Well, we made it to June, so this is our last Ring Report for our 2025/2026 Season. We started the year off big with a great lecture from Ryan Edwards (see our September Ring Report printed in the November 2025 Linking ring) and finished strong with a special Members Night where we shared effects and performance tips among members.
But first, our club recently performed a Second Annual Charity Show for St. Joseph’s Villa, a local senior care facility, so this meeting started with a review of how that show went and some of the feedback we received. Our President, Doug Hunt, who has a close family member in a similar facility, spoke of how important a show like this is to the residents and thanked the performance group for having undertaken this endeavour. Doug then surprised the participants with a special Service Award for the individuals involved: MC Rick Rossini, Performers Victor Staniewski, Rene Chouinard, Barry O’Neil, and Joseph Akhtar, and our sound/backstage person Peter Wiltshire.
For any readers involved in other rings, having your club perform a show like this has many benefits beyond just the charity aspect – not to downplay that at all. But, perhaps some more selfish motivations would include: allowing members who do other styles of performances (i.e. one-on-one walk-around or table hopping) to get some experience in a more formal ‘stage’ type setting; allowing amateur/hobbyist members some ‘stage time’ experience; exposure to use of lighting and sound equipment; practice ‘staging’; building group/club cohesion; and building club pride for having included the charitable project.
Doug, as President, recently created an annual President’s Award to recognize a member each year who made a special effort to contribute to the club, and this year your humble scribe (Rene Chouinard) was selected. Thank you Doug.
That done, several members brought items to present and discuss. Peter Wiltshire began with a pocket version of the zig-zag lady effect which he found on a 3D model site, and performed a great ‘needles through a coin’ effect.
Joseph Akhtar card effect (and found the selected card), and a prediction effect with 5 dice. Corey O’Shaughnessy presented a creative ‘paddle Stick’ effect and a fun ‘Coins Across’ routine. Rick Rossini did a couple of card effects, one using a gimmicked deck.
Doug Hunt spoke about theming our performances to the client’s event, and to demonstrate did a variety of effects using toothbrushes that he developed for a show hosted by a dentist. I closed out the night with another trick-deck card effect (similar to an invisible deck) and with a levitation effect I performed at the SJV show mentioned above.
A great night and a great close to the season. See everyone in September for the start of another great season.
Rene Chouinard