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Alameda Eeks: Pinball-Cool Halloween High Jinks

10/22/2013

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Alameda's Pacific Pinball Museum welcomes the haunting season.
BUMPERS GO BOO: It isn't too much of a stretch to connect the love of pinball with an affection for Halloween. Pinball arcades are typically low-lit, the better to show off all of those glowing colors and lights and blinking bulb and Halloween? It's our annual low-lit holiday. Also, both the destination and the occasion encourage friend gatherings and both are built on strong elements of fantasy. Nope, you're probably never going to play a pinball machine that's themed to a legal firm or a dentist's office -- though someone should make that, because that would kind of rule -- but you will play a machine that depicts scary creatures of the deep or Dracula or outlandish supernatural scenarios. Thus, we like to see the two natural partners dovetail, and if there is a heaping helping of laffs thrown in? Bonus points, ding ding ding ding. (Aside: Is "ding ding ding ding" more slot machine or pinball arcade? We'll lean toward the latter.) If you like Halloween, comedy, and pinball, and you're an adult, not a tot, then make for Alameda and the Pacific Pinball Museum on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 26.

WHY? Because the museum is hosting "Scared Stiff," a costume-up bash that'll feature a gaggle of funny people telling joke and a whole bunch of pinballists playing a lot of their favorite game. Tickets are twenty bucks, you should be 18 or older, and you can arrive early, before the party, and "play pinball all day -- no extra charge." Seriously, is that music to the fan's ears? We've all dug around various pockets for just one more quarter, only to find a handful of lint. Just remember that if you do arrive early for mega-pinball-marathoning, take care not to sweat *too* hard inside your costume. Really, does any game make a person glisten more? There's a cliffhanger every time a ball lands in a kickout hole. Which way will it roll?

via nbcbayarea.com
Copyright NBC Owned Television Stations
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Timeline Arcade aficionados say downtown location perfect for late-night gaming

10/6/2013

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At 10:04 p.m. -- the same time that lighting struck the clock tower giving Marty McFly's DeLorean just enough juice to charge the flux capacitor and send him back to 1985 in "Back to The Future" -- the doors to Timeline Arcade swung open.

If that sounds like an introduction to some sort of nerdy Neverland, it is. Nearly 50 people made their way up to the second floor of the Carlisle Street Heritage and Convention Center Friday, and were greeted by the celebratory bells and whistles of more than 80 classic arcade cabinets, including 17 classic pinball machines.

The venue is a perfect congregation area for pixel-obsessed Baby Boomers, Generation X and the earliest Millennials to take a nostalgic vacation; a time-traveling voyage to the back end of the 20th century, before game-console domination put arcades on the endangered-business list.

Now at its new location on 22 Carlisle Street, the Timeline Arcade is free to keep its doors open as late as 2 a.m. - a huge improvement, gamers say, from its old venue at North Hanover Mall.

"This is great," Travis Goodale, 22, of Hanover, said. "You really don't see a lot of arcade culture anymore. I missed this atmosphere. You had the mall, but it didn't feel like an arcade. It was a good setup, but the hours just didn't work out. A lot of arcade stuff happens later in the night."

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Plunge into the Past at Lyons Pinball

9/9/2013

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The CU Advocate has a nice little story on Lyons Classic Pinball along with a photo gallery of images.

Read below and follow the link for more details.

Ten years ago in March, Lyons Classic Pinball opened its doors for business here in Colorado. Fed up with working for other people and the stress that comes along with standard employment, owners Kevin and Carole Carroll decided to break free from the norm and open up their own arcade in the bustling mountain town of Lyons.

Despite its location nearly an hour away from the city, Lyons Classic Pinball still benefits from many national and international visitors every year, some from as far away as Belgium.

In this day and age, it seems that the stigma associated with pinball is that there are higher chances of the damn thing eating your money or the ball getting stuck than you actually having a good time.

