Opgs is done son

Talk about anything that you would like.
User avatar
MadTitan
MAACA Mega Contributor
Posts: 1232
Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2010 5:35 am
Location: Ottawa
Contact:

Opgs is done son

Post by MadTitan »

I just spoke to the venue. No power
I will be there for 8:00 to start tearing down. My sincerest apologies to everyone.


See you all in a bit

User avatar
Xylog
MAACA Super Contributor
Posts: 440
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2010 9:40 pm
Location: Orleans Ontario
Has liked: 2 times
Been liked: 40 times

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by Xylog »

Damn. So sorry Josh.
Flash Gordon, Genesis, RollerGames, Black Knight 2000,
Atlantis(Bally), Civic Center, Granny & The Gators, Expressway,
Flash Baseball, Time Machine, Badcats
LF: Bigger House

User avatar
R.A.B.
MAACA Mega Contributor
Posts: 3523
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 8:17 pm
Location: Fluttering above the trees and the bushes on the Island of the Nones.
Been liked: 240 times
Contact:

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by R.A.B. »

Josh,

Guy and I will be there by 9 to tear down and help in any way we can.

Forces of nature, not much we can do except keep going after the storm.

Anyone who had parts pre-orders to pick up, they will be available from 9 am to when tear down is complete.

Rob
http://www.montrealpinball.com
https://amusement.evolvo.com/

Bally 1936 "Bumper" - North Star 1949 "Sea Breeze" - North Star 1950 "Richelieu" - Universal 1950 "Feature Bell" - Gottlieb 1952 "Queen of Hearts" - Williams 1960 "Ten Spot" - Gottlieb 1971 "Challenger" - Williams 1973 "OXO" - Bally 1976 "Bonanza"

Maxed out at 10 machines, no more. Un max de 10 machines, pas plus.
Une règle suivi guéri de tout. A rule respected can cure anything.

A philosophy of doing shall rule until the days when I can no longer "do" arrive. Because when I am too old to adjust an AX relay or relieve a woman friend from sighing, there will only be memories to fill my time. So, the task at hand is to build that RRSP of memories in order to joyfully cushion the later stages of life.

Personally prefer the exceptional qualities lurking beneath any normal state of affairs. Alas, our day to day is being promoted as extraordinary via a world wide web largely fueled by the new dumb & followed closely by the latest breed of unscrupulous scoundrels & judas goats. So, god bless the fool hearted, the crazed, and the railroaded all in good measure for they will likely inherit what is left of the earth after the screwheads are done with it. God damn darwinian primates, why do they refuse to evolve, even after all we should have learned from being dumb savages for so long.

"I try my best to be just like I am, but everybody wants you, to be just like them. " - Zimmy

User avatar
Vengeance
MAACA OG
Posts: 5785
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2009 9:44 am
Location: Keswick, ON
Contact:

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by Vengeance »

I posted this on Facebook and think it's important I post it here as well

I hope this natural disaster doesn't also destroy the show as after all the planning and expense, to not make anything on ticket sales could be devastating.

I for one want to see the show continue so as a VIP pass holder, I won't be looking for a refund and I would urge others to do the same.

Let's continue to support the show through this bump in the road.
Adam B.

User avatar
pinhead
MAACA Mega Contributor
Posts: 2560
Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2010 8:04 am
Location: Ottawa
Has liked: 3 times
Been liked: 8 times

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by pinhead »

Hang in there Josh and you know I will do whatever it takes to keep you going strong!

And to add to the sadness, I was on my way to the show and I blew a break line in my truck. Denis and Wayne are picking me up, and we will be there soon.
Ottawa pinball operator and game technician.
For sale video games, manuals, boards, ask what you need and I might be able to get it for you.

Ottawa pinball repair service is limited.

http://www.pinhead.ca/

frolic
MAACA New Contributor
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2012 9:15 am
Location: Toronto
Contact:

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by frolic »

I came to Ottawa on Friday and was going to go to the show Saturday. Obviously the entire situation was a clusterfuck. With nothing open I couldn't even feed my family and we drove back to Toronto on Saturday.

