Ft Myers Zoomers Grand Opening

Awesome. We might actually have a place to play pinball in the wild again.

Zoomers was a go-cart, miniature golf, arcade family fun center that was suppose to open several years but failed to be completed so close to being finished. The original owner pour in over 15million to begin this endeavour only to have come to a halt during 2007.

The building and 16 acres has been sitting for all those years until it was bought at auction last year. The current owner bought with the goal to finish the amusement park and they did just that. The grand opening is June 15th.

I have yet to find out if they will have any pinball machines on site, but I did ask the question on their facebook site. You can join me here to help them understand, if they don't already, that pinball machine is as important to an arcade and family fun as much as a video machine. There facebook site is: http://www.facebook.com/#!/ZoomersAmusementPark

Zoomers web site: http://www.zoomersamusementpark.com/

Have Fun,

Dan

New Southern Pinball Expo in Orlando

The Southern Pinball Festival to be open for November 18th 19th & 20 2011 in Orlando, Florida.

A group of pinball collectors in Florida have announced their first Southern Pinball Festival, where they plan on having over 100 pinball machines spanning the history of pinball in America, ranging from an 1933 World’s Fair Jigsaw bagatelle to the brand new modern pinball machines.

Leave your quarters at home because all the pinball machines will be set up as Free Play. After you pay for your admission, you can play any of your favorite pinball machines until your heart’s content.

A professional pinball tournament is being held all three days of the show so you can test your pinball skill against your rival competitors, if you succeed Top cash prizes and SPF trophies will be awarded.

The Southern Pinball Festival will be taking place at the Maitland Civic Center just North of downtown Orlando.

Also, the Amusement industry’s premiere convention, IAAPA, will also be going on in Orlando the week of the show. Link here: http://www.absoluteexhibits.com/IAAPA2011?gclid=CKLxtsedgaoCFYHs7QodKDGAyg

The Southern Pinball Festival strongly encourage attendees to make the most out of the trip to Orlando by also planning to visit the many theme parks and sites in the area such as the Walt Disney theme parks, Universal Studios, Sea World and others. Even LegoLand Florida will be open in nearby Winter Haven by then! (so you have MANY excuses to convince your wife and family or friends to make the trip for the week before/after the ‘pinball show’!)

Little Shop of Games one of their attending sponsors. Curly & Jimmy will be on hand to have pinball parts and will even have several brand new Stern pinball machines on-site, available for sale. If you don’t see what you need, they will be glad to order it in for you. Link here: http://www.littleshopofgames.com/

“We hope many of you will be able to attend and help us make this a success that will grow in the future! SUN! PINS! FUN!”
–Spencer of the Southern Pinball Festival

The Southern Pinball Festival during November 18, 19, 20, 2011 in Orlando, Florida
SHOW your support and post that you are attending via Facebook, they would love to hear from you. http://tinyurl.com/FB-Attend-SPF-Show

CHECK out their website for more detail, information, updates & more: http://www.southernpinballfestival.com/

OR show up on Facebbook & show them how much you “LIKE” this event. http://tinyurl.com/Southern-Pinball-Festival

TWEET your Twitter here:
http://www.twitter.com/spfshow

You can read more about the 1933 World's Fair Jigsaw Bagatelle here:
http://pinballavenue.blogspot.com/2008/03/wow-factor-10.html

Have Fun,

Dan

WOW Factor +10

Wow, what a great turn out for KB’s pinball tournament. Jamie & Debra opened their home last night to host this pinball gathering. While it seemed like an invading mob of friends & new comers Jamie & Debra managed to serving up warm hospitably to everyone with ease. Wow- I had a great time last night Wow- It was nice to meet some new faces & talk to some of those all ready met. Wow- The line up of Pinball machines was great, ten machines in the collection. Wow- It was good to “see” Digger & his wife Sue. Wow- Thomas kicked butt with first place…Again. Wow- I lost my voice over the melodies of pinball machines. Wow- Spencer’s awesome 1933 world’s fair bagatelle. Wow- The popcorn was a hit…. Again! Wow- What a excellent capture video Wow- The long drive home hurt. Wow- Those machines were in remarkable condition. Wow- The food & drink was great. Wow- That Medieval Madness pinball machine was lightening fast. Wow- My wife is mad at me, but she did say the sofa was comfortable & she did have a good time. Wow- What a great pin gathering. For more Photographs look here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21038796@N02/sets/72157604220207681/show/ If you ever have any questions, information or comments, post them here. Have Fun, Dan

Are you Tuff Enough!?

