Sittin' on the patio of Jerseys Grill & Bar

I was sittin' on a patio enjoying a smoke and conversation with a fellow last night. Somehow or another the subject of pinball came up. Now, I know what y'all are thinkin'. About how I opened up and started sharing interesting stories and fact and preaching the sermon of the modern pinball revival. But, that's not how it went at all! In not time I found myself daydreaming of being his sidekick as he proceeded to tell me about his glory days growing up right here in Wichita on the south side and attending S.E. High School back in the early 70's. He told me that at that time right there cross corner from the school there was an arcade named "Pinball Heaven" that was full up of all of the greatest, newest and nicest pinball machines of the time. My mind started reelin' bouncing around titles off of production dates and dreaming up many exciting possibilities of the classic EMs me and my new buddy were spending our time leaning against. He went on telling me how him and his buddy would take advantage you the lunch arrangements their parents made for them. His buddies mom always had a big sack lunch waiting for him to grab on his way out the door. Where his had lunch money to drop in his pocket. When the bell rang for lunch both headed straight across the street to "Pinball Heaven" and meet up outside the front door as food or drink was not allowed in. So, after the quick moment or two it takes a cpl teen boys to throw down one sack lunch in they went. He said a good day of flippin' the pocket of lunch money change would last on past lunch so they would end up skippin' going back to class, jippin' the rest of school and flippin' all day. At that point a realized that the place he was describing truely must have been Pinball Heaven because when I dream of what Pinball Heaven might be like I picture the kind of place you go skippin', jippin' and flippin' all day too!

Now I understand that I just wrote one hell of a poetic pinball story but I swear for the most part this is all true. Even the name of the arcade witch I had never of until last night. I have yet to research this to see if I can find any info on it and will be doing so soon. Being that my glory days were in the mid 80's this would have been before my time. I thought maybe if I told the story surely I would not be the only one wanting to know if their truly ever was a "Pinball Heaven" right here in Wichita, Ks. or if that old man gave me the biggest pinball leg pull of all time.

Flip on,
~Rob