We are rapidly approaching the end of 2025 already…Inconceivable!!! It’s been an incredible year so far with a lot of club activities. I want to once again thank our performers for doing such a great job and more importantly the people doing the heavy lifting behind the scenes. I believe we enjoy fairly solid support from our membership but we need to do better. We are facing some challenges that we may need to find some creative solutions because our profit and loss are out of balance.
The fall Parlor Show did not have the attendance revenue we have previously achieved. Our biggest short fall is the size of our marketing audience to sell tickets. I understand that we all have lives, but in order to continue we need all hands on deck to achieve our goal of 75 sold tickets per show to cover meeting expenses. We have fallen short of this goal, combined with a couple of long-range planning issues that will be taken up by the board at the next meeting, specifically with the Spring Parlor Show in 2026 and 2027.
We will be hosting the 2027 Michigan Magic Day so there will not be a 2027 Spring Parlor Show. I do expect that to be a lucrative fund raiser for the club and the lineup is shaping up to be star studded, that’s in 2027.
We learned that the Flint Ring has scheduled the 2026 Michigan Magic Day for April 24, (the same day as our scheduled 2026 Spring Parlor Show) and a few of our members have already committed to supporting and attending the 2026 Michigan Magic Day including myself, it would be counterproductive to compete with the 2026 Michigan Magic Day for resources and volunteers. As Ring member of the IBM, we should support The Flint Ring the same way we want all of the other rings in the state to support us at the 2027 Michigan Magic Day. [EDITOR'S NOTE: The board will be looking at options to avoid conflicting with MMD 2026. KR]
As always we are looking for new and creative ways to raise money in support of the club’s efforts and activities.
As 2025 continues to zoom by, our November meeting will be one of the most interesting of the year. Our very own Michael Thornton will be presenting his “Table Talk” or what I consider to be Everything Tabled. Theory meets practicality as Mike discusses how to use a table, what type of table, how to load or lay it out. Want a table that you can take as an airplane carry-on straight to the stage? Mike is going to show you how to do it. Mike has a way of teaching that is clear and concise, taking the time to answer all of your questions. I’m looking forward to Mike’s table lecture and looking forward to seeing all of you.
Cheers,
Sean
