The distinctive pings. The flashing lights. The swish of the flippers making that last second save...or not.
Stepping inside Hollywood Candy in the Old Market is almost like stepping inside a time machine and on Tuesday there will be a little slice of nostalgia tucked away in the shop. A fully operational pinball museum will greet guests who want to try their hand at one of the most popular games of the last 50 years.
Hollywood Candy owner Larry Richling says he didn't intend on opening a pinball museum in his store, but when the opportunity presented itself, he just couldn't say no. "A guy that use to work for me called and said that he was gonna sell some of his pinball machines that he had. I went to his home to see what he had and he said, 'I'm gonna sell my pinball machines,' and I said, 'All of them?' I was thinking, 'Wow, this is a little more than I though.'" Out of that deal, Richling took ownership of 40 pinball machines from the 1960-1968.
Richling says the pinball museum will cover the history of pinball from its humble beginnings up til modern machines. "All the way around the top of this room are games that came out of the 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, probably 70's even and this is how pinball started. These games were actually a pin and a ball that bounced off. There was no electric to them or anything like that, so that's kinda where the name pinball started out.
To get in on the fun you can put down $15 for an hour or $25 for two hours. Customers will punch in on a time card, just like clocking in to work, and only a set number of people will be allowed in at a time in so that way everyone can get the full experience. The interactive museum will be open to the public on May 1st.