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The Spinner Is Lit - Episode 4: Pin-a-Go-Go we go!

The Spinner Is Lit Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·36m 8s·analyzed·Apr 16, 2017
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.036

TL;DR

Pinfest organizer Steve Faith chronicles the show's evolution from 1980s backyard gathering to major nonprofit pinball community event.

Summary

Steve Faith, organizer of Pinfest pinball show, discusses the event's 40+ year history from its 1980s origins on Walt Schlenker's lawn in Roseville, California, through its 1996 move to Dixon as a nonprofit community event. The show features 300+ pinball machines across multiple halls, family-friendly activities, vendor exhibitors, tournaments supporting the Pacific Pinball Museum, and raises funds for local youth charities. The episode also honors recently deceased community member Steve Sharlin, a System 80 expert who was integral to Pinfest's identity.

Key Claims

  • Pinfest originated in the mid-1980s on Walt Schlenker's front lawn in Roseville, California with about two dozen attendees

    high confidence · Steve Faith directly stated this as the founding story of Pinfest

  • Pinfest moved to Dixon, California in 1996 and was renamed from 'Pinathon' at that time

    high confidence · Steve Faith confirmed the 1996 move and name change during interview

  • The name 'Pinfest' is derived from a 1966 Harry Williams four-player machine called A-Go-Go, creating the wordplay 'Pin-A-Go-Go'

    high confidence · Steve Faith explained the naming origin, including details about the backglass artwork by George Christian Marsh

  • Steve Faith and two others took over Pinfest operations in 2011

    high confidence · Steve Faith stated: 'we took over the show in 2011'

  • Pinfest is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with no paid staff; all surplus revenue goes to youth charities (previously Boys and Girls Club, currently Dixon Teen Center)

    high confidence · Steve Faith detailed the nonprofit structure and charitable giving model

  • Pinfest typically draws 300+ pinball machines across three halls (Madden, Madden Dining for EM machines, and Denverton Hall)

    high confidence · Steve Faith stated machines have numbered 300+ for the last 2-3 years, with machines arriving late and some breaking down during the event

  • Tournament entry fees at Pinfest go entirely to the Pacific Pinball Museum nonprofit

    high confidence · Steve Faith explicitly stated tournament revenue supporting the museum

  • Steve Sharlin was an iconic System 80 expert at Pinfest since at least 1997 and recently passed away

    high confidence · Steve Faith and Spencer discussed Sharlin's death and his significance to the show's history and community

Notable Quotes

  • “Pinfest really started in the mid-'80s on somebody's front lawn, and that was a guy named Walt Schlenker, and he lived in Roseville, and it was probably a couple of dozen guys that he invited to come over, bring their pinball machines, and they set up on his front lawn and had their own little pinball party.”

    Steve Faith @ early in interview — Founding origin story of Pinfest pinball show

  • “It's always the same things are always said. It's always like a family reunion. You know, and you see parents with their kids and grandparents taking their kids and, you know, talking to them about, you know, when we were young, this is what we had.”

    Steve Faith @ mid-interview — Describes the emotional and community value of Pinfest to attendees across generations

  • “in many ways it's a little hard to separate Pinfest from Steve Sharlin. He has been an icon at the show.”

    Steve Faith @ late interview — Tribute to the late Steve Sharlin's significance to Pinfest's identity and culture

  • “Pinfest is about so much more than pinball. It's about community, you know, and that's the thing that I really try to emphasize on people.”

    Spencer (host) @ conclusion section — Summarizes the core value proposition of Pinfest beyond the machines themselves

  • “in my life there's you know the week of pin a go go and then there's the 51 weeks without pin a go go”

    Paul Reno (referenced by Spencer) @ late in conversation — Community member's expression of emotional attachment to Pinfest as annual highlight

  • “I had this really kind of uncanny ability to make you feel very comfortable when you were talking to him. And he, and, you know, even though he didn't think he had great stories, he has a lot of great stories.”

    Spencer (host) @ tribute section — Character portrait of late community member Steve Sharlin's interpersonal impact

  • “You really made us feel welcome. And I've never forgotten that. I make sure and tell everybody that.”

