April ‘25: April Foolers with the Searcy Magic Society
April was a slower month for juggling gigs, but I still had the chance to perform for some peers in the local magic club. Our chapter of the International Brotherhood of Magicians—one of four such ‘rings’ in Arkansas—meets in Searcy, and the club has been a monthly source of fun, community, and learning since I was young. For April’s meeting, we met on a Saturday so that folks from around the state could join for gameshow-style performances and merriment. I joined others to perform something we hoped could stump our fellow magicians. Here’s the event’s summary, as published in the IBM’s monthly print magazine, The Linking Ring:
IBM Ring 308, also known as the Searcy Magic Society, met on April 12, 2025 for a special edition of our monthly gathering. Two knowledgeable members sat in judges seats, and each member did their best to baffle the duo in a “Fool Us” style game called April Foolers. With eight potential foolers lined up, the show began.
Joel Nicholson kicked us off with a gospel presentation of a paper tear, where an ordinary piece of paper transformed into a space shuttle, airplane, and finally a cross shape.
Bob Bullock volunteered for spot number 2, which he used to demonstrate an impossible card trick. Susan thought of a card, and with no conceivable avenue for knowing what she was thinking, Bob was able to identify her card, the two of clubs!
Susan Bucher was up next, with a trick she had (very) recently learned. It used a thing-a-ma-bob. That thing-a-ma-bob was made of teak wood and appeared to be a hollow sleeve, in which she placed a red block (solid, aside from a hole through its center). A small sword was inserted through the block, but mysteriously, miraculously, ma-bob-ically, that block fell right through, with no apparent harm from the sword.
Our next lady magician to perform was Nessie, who demonstrated a card effect with a unique story of creation. One card represented Adam, another Eve; two participants told her where to place those cards within the deck, and despite their random placement, they happened to be just adjacent to the only two colorful serpents in the whole pack. This trick was the genesis to a lot of wonder from our judges and audience.
Marty Haughn, president of neighboring Ring 29, took the stage next with top secret materials. Pennies were used to mark random, chosen cards in a grid, leaving us with numbers—4, 7, 10, and 13—that summed to 34. That number didn’t seem to mean much to Susan, who chose which cards to mark. But upon further inspection, each penny appeared to have been minted in… yes, 1934!!
Blayk followed, with an old trick he dug out specifically in hopes it may fool judges Paul and Michael. Two small piles of cards were used, and after examining their containers, unmistakably counting cards, and selecting one card to make an impossible journey, the chosen 5 of Spades magically made its way from one paperclipped envelope to another.
The next act would’ve been well-suited to a stage, but played just as well in the library conference room we found ourselves in. Richard Knoll captivated the Ring with a large wooden box, inside of which was a clear plastic drawer. With imagined music that rivaled a live symphony orchestra, beautiful colored silks, pompoms, and banners poured out of the once-empty container.
Our final potential fooler was Patrick, who showed off his signature coin magic. With no extra coins, shells, flippers, or magnets, countless impossibilities were seen to happen with six silver coins. They impossibly darted from hand to hand, disappeared and reappeared, and were even hung invisibly on hooks that nobody could see except Patrick himself.
Our judges tried to guess how these magicians may have pulled off their impossible feats, but time and again, they were fooled by the impressive sleight of hand, magical contraptions, and psychological ruses performed by Ring 308’s talented magi. With trophies in hand, each magician returned home to think about what they may conjure up for next year’s April Foolers meeting!