Are you good enough to join Spencer’s Pinball Bobsled Team?

Well think again punk! Only the top condition athletes with PinFit training & no next of kin or bright futures should even considering applying for this. In any event, you must first have a strong desire to become PinFit and be willing to set out upon the journey of a lifetime. Why? Because it will seem like a lifetime until you become one of the very, very few who successfully complete the PinFit training and make it to the SPBTeam.

Spencer’s dictum is: “I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I will never give up the fight because we train for war and fight to win. The execution of my duties will be swift and violent when required to take out my pinball opponents.” Our PinFit training program will help you:

• Achieve a level of fitness and mental toughness you once only thought of & what other Pinheads are dreaming of.


• Develop PinFit skills & abilities to shred hardwood floors, tile- ceramic or marble, & carpet with coordination and confidence!


• Dramatically increase your athletic & pinball performance 30% or more in less than 6 weeks, (actual results may vary. These results from our on-site PinFit training center in Teustepe, Nicaragua (Note: PLEASE bring your own quarters!)) Also, build lean muscle mass in as little as 6 weeks.


• Learn & perfect the proper maneuvering of a pinball machine through the beach obstacle course while developing cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, strength, power, speed, agility, balance, flexibility and accuracy that are needed to maintain the stamina for extreme & violent pinball machine craving.


• Use exclusive exercises formerly known only to PinFit elite trainers. Train using functional exercises not found in traditional gyms or arcades, which build core stability, prepare you for the unknown, and make you fit across a broad spectrum of pinball playing skills. The PinFit program utilizes a combination of PinFit “STD” (SlamTilt Drives) and PinFit “CPT” (Carve Physical Training) regimens which is the same training that the elite Spencer’s Pinball Bobsled Team units now use to chisel their bodies, compete at their elite level, and help them survive the hardships of special pinball tournaments.


• Reduce injuries.

You don’t have to be crazy but it surely comes in handily when others of clearer minds & sensibility would be running for cover. If you like what you read, Then you are that crazy! “The difference between pinball and others games is that in pinball you bury the guy who comes in second.” -Spencer

*** THIS A JOKE! PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT ME, THINKING THAT THIS A REAL TRAINING PROGRAM!***

Have Fun,

Dan

Wheel of Fortune Pinball Hits Big Money?

The Wheel of Fortune Pinball Machine does it have what it takes to hit the Big Money? You tell me.

Play the Wheel of Fortune Pinball Machine because it just arrived at Rocky's Replay in Orlando! The WoF machine joins the ranks with the other Stern pinball machines already on location at Rocky’s. They have a Family Guy, Spider-man, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Simpson Pinball Party & Ripley’s Believe It or Not pinball machines that are mixed in with the latest variety of video machines. These pins are truly well maintained and good playing machines. So head on over to Rocky’s and give the Wheel of Fortune pinball machine a try, but before you do, you can check out the playfield's layout here at this link: WoF Playfield Shot Layout. This will help you become familiar with the shot layout and game-play, before you play your first ball on the machine. So, let me know your opinion about Stern's new pinball machine theme, artwork, flow, replay-ability and/ or etc. & I will post here for others to follow the review.

Read Also: Rocky's Replay:New Addition, Wheel of Fortune Pinball in the Works Rocky's Replay in Orlando can be found here:

Rocky’s Replay

1121 Semoran Blvd Casselberry, FL 32707

(407) 260-0043

If you ever have any questions, information or comments, post them here.