    Spencer (host) — Illustrates how Pinfest organizers intentionally create welcoming community culture for newcomers

Entities

Steve FaithpersonSpencerpersonWalt SchlenkerpersonSteve SharlinpersonAl GarberpersonGeorge Christian MarshpersonDirty DonniepersonJohnny PinballpersonPaul Renoperson

Signals

  • ?

    business_signal: Pinfest operating as sustainable nonprofit with all-volunteer staff; surplus revenue directed to local youth charities rather than personal profit

    high · Steve Faith detailed 501(c)(3) nonprofit structure, no paid staff, covering expenses then donating remainder to Dixon Teen Center (past 5 years) and previously Boys and Girls Club

  • ?

    community_signal: Pinfest offering beginner-friendly pin golf tournament format and dedicated kids tournament to lower barriers to competitive participation

    high · Spencer credited pin golf format with making first tournament accessible despite being new to competition; detailed explanation of simple objective-based structure vs. complex rulesets

  • ?

    community_signal: System 80 pinball expertise and appreciation significantly influenced by Steve Sharlin's presence at Pinfest; his death represents loss of institutional knowledge and community figure

    high · Steve Faith and Spencer credited Sharlin with converting multiple community members into System 80 collectors; regret about not documenting his stories before his passing

  • ?

    community_signal: Pinfest's deliberate community-building strategy through welcoming culture for newcomers; organizers proactively introduce themselves and facilitate social connections

    high · Steve Faith's approach to meeting new attendees; Spencer's story of being welcomed his first year and now challenging attendees to introduce themselves to strangers; explicit emphasis on family-friendly and inclusive design

  • ?

    community_signal: Pinfest positioned as major community hub for pinball in northern California with deep emotional attachment from attendees who view it as annual 'family reunion' and count-down event

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.108

0:00
Thank you. Hello and welcome to the fourth episode of the Spinner is Lit Pinball Podcast. Tonight's episode, episode four, is Pinnagogo We Go. With us tonight is one of the organizers of the Pinnagogo Pinball Show, Steve Faith. Steve, welcome to the show. Thank you, Spencer. I'm glad to be here.
1:02
Wonderful, wonderful. You know, I figured we'd start at the beginning because everything has a beginning.
1:09
Can we go back and talk about the origins of Pinnagogo, how it all got started? Oh, absolutely. It's actually, I think, a pretty interesting story.
1:19
So Pinnagogo really started in the mid-'80s on somebody's front lawn, and that was a guy named Walt Shrinker, and he lived in Roseville, and it was probably a couple of dozen guys that he invited to come over,
1:39
excuse me, bring their pinball machines, and they set up on his front lawn and had their own little pinball party.
1:49
And let's see, that went on for a couple of years, and then as everything, it grew, and they moved it to a rental hall of some sort in Roseville after that.
@ closing personal story

  • “my biggest regret, that I didn't start the show sooner, and I was never able to get him on, because I think so many people who knew him and people that didn't know him, or only knew him, you know, online on the forums, would have really enjoyed hearing some of those great stories”

    Steve Faith @ late interview discussing Steve Sharlin — Regret about not documenting the late Steve Sharlin's stories for the community

    • Pinfestevent
    Pacific Pinball Museumorganization
    Dixon Teen Centerorganization
    Boys and Girls Cluborganization
    The Jungle Queengame
    A-Go-Gogame
    Fireballgame
    Helicoptersgame
    Nifty LEDorganization
    Rob Anthonyperson
    Jack Guarnieriperson
    Bay Area Amusementsorganization
    Planetary Pinballorganization

    high · Multiple speakers describe Pinfest as transformative community experience; Spencer's eight-year attendance streak and detailed personal story about welcoming culture; Paul Reno's quote about dividing life into 'week of pin a go go and 51 weeks without'

  • ?

    event_signal: Pinfest capacity constraints: demand for vendor participation exceeds available space; three halls (Madden, Madden Dining, Denverton) operating near full capacity with 300+ machines

    high · Steve Faith stated: 'I wish we had more space for vendors...we've had to turn a few folks away unfortunately' and expressed desire for fourth hall due to space limitations

  • $

    market_signal: Pinfest 2026 showing games including newly released Domino's Pizza (Spooky), Houdini Master of Mystery (American Pinball), Attack from Mars remake (Planetary Pinball), and Dialed In (Jersey Jack)

    high · Steve Faith listed specific new games expected at upcoming show; mix of established manufacturers and recent releases

  • ?

    community_signal: Artist Dirty Donnie appearing at Pinfest for autographs and book sales; career highlighted with retrospective of work on games including Aerosmith, Metallica, Pabst Can Crusher, and Helicopters

    medium · Steve Faith confirmed Donnie's participation, mention of published artwork book, listed historical games he created artwork for

