Stupid government tricks.

Sometimes people in government get it right and then other times they just really screw up. You would think the people running Beacon would have better things to do:

Remember Pinball? Well, it’s illegal in Beacon and that is causing problems (video) for Fred Bobrow, operator of the “Retro Arcade Museum” which sits on Main Street and features pinball games from as early as 1954 up until 1980. For as little as $10 you can play any machine in the place for an hour and for $25 you can play all day. You can even hold private parties at the museum for up to 40 people.

I’m really disappointed by this because this is the kind of thing worth making a trip for and you have to wonder what the people running the city are thinking in a region that has been depressed economically since manufacturing went away and IBM pulled a ton of jobs from the region.

Check out the collection of the Retro Arcade features here.

Read this great blog post about one person’s visit to the Museum with pics of the games themselves.

Here’s another article on the Museum from Hudson Valley magazine:
“There are plenty of places where you can see vintage electromechanical games, but there are only about three spots in the country with such a large collection you can actually play,” says the East Fishkill resident, who opened the museum in May. Drawn by online buzz, guests have come from across the country, and from as far as New Zealand and Japan, to experience these rarities. “We have a guest coming in from Reno this week just to play our collection,” says Bobrow.

And finally, reviews by some visitors to the Museum here.