With the proper maintenance and pride that the owners and employees put into the establishment, it is no wonder that Lyons has become the destination for those seeking quality pinball and general vintage charm.

The modest interior of the arcade is very appropriate considering the 1.2 square mile town that it calls home. Inside of Lyons Classic Pinball, one will find nearly 40 beautifully maintained and brightly lit pinball machines, ranging from the 1960s to 2013.

The kind people at Lyons Classic Pinball are pleased to offer monthly double elimination tournaments. There is even a pinball league for those looking to take their flipping to the next level.

Pinball is the lost art of the arcade game world. It’s great that Lyons Classic Pinball is keeping the memory of the game alive. If you are looking for a great time and a blast into the past, this is the place to be.

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Just a bus away: Seattle Pinball Museum

8/21/2013

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Pinball wizards, rejoice! You no longer need to feel restricted to the one or two machines at your local theater. Nestled between dim sum restaurants in the International District rests the Seattle Pinball Museum, a fully playable exhibit home to more than 50 coin-operated machines.

Don’t worry about having to waste laundry money, though. For a flat rate of $13, students can play any number of the machines for as long as the store is open.

“You come in, and you play until your arms fall off, the cops raid the place, or aliens land and everyone runs for the hills,” co-owner Charlie Martin said.


Martin and his wife Cindy opened the museum Aug. 29, 2010, after being selected to participate in StoreFront Seattle, a neighborhood support program which gives three months of rent-free store space to local artists and creative businesses.

“Three months turned into nine months … so we just decided we should run a business,” Cindy Martin said.

The Martins originally turned to pinball after getting bored of watching television after work. They bought their first machine, a 1976 model called Aztec, to play in their garage. That one machine soon spawned an obsession.

“We bought one pinball machine and it broke,” Charlie Martin said. “Got another one to play with while we fixed the first one, and next thing you know we had seven or eight and we ran out of room in the house.”

The museum features rows of different pinball machines arranged in chronological order, including a 1963 Gottlieb “Swing Along” model, a dance-themed game (the first to incorporate spinning targets,) and a 2011 Tron machine, which bathes a player’s face in the movie’s signature blue and yellow neon lights.

The progression allows participants to appreciate the differences in technology and craftsmanship from year to year while also providing a glimpse into society at the time. Many of the machines feature themes from pop-culture such as Metallica, The Lord of the Rings, and The Simpsons.

Other machines tackle more serious issues. For example, S.A.M.I. (Surface to Air Missile Interceptor), one of the few non-pinball arcade games in the museum, was built during the Cold War. The premise of the game is to defend the country from an airstrike, reflecting America’s Cold War attitude.

The artwork on the machines is nice to look at, and the history behind each is easy to appreciate. But the true point of the pinball museum is to relax and have fun, which is where the Martins truly succeed. As an added bonus for those over 21 looking to reclaim their childhood, the museum also serves craft beer for $5 a bottle.

The Seattle Pinball Museum is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, and 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday. To get there, take the 71, 72, or 73 buss to the International District Station, then walk along South Weller Street to Maynard Avenue South.

Via dailyuw.com

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How One Perfect Shot Saved Pinball From Being Illegal

8/16/2013

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In May of 1976 in New York City, Roger Sharpe watched nervously as city council members piled into a Manhattan courtroom. Reporters and camera operators had already begun setting up, eagerly anticipating the proceedings ahead. Roger, a young magazine writer for GQ and theNew York Times among others, did not expect this kind of attention. He knew lots of people, from bowling-alley-hanging teens to the Music & Amusement Association, were depending on him, but didn’t realize the whole country would be watching. Roger had been selected for this particular task not only for his knowledge and expertise, but for his legendary hand-eye coordination. He was there to prove that this was a game of skill, not chance. He was there to overturn the ban. He was there to save the game of pinball.