I drove home with the cash in my pocket I was going to buy tickets with. I'd like for there to be a way for me to throw it into the 2018 kitty to help with the out of pocket expenses the show went through.

I didn't ask for a refund from the hotel just because they put me in a stuffy room with no ventilation and no light, this was beyond their control, and I wouldn't ask the OPGS to eat it either.

So even if you just post a paypal or something.

User avatar
Dave W.
MAACA Super Contributor
Posts: 611
Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2010 11:20 pm
Location: Montreal (Ile Perrot)
Has liked: 43 times
Been liked: 30 times

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by Dave W. »

Vengeance wrote:I posted this on Facebook and think it's important I post it here as well

I hope this natural disaster doesn't also destroy the show as after all the planning and expense, to not make anything on ticket sales could be devastating.

I for one want to see the show continue so as a VIP pass holder, I won't be looking for a refund and I would urge others to do the same.

Let's continue to support the show through this bump in the road.
Good call!
Also, once the dust settles, let us know how we can go about purchasing a shirt from the event. If enough people buy one, it could help offset some of your losses

User avatar
Fifty
MAACA Mega Contributor
Posts: 2217
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 2:50 pm
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Has liked: 234 times
Been liked: 42 times

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by Fifty »

I posted on FB that I would start a GoFundMe page with Josh's permission. I didn't want to go over his head and start something without hearing from him first.

the loafer
MAACA Mega Contributor
Posts: 2093
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2010 10:37 pm
Location: Near Ottawa, ON
Has liked: 3 times
Been liked: 1 time

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by the loafer »

This event does not to be a financial burden, where do I sign up?

Consider us sponsors :)

User avatar
redketchup
MAACA Mega Contributor
Posts: 4882
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2009 12:15 am
Location: Laval,Qc
Has liked: 44 times
Been liked: 143 times
Contact:

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by redketchup »

I didn’t plan to go this years, but i will be happy to donate to support josh and the community to be sure it will come back next year. Let’s start a go fund me and stay strong as a close group of pinball enthousias!
Bally Centaur, Fathom, Stern Big Game, Flight 2000, Quicksilver, Catacomb, Stargazer, Nineball, Metallica Pro, Iron Maiden Pro, Wurlitzer 41, 700, 750e, 1100, 1900, 1700, Rockola 1428, tempo 1, seeburg HF 100R, VL 200, Ami I
To see it: http://www.pinballowners.com/redketchup

User avatar
4eyes
MAACA Super Contributor
Posts: 254
Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2010 8:40 am
Location: Ottawa, On
Has liked: 1 time
Been liked: 21 times

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by 4eyes »

Vengeance wrote:I posted this on Facebook and think it's important I post it here as well

I hope this natural disaster doesn't also destroy the show as after all the planning and expense, to not make anything on ticket sales could be devastating.

I for one want to see the show continue so as a VIP pass holder, I won't be looking for a refund and I would urge others to do the same.

Let's continue to support the show through this bump in the road.
Good call Vengeance I won’t be looking for my VIP refund either. Josh , make lemonade !
AFM, STTNG, TZ, TOM, FH, WW, TAF, JP, EBD, DISE, FT, EHOH, ALIEN

User avatar
shane
MAACA Super Contributor
Posts: 417
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 11:27 pm
Location: Renfrew On.

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by shane »

Yep, what they said. ;)
Mother nature was angry Friday, nothing anyone could do. :(
Glad I went. ;)
Met some nice folks. :D
Will contribute too. :!:
Will be at next one. 8-)
Going to targ tonight to get my fix. :shock:
Stay classy maaca. :FP:
Shane. "Just because I love pinball doesn't mean I'm any good".

