Pinball Medics is preparing to open Canada’s first Pinball and Arcade Museum; The Ottawa – Montreal Pinball Museum.
Located at the midpoint between these two great cities in the small Provincial Border town of Alfred, Ontario, right on Highway 17.
The museum is the brainchild spawned by the shared passion for Pinball of partners Mike Loftus, who experienced the Golden era of the Arcade in Ottawa, and Rob Illuiri, who experienced the same era in Montreal. Their vision is not only a throwback to late 70’s and early 80’s Canadian Pinball Culture, but a vehicle to move Modern Pinball Culture forward for Every One and All.
Chosen not only for its huge size, commercial zoning, and central location, this long time Roadside Diner is a Historical Landmark, the old Cardin Restaurant, with it’s adjoining house and massive storage area.
At the peak of its heyday during Pinball’s Golden Era, when Highway 17 was the main road between Montreal and Ottawa, it still stands as a milestone heralding the half way point between the two cities.
Its massive and weathered neon highway road sign, hard to miss even in the glaring sun, was and will again be nigh impossible to miss when illuminated in all its giant multi leveled neon glory at night, weaving a charm and a spell, lighting up the Highway like part of an enormous retro 70’s Pinball Machine, out of the shadows, shining ever bright.
The huge stained glass windows across the front and West sides of the building.
The real wood stove in the center of the main room.
The 70’s wall coverings, lighting fixtures, flooring, bar and seating area.
All helping bring you back to that simpler time, when all you needed was a pocket full of quarters, a few friends, some Zeppelin on the juke box, and Pinball. And everything was cool.
With over 70 Classic Pinball Machines and Video Games lining the walls, the indoor Museum experience will be a serious trip back to the 70’s for all of us who grew up in the Arcades of Legend, and a true anchor to our childhood memories, that you can see, touch, and feel.
Beyond the Museum interior, the gated drive through Parking lot can accommodate any size of truck or trailer, and the sprawling property, even with it’s permanent collection of trailers, containers, and outbuildings, still includes a good sized serviced campground bordered by a huge forest!
This will be the setting for “Tommy’s Holiday Camp” and “Night at the Museum” events during the warmer months.
With a large number of outdoor games in the Carnival Tent to compliment the indoor experience, we will have over 100 games available to play at once, rain or shine. We will have a dedicated covered outdoor tournament area and beer tent, with live music, a gourmet B-B-Q grill, and much more with new concepts and ideas arriving at a frenetic pace.
Work on remodeling the entire property is in full swing, and we anticipate being ready to open as soon as August of this year with social distancing and other required protocols in place, depending on the situation, regulations, and recommendations at that time.
These “before” pictures already reveal what we see in this diamond in the rough, and offer a tantalizing glimpse of what shall soon be, and the remaining 80% of the building will be even more incredible!
Details related to rates, hours, availability, and special events, will be made available as we are closer to opening, but it will be a paid admission for unlimited play model during regular hours and monthly events. Group rental by appointment will be available as well.
Volunteers are more than welcome to get involved in this project, and are encouraged to contact Mike on 613-223-6108 to discuss whatever assistance you can offer.
Technical skill is not required, we in fact need more test players than anything else to allow us to prepare, dial in, and bullet proof the games before we open. We would normally do this through the Ottawa Pinball Medics location which adjoins The Ottawa Pinball Arcade, but the Restaurant, Bar, and Arcade sections are closed until at least September based on current data, however we are in discussions related to a large covered outdoor patio that may include some select machines this summer if possible.
Test players can still help out from the Ottawa Pinball Medics retail location at 2559B Baseline Road, which will be open to the public as a retail Sales, Repair, and Parts store, as of Monday June 1st, after completing the ongoing remodeling of the adjoining Neighbourhood Pub Restaurant and Bar, and finish preparing to comply with current regulations related to Covid-19 in a street front retail setting.
We are specifically in need of someone(s) to run tournaments at both locations, and are open to many formats and approaches, and would leave most if not all these decisions to the chosen organizer(s).
Will this place be comparable to the PHOF on Vegas?
This is a completely original concept, though there will be some inevitable parallels to many of the US Pinball Museums, though I do not see many similarities to the PHOF specifically, as we will also be selling games, repairing games, selling parts, hosting tournaments and events like flea markets, classic car cruise nights, and a whole lot more.
Hi,
Is it possible to play or only for repairs?
What are the opening hours?
Thanks
Can’t wait for the grand opening! Way to go guys!