On January 16th, 1920, the 18th amendment officially went into effect, making the production, transportation, and sale of alcohol illegal in the United States. With that act of moral legislating, gambling became the next target. Coin-operated machines, usually associated with slot machines and betting horses, came under scrutiny. Pinball machines, with their recently-fitted coin mechanisms, became bright, and easy examples of “games of chance.” Politicians took to their pulpit to denounce pinball. Police raided parlors, bowling alleys, and bars that housed these machines. Politicians, literally wielding hammers, smashed these games to smithereens in a public show to illustrate that they too were “moral.” On January 21st, 1942, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia officially banned pinball in New York City and many other American cities soon followed suit.


Read more via gizmodo.com
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Mob Racketeers, Corrupt Union Men Battled Over Pinball Games: Offbeat Oregon History

8/6/2013

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By Finn J.D. John
If you were a fan of the classic ABC television sitcom “Happy Days,” you know The Fonz had a special relationship with two particular machines: his trusty ’49 Triumph motorcycle, and the pinball machine in Al’s diner.
But it may surprise you to know that when Fonzie was playing that pinball machine, in 1950s Milwaukee, Wisc, he was breaking the law — and so was Al.
It’s a bit hard for younger Oregonians to believe, but just a few dozen years ago pinball was illegal in most large American cities — including Portland.
When coin-op pinball was first developed, it was mostly a game of chance, not skill — at least until flippers were added in the late 1940s. But even then, authorities still looked at a pinball machine as a straight-up slot machine with some extra gewgaws attached to it to fool players into thinking it was innocuous.
And they may have been right about that — at least, in some cases. But after 1949, the illegal status of pinball was going to have some profound effects on Oregon’s underworld, especially in and around Portland. It would set the stage for a semi-comical battle between two of the Beaver State’s scuzziest racketeers.
Where Pinball
Came From
Games like pinball had been around since at least the 1700s, but the coin-operated game was developed in the early 1930s, and by the end of the Great Depression they were a familiar sight in bars and malt shops pretty much everywhere.
But slot machines of the “one-armed bandit” type were getting to be a familiar sight, too. And as city authorities started cracking down on these in the 1940s, they also took a look at the pinball games.
To be fair, pinball was mostly luck-based at first. That made it great for gambling operators, since it provided protection against some wizardly player coming to the table and using his or her mad skills to take them to the cleaners. So a number of bars had started letting patrons place bets and cash in extra games that they might win.
They’d quit doing that by the late 1940s, as improvements to the games had dramatically increased the amount of skill that was involved in the game and decreased the role of luck. But by then it was too late. The public-relations war had already been lost.
So in ’49, when the city of Portland outlawed the silver balls, pinball’s reputation was dark and sordid — and alluring. Authorities considered them “gateway machines” used by wicked, scheming men to lure innocent youths into the underworld of one-armed bandits, covert blackjack tables and other underworld wickedness. Rebellious youths, attracted by the forbidden-fruit effect, considered them great fun.
All of which meant that by the mid-1950s — the beginning of pinball’s glory days — pinball in the Portland area was strictly an outlaw enterprise. Games were supplied by criminal syndicates, sometimes in collaboration with corrupt local officials. And when those syndicates started fighting for market share, things could get pretty exciting.

The Pinball Wars
The pinball wars in the north Willamette Valley mostly centered around two racketeers, who supplied the machines that restaurants and bars used. There was Stan Terry, an old bootlegger whose pinball-and-slots syndicate covered mostly establishments south of Portland, in the Milwaukie area; and “Big Jim” Elkins, the self-styled vice boss of Portland itself.
The two of them, in a nutshell, coveted one another’s rackets. They started out in the early 1950s with surprise raids. Elkins, with five or six heavily armed goons, would barge into a bar with Terry’s machines in it, take all the money and as many of the machines as they could haul and disappear into the night. Then Terry would respond in kind. Apparently nobody got hurt in any of these tit-for-tat raids, but then again, they weren’t getting anywhere either.
So around 1955, Elkins escalated the battle by traveling to Seattle and asking the Teamsters Union for help. The Teamsters Union at that time was essentially an organized-crime syndicate, and was already running some machines in Portland under the direction of a short, stocky crook named Tom “Blubber” Maloney.