Have Fun,

Dan

Florida Pinball Enthusiast’s Open House

Curly’s Little Shop of Games is hosting a pinball enthusiast’s open house this coming Saturday, November 17th at his work shop from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm. He is planning to have approximately 20- 30 pinball machines on site and set up for your playing enjoyment. And Wow, what a line up of pinball machines he has listed here:

• Airborne


• Addams Family


• Attack from Mars


• Bride of Pinbot


• Cactus Canyon


• Champion Pub


• Cirqus Voltaire


• Corvette


• Creature from the Black Lagoon


• Dirty Harry


• Dracula


• Family Guy


• Godzilla


• Judge Dredd


• Junk Yard


• Lethal Weapon


• Monster Bash


• Monopoly


• No Good Gofers


• Pinball Magic


• Road Show


• Rocky & Bullwinkle


• Scared Stiff


• South Park


• Striker Extreme


• Slugfest


• T-3


• Whirlwind


• World Poker Tour

Each person will have one chance to win a LAH playfield by putting the highest score for the evening on the Family Guy Pinball Machine, plus Curly has some other pinball related gifts for limited amount of people. Then grab a Hamburger or Hot Dog with some Chips & Soda and kick back by the fire and listen to the DJ spin a disc or two.

This event is awesomely free and compliments of Curly’s Little Shop of Games & his Family.

It is not a prerequisite to be a pinhead to be able to attend, everyone is welcomed. The only request & requirement by Curly, is to bring a good attitude to take home a great experience. And he asks: please, if you introduce yourself to everyone you do not know, you will never be in a room full of strangers.

You can Google map it out to Curly’s location: 3635 Eagles Nest Road, Fruitland Park, Florida 34731

Also, You can check out his web site: Curly’s Little Shop of Games

Have Fun, Dan

Wheel of Fortune Pinball in the Works

Stern Pinball is planning on releasing a Wheel of Fortune Pinball Machine based on the long airing Wheel of Fortune Game Show. (It has been Thirty-Two years that this game show has been on television across the world. Unbelievable, it debut in 1975.) The Wheel of Fortune Pinball Machine seems to be closely following the game show forum because it has the contestants, prizes, the spinning wheel, but does it have the Puzzle Letter Board? This pinball machine is definitely different in design & a break from the normal layout especially with the inlanes & flippers areas at the bottom of the playfield. Stern moved the flippers further apart and including two rollover lane with a center post to help guard against straight down the middle ball drains between the flippers. But this different flipper layout will require players to learn new ball control skills if they are to avoid frequent ball drains. A few reports that a limited number of the Wheel of Fortune Pinball Machines have been surfacing for display & a couple of the pinheads had the chance to play the brand new machines had this to commented about the layout change: “The skill shot is tough and the center drain with the large center post and two lanes leaving the playfield really give it a different feel.” Two questions come to mind: (1) Will Stern get a good fortune spin with a Big Money Prize with the design deviations or will it land on the Bankrupt space & be rejected? (2) Do you have to be a die hard Wheel Watcher to enjoy this Pinball Machine & to keep it interesting & playable? Time will answer both these questions as this pinball machine is going into full production soon & Stern is getting ready for those pinball machine orders. Take a look at the Wheel of Fortune Pinball Machine playfield design & layout & tell me your predictions & I will post it here. Have Fun, Dan PS If you ever have any questions, information or comments, post them here.

Are The Game Vendors Killing Pinball?

By guest Blogger: Lizzy Try to find a pinball game to play in Southwest Florida. Dare, double dog dare ya! A pinball machine is like the four leaf clover of games. They’re harder than heck to find, fleeting and like a prize when you do find one. Why are they so hard to locate? Seriously, as a pin enthusiast I’ve dashed in and out of game rooms and smoke filled gin joints just trying to find one to little avail. The last one I found was playable until you reached a chute that was blocked. That ended my quarter parade. For all I know it’s still not operational it was evident that nobody was caring for this machine in any capacity. My quest for pin has led me the occasional pinball machine and I’ve always called the vendor number on the sticker to get a list of where he/she may have more. No dice. At what point does a person contact a business owner, offer to pump quarters into their machine and get met with no response? Zero, Zip, Nada. Well, one person tried to sell me a pinball machine at an inflated price. After engaging in several back and forth emails I still wasn’t able to pry the information about other machines from this vendor. I’m torn between whether the vendors won’t disclose machine locations: Are the pinball machines not properly licensed or if the vendors are just too dense to realize I just want to find their machines and pump my money into them.

If I can't find them and the few I find are not playable then how is the rest of the public going to fall in love with pinball and keep it alive? So I ask you if your part of the country is much like my little corner of Southwest Florida.