    • 2:03
    And a couple years after that, they moved it to the Roseville Fairgrounds in Roseville, California. And it continued on. When it moved to the fairgrounds, it got its first name, and that was Pinathon. the show did well but it was losing money and uh you know they needed to pay rent and all that kind of stuff so a couple of other guys in about 1995 offered to take the show over and uh walt schlenker said yeah sure go ahead and they moved it to dixon california and i think the First time it was in Dixon was in about 1966.
    2:53
    And when it moved to Dixon, it got a new name, and that was the name it has today, which is Pentagogo.
    3:01
    That was 1996? 1996, that's right. Okay. And so it continued on as Pentagogo. The two guys that took it over eventually handed it off to somebody else, and they ran it for a while and then we got the show in 19 no sorry uh 2011 okay cool cool um okay we already answered my next question which is how the show got its name or actually well you really did how did it become ten ago yeah well the uh the cool thing about the name, and I don't know who picked it, but it's named after a 1966 Williams four-player pinball machine called A-Go-Go. And that's A-Go-Go. And so that's why we call it Pin-A-Go-Go. And if you look at the back glass, it matches the music intro you did this evening. So the back glass has go-go dancers on it. And the artwork was done by Christian Marsh. And Christian Marsh has this typical style where everything's pointy. So he wasn't good at drawing hands. So if you look at all the figures that he draws on all of his pinball machines, they're just, I think it's like three fingers and a thumb, and they're all just pointy. Yeah, it's almost like Hanna-Barbera animation. Yeah.
    4:56
    So you got involved around 2011 with the show? yeah so uh the guys that were doing it great guys but i think they were a little tired of it and uh it was it was done as a pretty casual thing you know it's it's always been um the weekend after mother's day and uh i think it was pretty much you you roll up the door and uh people just know to show up on that weekend with their pinball machines and so they were a little tired of doing it. They had businesses to run and so forth and so we asked if it would be okay if we took over the show and it was three of us and we had no idea really what we were getting ourselves into but they said, yeah, sure, go ahead. I think they were probably kind of happy to get rid of it and so we got the show in 2011. and it's continued to grow quite a bit since then yeah you know it's been interesting when we took it over there were a handful of things that we really liked about the show and I think if you talk to anybody who's been coming to Pentagogo for a few years there's a very emotional attachment to the show and so you know it's you've been there. I know some of the listeners may not have been. It's at the Dixon Mayfair, and it's in Dixon, California, which is a little Central Valley town in California.
    6:35
    And it's really out in farmland. And if you come out of the hall and you take a deep whiff, you can probably smell a little bit of manure in the air, or wet soil or something like that. So it's really out there in the farmland, and that's part of its charm. You know, it's kind of a little country show.
    7:00
    The other part of the show that we really liked, that we really wanted to keep, was the fact that it's a family-friendly show. So it's something that, you know, kids can come to. We provide stools. We have activities for kids.
    7:18
    And it's fun for the whole family. And we didn't want to lose that flavor when we took over the show. I think that's one of the best things about Pinnagogo. You know, over the years going, you know, I talked to people at the show and talked to people before and after the show, you know, online and in person. And it's always the same things are always said. It's always like a family reunion. You know, and you see parents with their kids and grandparents taking their kids and, you know, talking to them about, you know, when we were young, this is what we had. And, you know, we had to go to, you know, the pizza place or, you know, the miniature golf courts or whatever. And it almost always kind of reminds me of like the old, oh, I don't know, like an old our gang where it's like, hey, kids, let's clean the barn up and bring in the pinball machines and put on a show. But that's the charm of it. It's not, you know, this, you know, I know there are shows that they have in really nice, you know, hotel ballrooms and things like that. I know those are great shows. But, you know, I think that's always part of the charm is it's just a really laid back thing. And it's come as you are. Everybody just comes and gets together and makes it a great weekend. Yeah, I agree completely. I never really thought about it in some of the terms you put it in, but I think you hit the nail on the head. And the other thing about the show, I mean, a lot of shows, but it's the people, and you're more likely, I think, to find a group of people standing in the aisle talking to each other than playing pinball sometimes Yeah yeah I mean it such a kind of a happening you know and if everybody looks forward to it so much um when did you it well not when and how did you get the name jungle queen steve well i think it was uh probably around 2004 I had played some pinball as a kid I grew up in rural Sonoma County, California and we didn't go out to eat too much but when we did it was typically to some Italian-American restaurant at least in Sonoma County maybe other places the bar was always in the front and the restaurant was in the back and so you'd walk through the bar to get to the restaurant. And, you know, the adults would sit around the table and they'd want to talk after the meal was over and the kids were fidgety. And my parents would just hand me, you know, a handful of dimes and they'd say, go to the bar and play the pinball machine.
