The Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show is just one week away! Do you like hanging out with fellow pinball collectors talking about games and helping each other out? We'd love more people to help with set up and tear down of the show. It's fun, there's food, and a lot of people always makes it go smoother.

Times help is most crucial:
-Thursday morning starting at 7-8am unloading the first trucks, as well as all day Thursday unloading and setting up games
-Sunday afternoon 3pm-6pm breaking down pins and getting the first load of games on the trucks to go home

Bonus points if you bring your own tools and/or a handtruck, the show has some, but we can always use more!

Vendor list for this year's show:

BuzzBuzz Games http://buzzbuzz.games
Comics for Kids www.comics4kidsinc.org
Double Danger Pinball www.ddpinball.com
Fast Pinball www.fastpinball.com
Gambit's Cards and Hobbies http://gambitscardsandhobbies.com
Hills of Comics https://www.facebook.com/HillsOfComics/
Lock When Lit http://lockwhenlit.com/
Marco Specialties https://www.marcospecialties.com
Moto's Glass http://www.motosglass.com/
Nitro Pinball https://www.nitropinball.com/
Pingravings https://sites.google.com/view/pingravings
Red Floor Arcade redfloorarcade.com
Rich Brothers Amusements
Seattle Pinball Museum www.seattlepinballmuseum.com
Starship Fantasy www.starship-fantasy.com
Stern Amusements
Sweetgyrl Designs www.sweetgyrldesigns.etsy.com
This Old Game www.thisoldgame.com

For sure there will be a new Jersey Jack Pirates, the Seattle Pinball Museum just got one a few days ago and will be bringing it to the show, there will be a seminar on it on Friday from 2-3pm with Butch Peel and maybe David Thiel if he makes it back to town in time.

I don't think there will be an Alice Cooper, but there will be 9 Iron Maidens and at least 4 Houdinis.

Nice, I'm glad that worked out!

That's right, Victor puts headphone jacks in all his games. I've been meaning to do this with a few of mine.

I don't think any are planned. I'd definitely come to one if it's planned and I'm free, but I pretty much have to be on call for when the press shows up most of Friday and Saturday.

I'll be down Thursday afternoon at set up and will be staying there through the first couple hours of breakdown. And you will probably see me in a Pacman suit at least once each day.

GAME PREP FOR SHOW
Thanks for volunteering your games! You make this show happen! If you are self-transporting, please review the instructions in this message as well, your assistance will keep the machines flowing smoothly in and out of the Tacoma Convention Center. If you are getting show transportation, you should be hearing from your diver about your pick up day/time shortly!

Preparing your games for show transportation pickup:
• Pinball games must be broken down, including removing the legs, and securing the head to the cabinet (if possible). Pinballs must be removed from the machine, placed in a Ziploc bag along with leg bolts, backbox bolts, and the keys. The bag must be taped or shrink wrapped to the legs. All 4 legs must be shrink wrapped or taped together, and labeled with the machine and owner name.
• Arcade games, consider putting the cord inside the cabinet. Attach the keys to the game with a Ziploc baggie in the coin door, zip tie to the joystick or painters tape to the back. Please do NOT leave the keys in the locks.
• We request both pins and vids be wrapped with shrink wrap (wide/heavy plastic wrap available at Costco Home Centers and other locations). Even if you are not worried about the possibility of a minor scuff or scratch, the drivers will be more comfortable if the game is protected and will be able to move games a little quicker.
• Please attach a label with your name and the machine name so that it can easily be identified and returned to you on the correct truck. Blue painters tape or an 8.5" x 11" paper with large writing can work well for labeling your machines:
-For vids, place label near the top on the back of the game
-For pins, place label on the underside of the cabinet or near the front of the machine so it is visible when the machine is stood up on it's back
• Safety check! Please make sure your machine is grounded and nobody can get shocked from playing it, refer to some safety tips here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vSuo8vNIjvI_toN3whY_muC8BzpXIRK4TfX1ZYVSB3Q
Note the document refers to arcades, the same info applies to pins.

Pickup/Dropoff site preparation:
• Please have your machine where it is easiest for us to pick up. That means a ground floor room or garage. We may not be able to do the pickup if you have a stairs or a steep incline to deal with. We will not pick up machines from an upstairs location without prior arrangements being made.
• Please make sure that the pathway from the games to the truck is clear and accessible prior to pickup and delivery.
• The area where the truck will park and load/unload games should be easily accessible - please move vehicles out of the way so the truck can park.
• When the truck arrives, please meet the driver and point out any obstacles such as low tree branches, soft ground, or other things that the driver should avoid.
• Please be prepared to assist with the loading/unloading of your games as much as possible. The drivers are moving dozens of games each and a little help will make their jobs easier.

Proper preparation will speed the loading/unloading of your games and make the stop go as quickly and safely as possible. We want to be as flexible as possible but with the number of machines being transported, we will not be able to transport machines that are not prepared for pickup. If you cannot prep your machines or have them available in an easy to access location, please let us know so we can find someone to help you get them set up.

The driver picking up your games will contact you to schedule the pickup and deliveries for your machines. Please be flexible! The first loads are picked up in the late afternoon and evening on Wednesday June 7th. The rest of the pick ups can be anytime during the day of Thursday June 8th. The games will be returned in the late afternoon or evening on Sunday. Sunday's deliveries can run really late and stretch to Monday morning, please be patient, your driver will update you on pick up and delivery times.

For self-transportation:

• IMPORTANT >>> You may bring your games to the Tacoma Convention Center loading dock Thursday, June 7th, between 7:30am-8pm and Friday between 7:30am-10am. Thursday is highly preferred! We encourage folks to set up their own machines whenever possible.
• The Tacoma Convention Center is located at: 1500 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402
• Driving, parking and transit directions are here: http://www.gtctc.org/attend-overview/directions-parking
• The loading dock is located on the west side of the Convention Center on Market street.
• When it comes time to pick up your games on Sunday, please do not bring your vehicle into the loading dock area until AFTER the first group of trucks have been loaded and are out on their route. Plan on starting to load your vehicle no sooner than 4:30pm. Check with a member of the load-out crew to make sure that the area is clear of trucks before you bring your vehicle into the area and start loading. The game show trucks will be working until late at night, and everyone will get done sooner if the trucks receive FIRST PRIORITY for loading and unloading. If you can help break down and wrap games and get the first wave of trucks loaded, even better!

Thanks so much, without your help, we wouldn't have a show! If you have any questions, please contact one of the following folks from the transportation committee:

Toby Udman, [email protected], 425-314-5192

Justin Rudebaugh, [email protected], 253-777-8587

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This week has already been crazy, I've been running around helping people fix games, helped someone haul 3 Atari vectors out of a basement to stage them in their garage for pickup, got my games and another collectors all staged at my house, and am fielding dozens of last minute questions and problems. But tonight my games get picked up, and tomorrow we do load in and set up, it's go time!

There are going to be some neat games this year, from all the new titles to some of the older and rare stuff. Plus for I think the first time we are going to have 4 networked Rush the Rock driving games, who wants to race?

I try to make things easy for the truck volunteers, so I brought all my games to the street and was ready for them when they arrived. About 15 cars stopped and asked if I was giving away free pinball and arcade games... yeah right! Also met a number of my neighbors and handed out show flyers! This first load was picked up last night and is already unloaded at the Convention Center and the guys are on their second run.

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