User avatar
Steph
MAACA Mega Contributor
Posts: 3024
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2010 12:50 pm
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Has liked: 1 time
Been liked: 49 times

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by Steph »

Fifty wrote:I posted on FB that I would start a GoFundMe page with Josh's permission.
Post a link on this site if you start a GoFundMe page
(... I don't have FaceBook )

I would gladly pitch-in.

Steph
2084 : Last Hope for Humanity

User avatar
Splitskull
Admins
Posts: 3712
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2009 5:59 pm
Location: Mascouche, Qc.
Has liked: 29 times
Been liked: 6 times

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by Splitskull »

Yeah... Please don't be a douche and ask for VIP pass refund.

I hope there will be a 2019 OPGS (with electricity and no fkin tornadoes!)

User avatar
cait001
MAACA Mega Contributor
Posts: 4900
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2012 3:42 pm
Location: Centretown, Ottawa, ON
Has liked: 481 times
Been liked: 225 times

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by cait001 »

It was such a beautiful setup. I was just so impressed how hard everyone worked to make that kind of ultimate gameroom come together. Truly beautiful.
I don't need a refund.
backglasses wanted: Star-Jet, Fairy, Star Trek (1971 Gottlieb)
marquees wanted: Roller Aces, Quiz Dragon, Strider, Varkon, Dark Planet, R-Type (w/ship), Quantum, Ninja (Sega)
blog -- collection -- want list -- Pinball Women Ottawa -- Ottawa Pinball Map -- ratings

User avatar
tinyrodent
MAACA Mega Contributor
Posts: 1822
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2010 11:23 am
Location: West of Ottawa
Has liked: 89 times
Been liked: 12 times

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by tinyrodent »

For those who did not get to see it, here is a 3-minute walkthrough of the show floor just before teardown:

I didn't ask for a refund, and bought an extra shirt! 8-)
Playing: Stern Stars, Stranger Things
http://www.pinballowners.com/tinyrodent

User avatar
chumpchange
MAACA New Contributor
Posts: 42
Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 10:15 pm
Location: Ottawa

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by chumpchange »

I have to say that I was there for set up in anticipation of another great show and then nature threw us all a curve ball. Like everyone I hoped and prayed we could salvage this weekend with wishful thinking condensed Sunday, but as you all know it was not to be unfortunately. If I got anything from this experience it was truly refreshing to meet all individuals that were affected and involved in the contribution of this show to see everyone standing tall and moving on with a positive attitude while tearing down. The show was not a total loss to me as I had the opportunity to talk with some very enthusiastic classy people under such circumstances. Keep your head up Josh , were all in it together and we will be back next year!

User avatar
Fifty
MAACA Mega Contributor
Posts: 2217
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 2:50 pm
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Has liked: 234 times
Been liked: 42 times

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by Fifty »

Steph wrote:
Post a link on this site if you start a GoFundMe page
(... I don't have FaceBook )

I would gladly pitch-in.

Steph
Once I get approval from Josh I will post the link.

User avatar
Chris Silver
MAACA Mega Contributor
Posts: 3076
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2011 8:41 pm
Location: Hawkesbury, Nowhere Ontario
Has liked: 72 times
Been liked: 79 times

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by Chris Silver »

I'll help do what it takes.
Pins: Spirit, Centaur II, Af-Tor, Avatar, Embryon, Timeline, Baby Pac Man, SkyJump, Night Moves, Split Second
Gone: Space Station, Top Score, Flash Gordon, Solar Fire, Haunted House, Fire (x2), Vector, Bally Playboy, Tropic Isle, Beat the Clock, Blue-Chip, Disco, Punk!, Lightning, Time Fantasy, 8 Ball Deluxe LE, Double Dragon, Stellar Wars, Alien Poker, Panthera, Elektra, Blackout, Black Hole, Black Knight, Silverball Mania
WTB: Medieval Madness, Rush
Its better to have played and lost than never to have played at all.