    10:10
    And so I would. You know, this was, you know, it was a long time ago. I won't date myself, but a long time ago, Well, maybe I already did when I said, you know, dimes. Right.
    10:24
    So nobody cared if there was a kid in the bar playing the pinball machine. You know, even though I was 21 and over, they just kind of looked the other way. And so I had completely forgotten about loving pinball and playing it as a kid. And in 2004, I remember telling my wife, I said, you know, I think I want a pinball machine. And I think we'd been married about 18, 20 years at the time. And she just looked at me because she thought she knew all about me, and this was something she didn't know.
    10:58
    And a few weeks went by, and I happened to run into somebody at work who happened to have three pinball machines for sale. And he had bought them at Pentagogo. Oh, wow. Years before, yeah. And he was living in Dixon, and he says, you know, I'm getting rid of all my pinball machines. And I said, would you mind if I came over and took a look? And so I went over, and the one that I could afford was a 1976 Gottlieb four-player game called Jungle Queen.
    11:39
    And I bought it. And I brought it home. and it needed some work so I started researching and working on it and it really helped me get in touch with a lot of different pinball people especially folks like Al Garber and they were giving me hints about things to do and what to repair and then I told my wife if I'm going to work on this game I need another game to play while I'm working on this game and she kind of rolled her eyes and said, okay, go ahead. And anyway, that's where it started.
    12:22
    Nice. It always starts out so organically, you know. Yeah. And that's the cool thing about it, just remember something from your youth, and, oh, hey, we should get one of these. Especially when the wife says, yeah, that sounds like a good idea. And then they either get more into it than you or they regret it. Right. It's not like stamp collecting, that's for sure. It's not like what? Stamp collecting. Oh, yeah, yeah, because you can fit those anywhere and they don't weigh 300 pounds.
    12:52
    But I guess some can cost more. Pinnagogo, I know, is unique in that it's a not-for-profit show. Where do the proceeds go? Yeah, that's a great question, and a lot of people don't know this about the show. So when we took it over, we wanted to, you know, legitimize the show. And so we formed a corporation, and then we also, we didn't want to make any money. And so we got approval to be a nonprofit of 501C3 through both the federal government and the state government. And so, you know, nobody gets a salary from the show.
    13:39
    Nobody's a paid employee of Pentagogo. And what we do is every year we cover our expenses. That's, you know, rent and incidentals and all that kind of stuff. And then everything that's left over goes to a youth charity. And in the past, it has been in the early days of Pentagogo, it was typically the Boys and Girls Club. And for the last five years, we have given all of the money to the Dixon Teen Center, which helps give teens a place to go. It provides them resources, tutors to come in and help them with their school work and basically, you know, give them a place to be and not causing trouble.
    14:32
    Excellent. Excellent. Well, you know, that's another great thing about Pinnagogo as opposed to a lot of other shows. Not that they're not all great shows. They are. But, you know, it's really the community giving back to the community. Yeah. And, you know, that's always worked out good for us. you know, we get a lot of our volunteers from the community, and when they hear that we're not making money, you know, they love to volunteer because they know it's going to a good cause. Oh, I should also mention that the one exception is the tournament. So the tournament we do every year, the proceeds, the entry fees for the tournament, go completely to the Pacific Pinball Museum, which is another nonprofit in the Sacramento Bay Area. Right, right. Yeah, the Pacific Pinball Museum, for anybody that hasn't been, if you're into pinball at all, it's definitely a must-see. Frequently, I would add, because they have a huge collection and they change it up often. Yeah, it's a don't-miss. So what can we expect at this year's show? I'm very excited, I know there's a lot of stuff going on Yeah, you know, I would say As boring as it sounds, more of the same So I would expect that this year will be like the last few years Which is to say it should be fun You'll see some of the newest pinball machines there Games like Domino's Pizza from Spooky Pinball. We'll have a Houdini there from American Pinball.
    16:14