Are you able to find pinball machines?

Do the vendors in your area properly maintain and care for their machines?

Do the vendors share the location of their other machines?

Your commentary is welcome and of course, if you can rat out the location of a pinball machine in the Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers or Naples, Florida areas it would be much appreciated. Heck, anywhere in SW Florida for that matter.

Journey to the other Coast

Decided to drive to the end of my driveway, then reach there & decided to drive to the edge of town, then the edge of the county & continued driving until I reached Ft. Lauderdale. I finally stop at the Xtreme Karts to play pinball. When you have an itch, sometimes you have to scratch. Jeff Palmer from RGP (Rec.Game.Pinball Google Group) told me about the Prime Time Arcade at Xtreme Karts located on the other coast. It really is not a bad drive. Yes, it did take me, one hour & forty minutes to arrive at their door steps, but driving across the Alligator Alley is undemanding & without interruptions. There are only two exit/ overpasses the entire eighty-four miles, so set the cruise control, listen to some music & look for ‘gators. Prime Time Arcade had six Stern pinball machines: World Poker Tour, NASCAR, Grand Prix, The Lord of the Rings, The Sopranos & Elvis. The pinball machines were clean & in good shape. They played well & I did not have any problems with these machines. But, I was disappointed to discover that they did not have Sterns latest & new releases like the Family Guy or Spider-man pinball machines on location. What a missed pinball opportunity. The opportunity to introduce a brand new game(s) & bring new pinball players in the blend or even to keep fresh the enthusiasm & passion that the dedicated pinheads have. It makes me wonder… They have the latest video consoles & extreme racing carts too, but this page is for pinball machines & pinball experiences. You can find the Prime Time Arcade at Xtreme Karts located at 5300 Powerline Rd Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 (954) 491-6265

Have Fun, Dan

Jeff thanks for the information.

The Chicago Pinball Expo

This year is the year for me to journey to the Chicago Pinball Expo. I have never been to a pinball expo or any similar gathering, so I heard that the Chicago Expo is one of the best & I am choosing this location to change that fact. The expo really looks & sounds interesting for not just pinball enthusiasts but anybody that ever walked up & played a ball on a pinball machine. Pinball machines you could not find on your own & that you normally would not have a change to play… set up here for Free Play, sign me up! They have organized this event with seminars & fireside chats with some very interesting speakers that have collected, changed, shaped, designed & manufactured the machines & even owned the companies that produced them. Seminars are offered for those people wanting to learn more from their pinball community about collecting, maintaining, electronics, trouble shooting, & restoration for pinball machines. Also you get to watch Shaggy & Norm in action in their segment: This Old Pinball- The Making of a Disaster tutorial. This Old Pinball videos are film & produced by these two crazy idiots, which make it pretty entertaining yet helpful & informational for the repairing & maintenance of a pinball machine. Be warned that they do have an “R” rating for their humor! The Stern factory tour is an exclusive behind the doors look at the only pinball manufacturing company left in existence. Go to the Stern Pinball manufacturing facility and see the production of machines from beginning to end. This special privilege is only extended to Pinball Expo 2007 Attendees! PLUS, they have Pinbrawl. Pinbrawl is a pinball players’ four person team tournament. Bring the skill or leave it at the house, it does matter they have different levels of competition based you’re your proficiency. You have to register at their Pinbrawl web page to participate in this competition. BUT, the most important thing is: that you can be with people that enjoy pins as much you do. Where else can meet & talk face to face with the other pinheads that you met online, similar to RGPers group with their members that live & come to be here from all over world to be in Chicago for the Pinball Expo. Let me know if you are making plans to the Pinball Expo & I will add your post here. If you having any questions about anything above, try clicking the embedded links on the highlighted words or contact me here & I will try to point you in the right direction. Have fun & hope to see you there! Dan

You Dirty Rat!

The Stern Spider-man Pinball machine at the Ft MyersAle House no longer displays my initials on its high score leader board. Someone has known only to me by his initials of D.O.N. aka the dirty rat has wipe me from existing on the face of this Spider-man pin. DON did such a beat down to knock my 102 million with his fourth rank of 168 million. He must be putting some time in on that pinball machine. He has the second & third spots locked up also & that is just plain getting greedy! New Challenge: Gun for the D.O.N. & knock him off that leader board! If you have the skill or luck and success in doing so, contact me here and I will post your results.