User avatar
Dave W.
MAACA Super Contributor
Posts: 611
Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2010 11:20 pm
Location: Montreal (Ile Perrot)
Has liked: 43 times
Been liked: 30 times

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by Dave W. »

tinyrodent wrote:For those who did not get to see it, here is a 3-minute walkthrough of the show floor just before teardown:

I didn't ask for a refund, and bought an extra shirt! 8-)
Thanks for posting the walkthrough... what a great lineup of games... would have been an amazing show

User avatar
R.A.B.
MAACA Mega Contributor
Posts: 3523
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 8:17 pm
Location: Fluttering above the trees and the bushes on the Island of the Nones.
Been liked: 240 times
Contact:

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by R.A.B. »

Josh and Geoff are god damn troopers.

I personally have nothing close to the energy these guys harbour and seem to maintain through thick and thin, and this weekend was indeed thick with challenges. But we must all ask the Gods (if they are still around these days) to lay off Josh's case for a while and send him some good shit instead of the crap he has endured in this foul year. Let's put our heads together as a community and send good vibes his way, he is an asset to the hobby and business and not at all stuck up - and his name isn't even Bruce. :?

The sequence of events for the 2018 OPGS went something like this.

Friday set up must have gone as planned because when I arrived Saturday morning at 6 AM with my big boss man's van loaded with parts and two pinballs (a GTB Atlantis for the free play area, and my GTB 1952 Queen of Hearts for the historical booth) everything looked very much like a show was going to happen until Josh greeted me at the door with the news. So, I reckon that the loss of power must have taken place in the night. Someone can correct me for the permanent record since I do not know for sure when the tornado doomed the light on the show this year.

Saturday morning we all maintained the attitude that "the show must go on" and I as well acted accordingly by unloading in hopes that all would be a "go" and have power restored before 11. I set up the two machines and my parts booth laying out the flea market goodies and pre-orders that I diligently packed and chose in anticipation of this yearly event. The Church of the Silverball had also brought more stuff than I had ever seen them bring to a show hitherto. Mike Hanley, Doug Baird, Don Paul, Shane and Kim had a huge selection of parts, goodies and machines/project for sale. It was epic, and we trudged on and set up the tables in the indoor morning darkness. We had heard from the city that there was a possibility that power would be restored by 10. But, 10 came and went and we continued to hope. My ex-wife who lives in Ottawa and was planning to attend the show, texted me telling me not to hold my breath, they were saying that the outages would be for several days, but we kept trudging on regardless. We weren't going to give up. But Linda wasn't lying this time, even though I still refused to believe her. You can put all the effort you can muster into an event, a relationship or anything else for that matter, but when the bigger energies say no, you got to accept that the deal is down. I wasn't there yet, and have often refused to believe anything I hear until I see it happen for myself. I am a fool occasionally, like most men, and then again most women act plain crazy when there is an apparently looming crisis, yet in the aftermath of a crisis the latter sex seems to be more "hooked up & connected" to something intangible & more vital than what most men can normally comprehend. OK, enough already, women are becoming more like men and men are becoming more like women. Is that a good thing ? Don't know. We are all in this together and should take heed of eachother's behaviour and reactions regardless in any exceptional occurrence. Our collective fate may depend on this understanding.

So the show sort of over spilled into the parking lot when the city officials came in and gave us a bullshit excuse that we all had to leave the indoor premises because there was no hot water available and this was a third world hazard of sorts. I think they were actually afraid of the liabilities of someone tripping over an extension cord due to the lack of normal lighting. I thought that this hot water thing was a weird sort of way of getting rid of us who were trying to gather indoors and try to make the show happen regardless of power limitations. There were emergency lights indoors provided by an outdoor generator, so even though we couldn't run any pinballs except some of the ones in the historical booth (pre-war stuff) "the man" wanted us out. The last to leave was Michel Bergeron from Player One Montreal who was evidently closing a deal regardless of power limitations by the looks of it, and he did, he manged to sell a new Stern regardless of the lack of hot water. I know this man as a real trooper and long time industry friend. No corp can take that away from us.