    There will be an Attack from Mars or two from Planetary Pinball. That's the remake that just came out. You'll probably also see Dialed In from Jersey Jack Pinball.
    16:27
    You know, we always do little seminars. We do Sunday School, we call it, which anybody who wants to learn, novice or otherwise, would like to learn some techniques about how to play pinball. We have people that will teach you how to do that.
    16:49
    You know, just all sorts of little fun things here and there. Make sure and get your show scheduled when you walk in the door.
    16:57
    Wonderful, wonderful. What's the entry fee for this year's show? Oh, let's see. Well, we do a three-day pass, and it's $50 for all three days, and that's from 1 p.m. on Friday, May 19th. Remember, this is the weekend after Mother's Day, always the weekend after Mother's Day. So that's Friday at 1 o'clock through Sunday at 5 p.m., Sunday, May 21st. So that three-day pass gets you in. if you just want to do Friday or Sunday that's $20 Saturday is $30 we also have a two day pass we'll sell on Saturday only for $45 and as always kids are half price because we want to make it a family friendly show and we don't want to break the bank on families that want to come and have some fun and if you are active military and you have your ID you also half price Wonderful Excellent That being a veteran myself I really appreciate that you know you give back to the veterans. That's awesome.
    18:14
    Now we also have vendors at the show. Yeah. I wish we had more space for vendors. The last couple of years we've gotten a lot more requests for participation from vendors than we have space, so we've had to turn a few folks away, unfortunately. But some of the big names that will be there, Bay Area Amusements, also known as Planetary Pinball.
    18:44
    Nifty LED will be there. They're great folks. If you want to put LEDs in your game, they're the folks to see. Pinball Classics, that's Rob Anthony. he'll be there repairing boards and selling all sorts of stuff that I end up giving him lots of money because I know I can't live without them Starship Fantasies will be there those are the folks that sell new ramps, new playfields new plastics and as always, Pinbits will be there selling some of their mods Cliffy will be there selling his protectors and lots more folks excellent so you mentioned Journey Jack is going to be there and the folks from Houdini American Pinball are going to be at the show yeah Jolly Backers is his name okay great great that's going to be a lot of fun getting to meet them and talk with them it's always good to see Jack you know he's become like one of the regulars so it's always nice to see him every year. Now, Dirty Donnie is going to be at the show also, if I'm correct, yes? You are correct. He will be there.
    20:00
    He'll have a table. He'll be signing autographs if you have any translights or if you bring one of the games that he's done, which would be, let's see, that's Aerosmith, Metallica. he also did the Pabst Can Crusher Stern put that out and he also did a one-off game for a San Francisco band called the Helicopters and it's a pretty awesome one-off game so those will I think we'll have it I definitely know we'll have Aerosmith, Metallica and Helicopters there, I don't know about a Can Crusher But he'll be there, and he'll be happy to sign anything you want. Awesome, awesome. Yeah, I played Helicopters a couple years ago and really enjoyed that. Yeah, it's definitely funky, but it's really beautiful. I should also mention that Donnie has a book out of his artwork. And, you know, for those of us who are old enough to remember, like, rat rods and so forth, he does the kind of the rat fink style of art right which is uh pretty awesome yeah yeah you know being a little kid i remember that having you know like some of the models of like the rap stage and stuff you know those are really cool they really tie into pinball and and kind of the whole uh you know the whole retro pinball thing you know yeah um that's awesome now we know there's a tournament. And so the proceeds of that go to the pinball museum, which is really cool.
    21:43
    A great thing about the tournament is, you know, there are some really good people that come there, but it's also a great tournament for somebody who has never done a tournament before. Oh, absolutely. I, in fact, I remember the first year I came to pin a go-go, it was the first time I ever competed. In fact, you and I played in that tournament together, if I recall correctly. I think we did. Yeah. I don't think we knew each other that well at that time, but, you know, that was awesome. It was, yeah, and that's a pin golf format, isn't it? It's still the same format this year? Yeah, and I think, you know, it is. And the great thing about pin golf is that it is so accessible to anybody who's just starting out to try and play a tournament. It's not intimidating at all because, you know, you have a goal. Like, you know, hit this target, and then after you hit that target, then, you know, hit that spinner kind of a thing. And so you don't have to know all of the strategies and all the rule sets for the games. You just have to know a couple things to do.
    22:52
    Right, right. No, and that's, you know, like I said, I'd never competed ever before. And I came to the tournament, you know, the first time I'd come to the show. and I pretty much understood even if I had never played the game before when they explained what we're supposed to do, the objectives they were pretty simple and straightforward and it was a really positive thing and really made me want to compete more and so now I'm in a league which is really fun Now is there food on site?
