By Auction, we are talking aboot the Make A Wish (of Northern Illinois) Charity auction where maybe a dozen items are auctioned off such as translights, a business card or desk trinket from the desk of a Bally, Williams or Gottlieb employee that is no longer with us (who was Chicago Coin or Game Plan?), a bottom arch autographed by Centerflank & Rotordave, Backglasses, a restored pin or video game donated by Rob Berk and, until this year, a set of Mike Pacek's Pinball Flyer reference books.

I don't think having this rather small auction moved and attended by guests who just come to play pins on Saturday morning will help with the donations.

Remember, the Free Play room has been open during the banquet the past few years. That was Mike's doing by popular demand as Rob wanted to drive up attendance at the Banquet at $80 a head for those that didn't buy the full Expo package.

Don't worry, Berk just wants your money.

Aboot to cancel my hotel reservation.

I heard the new show management is restricting seminar participants. Sounds like censorship to me.

You do not remember right.

I wonder how many of those 200 machines in Rob B's collection fully work?

He does have a small collection of trucks so he can have them driven to Expo.

Regarding the NWPinball show being a non-profit event; I don't think that is part of Berk's mission statement.

Mr. Berk can bring them and have the repair room guy fix them. He had his minions bring 3 or 4 into the repair room last year. My son & I fixed them. IIRC one early Gottlieb Solid State machine. The rest were EM's.....

You're totally wrong about this. You don't know what you're talking about.

Besides Clay, there was JM, Bob, Bob W, my son and myself (VFW Pinball members) repairing games. Sorry if I forgot others who were there repairing games. One of us was always in the building and on call to at least unlock the door for games to be brought in for repair if one or more of us of us weren't in the room. There was a sign on the door to call to open the locked door.

We would not leave the door unlocked if we were not there as we had tools, service parts as well as DMD Clocks for sale/pickup. Plus customer property (machines and circuit boards). We need to fix games on the floor, eat, drink use the facilities etc. But the contact information was there. Mike called us a few times to make sure the repair room door was open as some guests brought machines just to be repaired so they were aboot to sneak them in the South doors to cart them into the repair room.

And no, they were not "mostly Rob's games" brought into the repair room. he had his flunkies bring in 3 or 4 of his pins. We had at least 25 machines brought in during the time I was there on Thursday & Friday. Plus circuit boards. Almost all were repaired on site. My son Dan and I went to the Pinball Life event and was gone for maybe four hours. Clay and I staggered our time there taking two vehicles so we could get back to repair machines.

I barely spent time inside the free game and vendor halls last year. Maybe three hours total.

Rob Anthony can have fun repairing machines this year.

Clay was asked to operate a repair room as Rob A. was not going to due to philosophical differences with Mike.

Good to hear that Rob and Clay agreed to do repairs at the New, improved Expo.

However, I hear that BERK is not allowing Clay to play in any of the Expo Reindeer games this year.

Not sure what is going on as he always comes up on the stage when Clay finishes his seminars and presents him with an Expo etched crystal in appreciation for speaking and calls him a friend.

What could have happened?

Clay, has BERK asked you to surrender your Pinball Expo Hall of Fame plaque that he signed?

If there were any laws broken or Torts committed, Mike could be entitled to an injunction and/or compensation.

Thanks to BERK (who has turned into a nasty version of Mike) These two things won't happen.

Basically, pinball related: Don't go to the original Williams plant on Filmore to take pictures. Nor the Lenc-Smith (Churchill/Chicago Gaming) plant after dark. Everywhere else is relatively safe.

No RRRRandyyyy this year?

89130e22ac11f4c986ede8db3026cbca004646fa (resized).jpg

I disagree. Both of the Sharpe brothers were born Pinheads. Same with my son. There's three right there.

Is he facing a recall because he sided with Mike?

Let BERK know his marketing department is lacking the social media twist.

Those were installed at the direction of the Teamsters to prevent show displays and equipment from going into the exposition hall any way except via the loading dock via a forklift.

This was at the old Ramada which is now a Holiday Inn Express..........

No, they were only by the "exposition center", not the main hotel corridor entrances.

More BERK shenanigans.....

I just looked mine up. Still there....

45989uthfgj56 (resized).PNG

I went to the WestinMarriott reservations website, went to the "chrck reservation page" entered my confirmation number, last name, reservation date and maybe my email address. And it popped right up.

Yes.

I'm not convinced that you're convinced.

For one wacky allegation, ask Rob Anthony, who has no reason to lie or take sides, what BERK said when Rob asked if Clay could volunteer as part of the repair room team and be listed as such on the program.

