Home Join Us People Meetings Events Store Magicians for Hire More... Log In Our History In the beginning… Magic and magicians have certainly been in and around Atlanta for a very long time, but the purpose here is to trace the roots of our club, Ring 9 of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, as far back as can reasonably be accomplished. As you read this you will learn about the oldest magic club in Atlanta, IBM and SAM affiliations, and which came first, the original name of our club, and a national reorganization that changed our original designation. The genesis of our club can be traced back to the original “Atlanta Society of Magicians”. The first mention we can find of this is from the March 1925 Sphinx, which mentions that the “Atlanta Society of Magicians” had been organized the previous September 1924. Organizing members were: Dr. F.E. Van der Veer, Julian V. Boehm, S.B Blodgett, Kenneth Keyes, J Edgar Hunnicutt Jr, Allan Gottschaldt, H.R. Hulse, W.D. Alexander, and E.C. Creighton. It is important to note that although the Sphinx was at the time the publication of the “Society of American Magicians”, the “Atlanta Society of Magicians” remained unaffiliated for many years. Its activities were published in both the Sphinx and the Linking Ring (the IBM publication)! In this time frame, magic as a hobby is growing in popularity. And as the IBM begins a period of rapid growth, in June 1927, IBM adopts a new Constitution and Bylaws. The first mention of an Atlanta club applying for membership in the IBM dates to January 1931, when Atlanta was chartered as Ring 57 and held its first official meeting. The first President was George Kitsinger, first VP was F.E. Van der Veer, J.A. Lambert was Secretary, the Treasurer was Jerry Seal. By March of that year ring reports show that the club was also known as the “Gate City Ring”, at the time one of Atlanta’s nicknames was “The Gate City” or the “Gateway to the New South.” You can see that names are already appearing as members of both Ring 57 and the Atlanta Society of Magicians. In May of 1939 founding member of the “Atlanta Society of Magicians” and the original IBM Ring 57 Vice President, Dr. F.E. Van der Veer, dies. June 1938, IBM adopts a new Constitution and Bylaws, apparently because the preceding constitution had weak language as it related to membership and the collection of dues. With the powers of the new constitution, in March of 1939, both Atlanta’s Ring 57 and Columbus Ohio’s Ring 9 (among many others) are declared inactive and lose their charters. By June of 1939, Atlanta Ring 57 had reorganized and renamed itself. Now with the name “Georgia Magic Club,” it reapplied for charter with IBM. That charter is granted, and we are assigned the designation of Ring 9, taking that moniker from the Columbus Ohio club. By April of 1940, Atlanta’s Ring 9 was holding regular meetings and filing reports with the Linking Ring. In February of that same year the Atlanta Society of Magicians decided to affiliate with the Society of American Magicians (SAM) and was granted charter as Assembly 30. Public Videos 07:15 Georgia Magic Club The Georgia Magic Club on This Is Atlanta via PBA In 2009, Public Broadcasting Atlanta produced a segment on The Georgia Magic Club. We make no claim of ownership of this video. ------------- An overview of the Georgia Magic Club, the Atlanta regional ring of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. This story was featured on "This is Atlanta with Alicia Steele," a Telly Award-winning and Emmy-nominated magazine show on PBA, Atlanta's PBS Station. View more from "This is Atlanta" at http://www.pba.org/atlanta. Music in this video Song You Woke Me Up! Artist Andrew Bird Album Useless Creatures Writers Andrew Bird Licensed to YouTube by The Orchard Music, PIAS (on behalf of Bella Union); ASCAP, Wixen Music Publishing, Inc., UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA - UBEM, LatinAutor, and 9 Music Rights Societies Song Eugene's Lament (Remastered 2009) Artist Beastie Boys Licensed to YouTube by UMG (on behalf of EMI); LatinAutor, LatinAutor - UMPG, UMPI, ASCAP, UMPG Publishing, UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA - UBEM, CMRRA, and 6 Music Rights Societies 01:32:01 Georgia Magic Club 2019 Atlanta Magic Spectacular | On June 30, 2019, the magic clubs of Atlanta produced a combined show for the public. Ring 9 of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and Assembly 30 of the Society of American Magician joined to present Atlanta Magic Spectacular 2019. Performers included: Joe M. Turner, MC and Producer Dan Garrett Merritt Ambrose & Murl Eddie Harmon Mike Dunagan Debbie Leifer* Ari Isenberg Gus Belgrave The event was performed at The Breman Museum as part of their summer exhibition Inescapable: The Life and Legacy of Harry Houdini. *artist requested not to be recorded 01:43:08 Georgia Magic Club 2004 Georgia Magic Club/IBM Ring 9 Public Show | Newnan Community Theatre September 18, 2004 Georgia Magic Club Public Show Newnan Community Theatre Newnan, Georgia Performers: Joe M. Turner (MC) David Smith Lynn Fox Tommy Johns Wes Petty Bill Packard 01:45:00 Georgia Magic Club Magic for Heroes: a 9-11 benefit by Georgia Magic Club & the Atlanta Society of Magicians 10/5/2001 On October 5, 2001, the Georgia Magic Club (IBM Ring 9) and the Atlanta Society of Magicians (SAM Assembly 30) joined forces to raise money for the Disaster Relief Fund of the American Red Cross following the September 11 terrorist attacks. As reported in The Linking Ring: Following the recent terrorist attacks, the Georgia Magic Club collaborated with the Atlanta Society of Magicians (SAM Assembly #30) to produce "Magic for Heroes," an evening of magic to benefit the disaster relief fund of the American Red Cross. Close-up performers included Rolando Santos, Scott Horn, Jens Kautler, Rick Hinze, Yvonne Shelnutt, Christophe Fouquet, Paul Sponaugle, Doyne Michie, Jack Camp and Rick Silverstein. The stage performers were Bill Packard, Debbie Leifer, Howie Marmer, Ken Scott and Joe M. Turner, who produced and emceed the event. The show generated over $2000 in donations to assist the victims of the September attacks. About Us The International Brotherhood of Magicians’ (IBM) Georgia Magic Club Ring 9 is one of the most prestigious and respected magic clubs in North America. With over 120 members, our ring has a variety of magic enthusiasts, including professional magicians, semi-professionals, amateurs, hobbyists and collectors. Ring activities include a busy schedule of visiting lectures presented by some of the worlds leading performers, monthly meetings with each including a lecture and a fun filled magic competition, visits to many conventions, community performances and an annual auction where magic, books and more are sold. At Ring 9, there is something for everyone. © 2021 by Georgia Magic Club