The Teamster Scheme
Elkins couldn’t get an appointment with the head of the Teamsters in Seattle, so he reached out to Maloney instead. Holed up in the Roosevelt Hotel on Park Street, the two of them hatched a scheme: They’d set up a Teamsters-affiliated pinball operators union, lock Terry out of it and shut him down by denying him access to union trucking services and by throwing picket lines around his customers’ joints.
This was soon done, and a few weeks later, the Coin Machine Men of Oregon was formed. Almost immediately, it moved on the enemy: It summoned a picket line of Teamsters around the Mt. Hood Café, a place with a bunch of Stan Terry’s machines in it.

The Vegas Mafia
Gets Involved
It was looking like the end for Stan Terry. Once the Teamsters started shutting down his customers, his remaining clients would leave in a hurry. In desperation, he went and talked to an old underworld buddy who’d worked for legendary former head Portland racketeer Al Winter before he’d left to open the Sahara Casino in Las Vegas. Terry’s friend had another friend who knew Hy Goldbaum, the pit boss at the Flamingo Casino — the mobbed-up joint in Vegas that had been started by the late Bugsy Siegel. Goldbaum personally escorted Terry to Seattle and introduced him to the head of the Teamsters — the guy Elkins hadn’t been able to get an appointment with.
Some cash changed hands, and then a telephone rang and the pickets were pulled from around the Mount Hood. Just like that, Elkins had lost, and now the Coin Machine Men of Oregon was the group on the outside, facing the prospect of pickets and “hot cargo” restrictions on its slots and pinball machines. At that point, it was checkmate: Elkins had no choice but to sell his machines and routes to Terry for whatever he could get. Terry, with the Teamsters, had run him out of the business.
But Elkins wasn’t done yet. He had another scheme up his sleeve to get the business back. All the business. And it was very simple.

Elkins’
Desperate Scheme
Elkins had made the acquaintance of a square-jawed goon named Herman “Bugsy” Burns. Now, he called up Burns and told him he had a job for him: He and some associates would pose as pinball-machine repairmen and start making the rounds to every joint with one or more of Stan Terry’s machines in it. Elkins already had the trucks and fake IDs that they’d need, and had lined up a big warehouse in North Portland where the machines could be hidden afterward. Everything was ready to go.
When the crew got to each joint, they’d tell the owner pretty much what The Grinch told Cindy Lou Who in Dr. Seuss’s classic “How The Grinch Stole Christmas”: The machines were being updated, so they were collecting the old ones, and another truck would be along in an hour or so with the new replacements.
Elkins figured if they were efficient, they could collect every single Stan Terry pinball machine before anybody figured out the scam, and then Terry would be out of business.
And it probably would have worked, too. But they’d never find out. Because Bugsy and his friends got bored while waiting for the signal to start the collection run, and decided to while away the time by knocking over a Safeway. Of course, they got caught.
Stan Terry kept his machines, and kept paying the Teamsters for the privilege. Big Jim Elkins was stuck on the outside looking in, perhaps thinking — as historian Phil Stanford wryly comments in his book — that, “as ever, good help is so hard to find.”

(Sources: Stanford, Phil. Portland Confidential: Sex, Crime and Corruption in the Rose City. Portland: ptown books, 2004; Donnelly, Robert C. Dark Rose: Organized Crime and Corruption in Portland. Seattle: UW Press, 2011)

Finn J.D. John is an instructor at Oregon State University and the author of “Wicked Portland,” a book about the dark side of Oregon’s metropolis in the 1890s. He produces a daily podcast, reading archives from this column, at ofor.us/p . To contact him or suggest a topic: [email protected], @OffbeatOregon (on Twitter), or 541-357-2222.

Via tctrib.com
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