    23:25
    There is before I talk about food I'll also mention that with the tournament, there's also a kids tournament. Um, so if you are, uh, I think it's 13 and under, um, you know, uh, register your kids. It's super cheap. Um, everybody has a good time and, uh, you know, kids really love it. They really love it. Um, yeah, food, uh, the The Dixon Teen Center sets up an awesome food booth right between the two big halls, and they sell really good and fresh food. So they usually do hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, chicken breast sandwiches,
    24:15
    all sorts of pop and candy and fresh-baked cookies. and I'm trying to think what else they sell. I think they started Tri-Tip Sandwiches, what, last year or the year before?
    24:29
    Yeah, Tri-Tip Sandwiches. It's good stuff, you know, and it really hits the spot. And it's a great place to hang out. We have picnic tables out there, and you'll find a lot of people kind of hanging around out there, chewing the fat, so to speak. Yeah, yeah. Well, that's also where the swap meet happens on Saturday morning.
    24:54
    Yeah, you know, swap meet's kind of a big success story. When we first started, when we took over the show, swap meet was pretty small. And now we have people driving entire trucks full of stuff in and unloading. And, you know, it kind of lasts most of the afternoon and lots of treasures in there. Oh, definitely. I've found a few good things, parts and back glasses and like that over the years. It's just fun to talk with people.
    25:26
    I think, so, you know, there's so much going on at the show. Well, as I mentioned, you know, the last couple of years, there's been two buildings full of pinball machines instead of just one.
    25:39
    Yeah, you know, it was really just the main hall for a while, and then it expanded into, there's another hall that's attached to the main hall. The main hall is called Madden. The one that's attached is Madden Dining. That's where we put all the electromechanical pinball machines. And then across the way is Denverton Hall, and that's where a lot of other games and some vendors go. and I really wish we had a fourth haul to put stuff in, but we're just out of room right now. Right. Roughly how many games do we expect to have this year? Well, we always promise over 100. And, you know, how many are we going to have? I'm not sure.
    26:32
    For two or three years, we've had as many as 300-plus. You know, it's funny. If you go around and count and you come back around and you count again, it's a different number because there's always a few coming late.
    26:50
    And once in a while, one breaks down and it goes into the pinball hospital. But there's lots and lots of games, plenty for everybody to play.
    27:02
    Yeah no that one of the great things too And of every era you know like I said you see the newest games there the EM room That you know usually where I find my boys They seem to just love EM. And I always try to get in there and spend some time. You know, you mentioned Al Garver earlier. And I make it a point every year to go to the EM room and play at least one game on his Fireball.
    27:25
    Yep, that's a pretty special machine. And, you know, we, well, I won't go into the whole story, but it's awesome that we were able to get that game back out of somebody's home. We bought it back, and it lives at the Pacific Pinball Museum, but every year it makes an appearance at Pinnagogo. And one of the awesome things about it is it has a giant fire bell on top that if you get the bonus, that bell rings and everybody knows it. Oh, that's awesome. That's awesome. I've got to remember that this year when I play it. In fact, the first year I came to Go-Go, I played it in the tournament.
    28:09
    Oh, did you really? Yeah, yeah. I was in the tournament the first year. In fact, I learned how to really hit the skill shot because I watched Johnny O because I was playing with him. I learned how to do the skill shot pretty well on there. We lost another good friend this year Steve Sharlin Yeah we sure did And that's been rough on all of us I know What did he mean to Pinnagogo?
    28:40
    Well you know It's In many ways It's a little hard to separate Pinnagogo from Steve Sharlin He Has been an icon at the show So, you know, definitely as soon as it moved to Nixon, California in the mid-90s, he may have been involved before that. In fact, I was looking just today at some old photos, and I think it was 97, there's an article in the Pin Game Journal about Pinnagogo, And sure enough, one of the photos is Steve working on one of the four Gottlieb Spirits that was there that year.
    29:31