The Spider-man Pinball Machine can be found at: The Ale House - 4400 Kernel Circle, Ft Myers, FL Have fun, Dan

World Poker Tour Shanghai!

The Stern-World Poker Tour pinball machine has been put to sea and replaced by the Stern-Pirates of the Caribbean at Stevie Tomato’s Sportspage Ft Myers location. The pitch is set high on this machine causing fast balls and short games especially if you go after the center pirate targets, so good luck with putting your initials up on the leader board. Stern- Pirates of the Caribbean: Clean, bright, playable but pitch high with fast play, Stevie Tomato’s Sportspage- 11491 Cleveland Ave, Ft Myers 33907- Bar & Restaurant Have fun. Dan

Spiderman Found in SW Florida!

Hell frozen over, expect cooler weather. A Stern pinball machine was found on location at The Fort Myers Ale House and it happens to be the BRAND NEW Spider-man with a Steve Ritchie Design. The game play is clean & fast. The ramps are quick & fast. Be warned: the sandman center shot, after the drop targets are down, will guide the ball toward the middle to drain, use the center post between the flippers as a last alternative. The Vemon ramp is a sweet shot coming off the upper flipper & I like the Spider Sense shot, off the back of the upper flipper. If you are local, give it a shot. Ale House- 4400 Kernel Cir, Ft Myers, FL UPDATE: We only had seven pinball located on my web site at http://pinballavenue.blogspot.com/ before the weekend. Now we have twenty-three. Have fun. Dan.

Pirate Pinball Night

With the help from Tony B. for the locations, I played two new machines: World Poker Tour & Pirates of the Caribbean pins mentioned in the Update: new locations found article. The WPT was the only pinball machine & looking lonely while it was surrounded by pool tables, mames & arcade games at Stevie Tomato’s Sportspage- 11491 Cleveland Ave, Ft Myers. The first game play on the WPT seemed to “knock the rust loose” on the drop targets. These drop targets weren’t resetting in the upright position until the third ball was played, then they sprung to life to join in for the rest of the evening. The only big complaint was the sound was nonexistent, so we were force to do our own commentaries & sound effects. The POTC was also solo in the field of video bowlers & poker machines at Stevie Tomato’s Sportspage- 3422 Del Prado Blvd, Cape Coral. The same problem was present on this machine as the pin before, no sound. Fortunately, I can do a better imitation of a scurvy pirate & firing cannons, then a bluffing poker player so the non present sound was no real loss & plus the solo performer on the small stage was quite entertaining. PLUS A NEW LOCATION: Stern Pirates of the Caribbean: Clean, A few burnt bulbs, no sound present, playable, but out of level to right & pitch set slow, 8 Ball Lounge-14500 South Tamiami Trail, Ft Myers, FL 33912

Update: New pinball locations found.

Tony B. added these locations:

Stern World Poker Tour: pretty good shape, Stevie Tomato’s Sportspage- 11491 Cleveland Ave, Ft Myers 33907

Stern Pirates of the Caribbean: good shape, Stevie Tomato’s Sportspage- 3422 Del Prado Blvd, Cape Coral 33904

Tony, thanks for the information.

Guest Blogger - 4 Pins Found in SW FLa

Pinball Machines - They're harder to find than one would think. I've been in every stinky, smoke filled 'hole in the wall' bar, bowling alley, arcade, dog track, movie theater, you name it, in the last month. It's a quest that me and a few other SW Florida "Pinheads" have been on. After a series of various sports bar/restaurants, pizza joints, movie theaters I found a raggedy old [Stern] Nascar machine at a place called Pelican Larry's on Pineridge Road in NASCAR, Florida (there's a screw on the inlane that snags the ball).

Continue reading: HERE

by guest Author Chris Griffith

Southwest Florida Pinball Discovery

Welcome to Pinball Avenue, a blog set up to chart and critique pinball machines in Southwest Florida - in the cities of Bonita Springs, Naples, Estero, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres. If you know of a pinball machine just post or email the location, make, model, theme, condition and anything else you feel is relevant.