting list. There are still a few spots open.

Having said this all, I know that Mr. Klosterman would be happy to show you the Salon de Magie should you be in the area. He loves to share his magic with any one with a sincere interest in preserving it. I do hope to have the opportunity to meet and talk with you some day. I also have been unable to attend Collector's functions for many years. It just comes at a bad time of year for me.

If anyone else would wish to attend, please feel to contact me directly and I will be happy to give you the registration information as long as space remains. My regular email is hugmagic@raex.com

Richard

[Bill McFadden]

Thanks, Richard. Your kindness means a great deal to me, and I'm sure we'll cross paths at some point.

I re-read my post and noticed the system replaced an 8-letter word for drinks made with liquor: "censored parties." That's stricter than my 2nd grade nun.

I neglected to acknowledge that for meeting planners, it's the job. For volunteers who have to put it all together on a one-time basis (with no advance venue bookings), the stress and strain must be enormous.

The problem with naming names is that one forgets some names. Of the individuals who have helped me build the library, I left out Steve Hook, Pete Biro, and the late Martin Breese. Sorry, fellas . . .

[Bill Mullins]

Bill -- it's a little hard to work up sympathy for you given that it's been mentioned a couple of times that the invitation list was only a starting point, and that the organizers were able to include people not on it who asked to attend, yet you so proud that "Begging to be placed on a stand-by list was not an option considered."

Geez, if you want something, ask for it. You just might get it.

In 1998, I saw Lennart Green lecture in Atlanta. He mentioned that the reason he was in town was to attend an invitation-only conference called the Gathering for Gardner, a group who shared Martin Gardner's interests in puzzles, recreational math, and magic. Two years later, after I had investigated a little, I called up the organizer (the late Tom Rodgers) and asked how to get invited. He said, "Do you want to come?" I said yes, and he said "You are invited." I'm getting ready to attend my sixth one. It's a great get-together, and I've been able to meet and become friends with a number of folks by participating. If I had never bothered to ask to come, none of it would have happened.

[Richard Kaufman]

Bill (Mullins) ... I think some people are more naturally reticent than others about asking to be invited.

[Bill Mullins]

Thus I encourage them to be bold.