Magicians conjure up fun at 100th anniversary bash

The Youngstown Club was found in 1926

BOARDMAN — There was magic in the air at the 100th anniversary dinner celebration of the Youngstown Magic Club Ring 2 on Saturday at Magic Tree Pub & Eatery.

"There is a discussion about who is the first magic club in the country, St. Louis or Youngstown," said Gary Morton, The Youngstown Magic Club Ring 2 historian. "Youngstown had a magic club before the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) came into existence."

IBM held its first magicians convention in Ohio in 1926. Rings are local chapters of magician clubs. Youngstown has the oldest continuous ring.

At Saturday’s dinner, magicians, wives and other family members attended from Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties as well as far away as Akron and Pittsburgh.

James Killmeyer, a Youngstown State University senior, is the youngest member of the club. "I flew in from Colorado, checking out a graduate school program there in order to come to the dinner," said Killmeyer.

He cites the club and its monthly meetings and performances as making him more confident talking in front of people. He started coming to meetings as a seventh grader from Hookstown, Pa.

"It allows me to truly express myself, and I see a lot of similarities between magic and my major of physics. They both look into the unknown," said Killmeyer.

During the dinner members visited old friends and remembered former members.

Attorney Frederick "Fritz" Coombs of Youngstown gave a Powerpoint presentation about the men who started the organization. At 60 years, he is the longest member of the club, while Peter Locke is the oldest member at 83 years old.

From sleight of hand to using birds in their acts, the men who started the club had various magic specialties. Some performed at the world-famous Magic Castle in California.

Neil Herbkersman and his sister, June Mclaughlin, attended in honor of their father, Niland Herbkersman.

"Dad was a member of the Youngstown Magic Club from 1948 until 2022," said Neil. His father would take a cable car from Columbiana to the meetings. "I am named after Neil Foster, my father’s magician mentor.”

His sister has more performance experience.

"I was a ventriloquist and I also performed magic at schools and other places," she said.

Though men frequently performed in tuxedos she feminized the outfit.

"I wore tuxedo pants and a vest with a white shirt to do my act," she said. During COVID, she said she even performed her act online.

As part of the evening, three magicians did their specialty acts. Jim Klayder of Akron performed a ring act. Dr. David Chuirazzi of Pittsburgh did a mentalist act, and Gary Morton of Leavittsburg performed the East Indian Pin Trick in honor of the 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini's death. The pin trick was one of Houdini's most popular acts.

It was a celebratory night, and the club is looking forward to its next 100 years. "We are always looking for new members," said Coombs.

Monthly meetings take place 7:30 p.m. the second Friday of the month at Valley Christian Church, 7155 Glenwood Ave., Boardman.

Members perform for one another and receive points. The winners of the monthly meetings are tallied up with the person having the most points at the end of the year receiving the Leedy - Yahn Trophy with their name inscribed on it. Killmeyer won the trophy in 2023 and shared it in 2024.

For more information about joining The Youngstown Magic Club, Ring 2 or member performances, contact Gary Morton at 330-883-0513, email him at magusmort@aol.com or Fritz Coombs at 330-550-3367 or email him at Fritzwiz@yahoo.com.