Dates: Dates: May 14 – 16, 2010
Location: Dixon Fairgrounds, 655 South First St., Dixon (near Sacramento), CA 95620, USA.

Show report by: Jonny O

It’s already May. The sun is shining, the skirts are shorter and the traffic is bad. It could only mean one thing: the pinball show season is upon us and it’s time to go to Pin-A-Go-Go!

Pin-A-Go-Go is one of the most down-to-earth, fun pinball shows to attend in the US Pacific West. As one newsgroup poster put it: “Pin-A-Go-Go is like relaxing on the porch, sipping a good beer.” I couldn’t put it any better. Set in the Dixon Fairgrounds, there’s never a fight for parking and you can always take a respite from the frenetic free play, kaleidoscopic lights and collage of pinball sounds with a few steps outside to enjoy the sun or stretch out on the lawns.

When I arrived on Saturday the event was already in full swing. The parking lot was abuzz with activity, full of U-Hauls, barbecues and conversation.

By 11 AM the show floor was already crowded
(click the image for a larger version)

Pin-A-Go-Go sees a great turnout from vendors. There are parts…

…and parts…

…and parts.  Table after table of plastics, backglasses, manuals, memorabilia, pinball protectors and odd bits you didn’t even know existed. But now that you do, can you live without them?

Michael Scheiss of the Pacific Pinball Museum apparently had
trouble with the brakes.  He ended up parking the Little JuJu trailer right on the show floor full of some great electro-mechanicals. It’s no surprise that his antics recently took the notice of the news media.

The next Grand Champion? Pin-A-Go-Go always has a great turnout of kids doing what kids do best: have fun.

Banana flippers.  They never did catch on. What era of pinball could possibly produce such a crazy idea?  

The '70s, of course! Disco Fever dared to dream.

One look at this backglass and now I can't wait for the future!

Punk! – Yes, I owned a shirt exactly like that one. Despite the name, the artwork was more new wave than punk. The graffiti'd brick background is classic early '80s style. Where's my VHS copy of Beat Street?

Night Rider: Perhaps I'm easily influenced but this makes me want a cup of coffee

The great thing about shows like Pin-A-Go-Go is you never know what you’ll see.  A fusion of new wave, art deco and vehicle mastheads combine in the art of this 1978 Lectronamo backglass, the first Stern game to feature electronic sound.

Only about 900 Cactus Canyon games were manufactured.  Cactus Canyon was the last dot matrix display game produced by Williams, who cut the run short to build Pinball 2000 machines.

Playland-not-at-Beach’s booth held a Bagatelle competition.  Each day’s winners took home a Remembering Playland DVD.

A couple of contenders vie for top honors

Jeri Ellsworth is “Too smart to be cool, too cool to be a nerd”

Chris Kuntz: pin fix-it extraordinaire of T-Minus 1 was on the scene making games go

The legendary Tim Arnold of the Pinball Hall of Fame, Las Vegas

Steve Ritchie chatting it up with fans

A full array of Cliffy playfield protectors were available at the show

Tanio Klyce – Software Programmer for the custom Metallica game featured at the Pacific Pinball Expo in 2009

Several pinball “crews” were in attendance, such as Oakland's Pinball Mafia,
based out of the Stork Club

There was a big turnout by the Sacramento Pinball Group

The East Bay Pinball League, based out of Concord, CA,
is in the midst of their first season

Members of the Bay Area Pinball Association (BAPA), based out of Sunnyvale, CA. Clockwise from top: Mads Kristensen (Danish Champion), original BAPA founder (and World Champion) Rick Stetta, Chris Deleon and his girlfriend,
Adrian and Jerri Weber.

That's it for this year. See you in 2011.

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