    So, you know, he's Mr. System 80, and he always brings some really awesome System 80 games. And he knows everything about them. And, you know, he would always hang around his games and help you learn how to play them and talk about the significance of different features of the game. And I think a lot of people got their appreciation for System 80 games purely because of Steve. Oh, definitely. You know, there are several people in the league I play in that own several System 80s, or at least one or two. And it's because they really didn't even know about him so much until Steve had pointed out, hey, you've got to try this and you've seen this game. And the biggest regret I have as far as the show goes is I'd been talking about starting a podcast for two or three years. And we were at a gathering at a friend's house one night playing film all talking. And I said, Steve, I want to start a podcast. I would love for you to come on the show and interview you. And how do you tell all these great stories you always tell? And he smiled and kind of shrugged his shoulders and said, oh, nobody wants to hear from me. And, you know, and that's my biggest regret that I didn't start the show sooner and I was never able to get him on. because I think so many people who knew him and people that didn't know him or only knew him, you know, online on the forums would have really enjoyed hearing some of those great stories he used to tell. Oh, yeah. Well, for those people who never met him in person, you know, he's just as friendly in person as he is online. And, you know, if you sit down and talk to Steve or if you're in a group and Steve's in that group and you're talking, you know, he had this really kind of uncanny ability to make you feel very comfortable when you were talking to him. And he, and, you know, even though he didn't think he had great stories, he has a lot of great stories. Yeah, he did, you know, and I, you know, I know like everybody, you know, I just, I am so thankful that I got to know him even a little bit, you know, because he was just such an awesome, just such an awesome human being, you know, and gave so much to our crazy little hobby.
    31:57
    That's actually all the questions I had. Did you have anything else you wanted to add to this? Can't think of anything. Just encourage everybody to, if you can make it, come on out and visit us at Pinnagogo, especially if you've never been there before. We want to get to know you, and we want you to enjoy everything that we have to offer at the show.
    32:25
    Awesome. And before I let you go, I want to tell this story to the listeners out there. This will be my eighth year in a row going to Pinnagogo. The first year, my wife and I drove because I was living in Chico at the time, Chico area. and we drove down to show in Dixon because I live in Sacramento area now and we came down on Saturday didn't know a single person I'd never met anyone of the people you know just a few people talking online like on Sacramento pinball group at that time I don't even think I was on pin side I was just kind of lurking I was fairly new to the hobby as far as you know collecting and having them at home and And you're one of the first people I met. And I love telling this story because, you know, walked in. As soon as, you know, walked in to pay our money, it was like, you know, you're introducing yourself. And you're shaking our hands. You had a big smile on your face. And other people are coming up and going, hey, this is Spencer and Rusty. You know, they're on Sacramento Pinball Group. And you really made us feel welcome. And I've never forgotten that. I make sure and tell everybody that. And I also challenge everyone that I know that goes to Pinnagogo at least once, if you come back a second year, which they always seem to, go up and introduce yourself to three or four people you see walking around you. You think, hey, I've never seen them before. And bring somebody new. Everybody I brought to the show has brought somebody new the next year.
    33:58
    Well, that's a great story. I'm glad I didn't piss you off the first time I met you. No, you're awesome. And you're always awesome, you know, and it's always that, you know, that's look, pinball is awesome. It's great. We all love it. But pin and go-go is about so much more than pinball. It's about community, you know, and that's the thing that I really try to emphasize on people. Once you come, you'll just, it's like Christmas. You'll just, you know, you count the days on the calendar until next year's show. And just, you're like a little kid at Christmas. You can't wait for it because it's the community. yeah I was talking to somebody I happened to be in Reno a week ago and I knew there was a pinhead there and I went to visit him and he said yeah you know I can't wait to pin a go go he says in my life there's you know the week of pin a go go and then there's the 51 weeks without pin a go go I think that about sums it up well Steve that's So that's, you know, all I have for tonight as far as, you know, questions. And, you know, thank you so much for coming on the show and sharing the history of Pinnagogo and all the information. We're 35 days away.
    35:16
    You know, it's going to be an amazing show as always. And every year it just gets better. Well, thank you very much for inviting me. And as always, it's a pleasure to talk to you, Spencer. Yep. Look forward to seeing you in about 34 days. Okay. will do alright thanks for coming on the show have a great night thanks goodnight well that's our show for tonight everyone thank you for tuning in the website for Pinnagogo is pinnagogo.org and this has been episode 4 of the Spinner's Lit Pinball Podcast if you'd like to reach out to me my email address is thespinnerislit at gmail.com please feel free to send your show ideas or if you'd like to be a guest on the show. Have a great night.