The Pinball is a CUEBALL!

Will they be at the other show being held that weekend?

I was thinking of the Houston Pinball & Arcade show. That said, I'm all in for fresh cut prime meats at the Potato Basket.

No need for Coin Taker to attend. They "sold" their "solutions" to 90% of the hobbyists. well done.....

Not even a good Lawyer can beat a Breach of oral contract charge. Problem is the "He said-she said" issue. It depends if one party chooses to lie to a Judge or Jury. Then there is the "Knock-Out" rule. This is where Lawyers earn their fee...

Not much better than a body massage plus the free table shower service at Hawaii Massage wellness center next to Tim's PHoF. Mention that PHoF sent you (or show popcorn bag) and you get 20% off. Airfare or 1840 mile drive from Expo is not included.

Nice......

GAP 10 14 18 post (resized).PNG

What a great idea offering a Groupon discount for the loyal Expo guests. Well done.....

Yabba dabba doo!

1. Which guy is Scott Danesi?
2. Is he famous or something along those lines?

Are eggs and baseball bats allowed in the room?

But if you go to Gene & Jude's, you'll have to bring your own Ketchup. You can buy packets next door at the sign of the fallen arches....

Screenshot_20181019-184528 (resized).png

This is above is false. The guy at the entry door to the former vendor hall that connected to the free play room was indeed there with a cash box that had wrist bands in it as well around 1:30 am when my son & I arrived four or five years ago. We checked in to the hotel and went down there with cash. I asked him can we buy wrist bands and he said sure. He opened the cash/wrist band box and we paid and gained admittance. He also reminded us that those wrist bands were only good until 7 AM.

Back then the vendor room was open but all the booths were closed and merchandise was covered or secured. I know the situation changed after some stuff was stolen from closed vendor booths and the vendor room was then locked and the flexible partition wall was put in place with a different entry door at night in recent years.

The person at the entry door not accepting a Groupon for a wrist band should be fired immediately. Even if family.

Partial view of the fringe of the South parking lot.

SV18m1yg2e1wl (resized).PNG

You do indeed remember this correctly. Mike covered all bases well.

Call BERK right now to discuss. PM me if you need his number. To be fair, it's posted on some of his machines in the hall.

Babes/eye candy.

Thank you for verifying that your door guard(s) sold wrist bands after the registration desk was closed; Proving that cavalier88z24 is full of shit. Plus others have also mentioned that "after registration desk hours" cash wrist band sales have taken place. I know, as I have purchased them before.

At a 24 hour, full-service Hotel with an event advertised/billed as having a 24hour free-play room, I would say it is typical. When I arrived at 1:30 am (2:30 am in my body clock as I drove in from the Eastern Time Zone), I was welcomed into the room with my payment in cash. My hotel room was reserved. Had I not arrived, I would have been charged for the night as the Expo room block rooms have a 3pm cancellation requirement the day prior to checking in. For my reservation that began on Wednesday this year, I needed to cancel by 3pm Tuesday otherwise I had to pay for the first night.

So, you're saying the posters, including myself and one of the former organizers are lying in posts 1242, 1243 and 1258. Got it.
Maybe the door guy was pocketing the money but I got my wrist band that year as I didn't want to buy the full admission packages.

See www.pinballnews.com

What are you talking aboot? There were 35 of us working the recent one day "Mini-Show". I worked my ass off at from an hour prior to open until well past the closing. For the three day main show weekend there are twenty more volunteers working.

Too bad BERK has erratic behavior and refused to let Clay help out nor have a seminar. In prior years he would introduce Clay and hand him a gift for speaking. Strange.....

Agreed. That's why the VFW Show is unique and a pinball player's show. Not big on seminars, part vendors or machine sales. Did Expo have 300 pins this year?

Nice custom backglass on Nudgy.....

Last pic is not to be confused with RRRRRandyyyy....

You and me both.

No one messes with the King and Queen....

Mike made out on that EK main cabinet/playfield for a hundred bucks. Don't tell the pickers it's the worthless "Professional home model".

All in all, a great way for Mike to turn garbage into dollars. It should help his legal bills fighting Jerk. I mean Berk.

Not much different there from a few years ago.

43BFFCCA-1 (resized).jpg

IMG_46311 (resized).jpg

No coin door, no cash box, no anti cheat corner plates by leg bolts. Playfield bottom arch is plastic. Cabinet is not as tall/deep so less wood. Boxed weight is 160# so no head & no box means main cabinet weighs maybe 125#.