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Clockwise from left: Middle Tennessee Magic Club, Master Magician Alan Fisher, Blaine Little
More Tricks Than Treats Magicians invite all to attend local club and learn the art of magic BY BLAINE LITTLE WITH HALLOWEEN NOT FAR AWAY, our attention may turn to ghosts and goblins. But monsters are not the only things worthy of our curiosity. It is also a wonderful time for the amazement that magicians can conjure! Whether they are illusionists, escape artists, close-up card tricksters, mentalists or quick-change, classical stage or street magicians, they come in all sorts. Many in Murfreesboro may be surprised to learn that there is a local club that celebrates artistic magic all year-round. The Sam Walkoff Ring of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, #252 has been in Rutherford County since 1984. What’s more surprising is the vast amount of true talent within the club. Many members have performed on large stages in Las Vegas, and others still work professionally with local parties and events. Also referred to as the Middle Tennessee Magic Club, the organization itself has been delighting audiences with trickery for decades. One of those performances is the annual Paul McCallie Memorial Veterans Show, a series started back in November of 2009 (by myself and other club members). Each year, about three or four of these talented tricksters perform in one of the dayrooms at the Alvin C. York VA Medical Center. The room is always packed! Then, the team will 24 * OCTOBER 2021 * BOROPULSE.COM
make room visits to those who were too infirm to attend. The entertainment is provided each year on Nov. 11, Veterans Day. This annual event was especially important to club member Paul McCallie, a walking encyclopedia of magic and Vietnam veteran whose stage name was the Amazing Maurice. McCallie passed away in 2017, but the club decided to name the show in his honor. The magicians organization also performs publicly throughout the year, so keep an eye out for their next show. In the meantime, budding magicians who would like to hone their craft can visit the club meetings. The monthly meetings are at 7:02 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the Linebaugh Library just off of the Murfreesboro Public Square. It’s a great time, filled with laughter and fellow magicians who are willing to help others. “The local club is a launch point for new magicians,” Alan Fisher says. “It provides you with a safe place to fail so you can perfect your performance for the public.” Alan would know. He is one of the world’s top 10 performers in parlor magic and ranked as No. 2 in the U.S. There is even a way for children, seven years and older, to get in on the act. The Amazing Abner Youth Magic Club meets from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month, again at the Linebaugh Library. At each meeting, kids will receive a new trick and are shown how to perform it. It all culminates with a show the kids themselves perform in December. It’s always fun and there is no cost to join. Stage magic is a wonderful art to practice year-round. Learn more about members of the Middle Tennessee Magic Club at ibmring252.com, especially if you would like to hire one for a party this holiday season. Catch them before they disappear! Learn more about Blaine Little, a member of IBM 252, at magicmentalist.com.
