We had a Barnacle Bill machine when I was a kid. At some point, my father lost interest in maintaining it, so that responsibility fell on me.
I needed new bumpers for our machine, and locating them was challenging for a 16 year old kid.
In the seventies, before the internet, finding parts meant making lots of phone calls.
We lived in Bethlehem, so I eventually located Paula Vending in the Yellow Pages.
I was 16 and just got my drivers license. Driving there was scary for me. It was the first time I had driven alone!

I found Paula Vending and went inside. It was kind of dark, and filled with pinball machines and juke boxes. Nobody was there.
I wandered around till some older guy saw me and asked if I needed help.
He sat down with me, opened his service kit and produced a huge bag full of white rubber bumpers.
He took the time and we sorted through them till I had what I needed.
I don't think he even made me pay for them!

It was a strange and cool experience, I'll never forget!

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On the apron of my Bally Sky Kings.

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If you take a wrong turn, you can wind up in Blue Ball.

I was waiting for that one!

Not operator stickers, but.....I give you the "Nascar" Bowling Queen.

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Those are cool!

I would definitely leave them in the machine.

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On a Gottlieb Flip a Card that I worked on for a friend.

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