Date: 19th - 23rd October, 2011
Location: Westin Chicago North Shore, 601 North Milwaukee Avenue Wheeling, IL 60090, USA.

Welcome to the first day of our Pinball Expo report from the Westin in Wheeling, near Chicago.

Day one was a wet and windy affair which did nothing to help those trying to unload their contributions to Pinball Expo.  Be it parts or machines, everything suffered from the constant precipitation.

Once inside though, things were much better, far drier and somewhat more familiar.

By mid-afternoon on Thursday the first games had been set up in the free-play area and one or two stands were beginning to take shape.

Games being set up in the free play area

More games arrive and are assembled

Phoebe Smith sets up some of more than a dozen she transported to Expo

More machines Phoebe brought

The Korn puts the finishing touches to his machines

Rick Swanson arrives to lend a hand

In the main exhibit hall next door, progress was slower, but the hall wasn't due to open to the public until 6pm the following day.

The main exhibit hall

Some games had turned up though.

Games at the front of the hall

Some of Rob Berk's machines

...and more

Outside the halls, the one fully playable game was in constant use.

Hercules gets some attention

In an adjacent room, one of the show's many vendors had set up and was taking advantage of being the first to open.

Rob Anthony's Pinball Classics room

Meanwhile at the front of the hotel, the tournament machines were being set up...

Karen Culp unwraps some Stern machines for the tournaments

...and registration was being handled at the main show desk.

The registration desk

At 8pm on Thursday, the Bumper Blast welcome party began, with free food, drinks and entertainment.

Food at the Bumper Blast

Food available included salad, garlic bread, pasta, meatballs, tomato sauce, sausage casserole and peach cobbler.  Hot and cold drinks were available to suit.

The crowd for the Bumper Blast

After dinner, some entertainment was provided by Fred Young...

Fred Young

... and then by Derek Fugate who sang and played guitar.

Derek Fugate

During the Bumper Blast, the tournament team continued to work so that by about 9pm many of the machines were set up.

The tournament machines

The action continues tomorrow morning at 9am when the buses leave from the hotel to visit the Stern factory ahead of the first seminars which begin at 1pm.

We'll have a full look at the Stern factory tomorrow along with more details from Pinball Expo right here at Pinball News.

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