So here we were, maybe 50 or so lost pinball souls in the parking lot, making deals, talking looking out for the scout we sent in the mayhem of unlit traffic lights in quest for a gallon of Tim Horton's coffee. He eventually came back after three hours, but without coffee saying that traffic lights were out all over the place and that people we stuck in long line ups doing four way stops at major intersections. The look in his eyes was not reassuring. No one really wanted to head "out there" and leave the calm and social aspect of the parking lot. It was comforting and safe in a way. Jon Greatwich sold stuff out of his vehicle, more deals were made and the atmosphere was good even though cell phone service was down on the Rogers network and Bell was acting erratically goofy. So it was weird in a way to not be able to get info about what was happening on the roads and which places had power and which did not. So we sent out more "scouts", some never came back and some did with news of traffic jams and no coffee. Doug Baird was having caffeine withdrawals and so was I.

My only hope at this point was that Geester who managed to text me and say that he was on his way to meet me and guide us back to his hideout & home in the Gatineau woods, where there would be a fresh keg of Rickard's Red, smoked salmon and pinball machines with power was looking like the way out of this standstill. Meanwhile Doug had fallen asleep in Mike Hanley's van for the lack of coffee from another poor doomed scout we had sent out two hours prior. Well, Geester as well never made it to the Sportsplex parking lot. He turned back when he saw the long lines of traffic blocking the Champlain bridge, the parkway and other arteries. We managed to get his address in the woods by cell phone communication, and Julien punched it into some GPS type thing that seemed to be indicating the way to a safe port through the sea of troubles that lay between us and Guy & June's safe harbour. We loaded crazy Robi into his green pick up and I took the shag wagon and we formed a small convoy towards the woods and solace saying goodbye to our friends who were low on gas and coffee as they continued to wait for the scouts to return with news as to how to get replenished on those two fronts and move on to less desolate locations than the Sportsplex parking lot which was gradually losing its vibe of a happening place.

After lots of detours and trying to figure out what our Sherpa Julien was doing by making off the beaten track detours and wild maneuvers, I finally started recognizing the general area of where our kind host Geester of the past five years dwells. It is off the beaten track, and Julien stopped the convoy at one point and let me lead us into the woods of Gatineau through gravel roads. As I steered the O'Reilly mobile through, guided by my instincts alone, I saw gentle smoke lazyingly coming out of a man cave garage I knew had lit pinballs and a beer tap. Kapla !! We were safe and sound and I was drunk by 4 PM and took a nap in my usual room until about 7 after playing pinball on Robi's insistence. I really don't like playing pinball, but this gang was allright. Guy's neighbours also dropped in for tools and talk. I was feeling really good but couldn't help but think of Josh and what he was going through. I called the Warlock and he expressed similar concerns and hopes for power the next day for Josh and the community. And this is what I am trying to say in this lengthy post (if you folks are still with me) - we need to be a solid community, and stop this dumb ass me first competitive attitude in thinking that we are more important or better than the next person. We are all subject to the bigger forces making us realize that we can be brought down to our knees in an instant for no apparent reason if mother nature apparently decides that we need a reminder that we shouldn't be behaving like short sighted reactionary idiots who believe in their fabricated self importance. And this natural occurrence of late was just that, a reminder of how cocky we are, and it is a kind of adjustment which we need to recognize before the larger ones inevitably looming come around.

Sunday morning Guy made breakfast at 7 as we read Josh's post on MAACA about the show not having power and that we would have to tear down that morning. A kick in the pants indeed, and the majority of us got down to the venue around 8:30 and began the painful task. It was a weird ambiance, but everyone held there heads up and did what they could to help get the trucks and vans and trailers loaded with the huge amounts of machines and parts and stuff that would have made this the most heavily populated show since it all began in Canada. By around noon, the hall was mostly empty as many of us bid farewell until next year when we would all try again to contribute to the biggest Canadian pinball and gameroom show that a single man with a vision had the balls to start back in 2011 against all the stupid and jealous nay sayers if memory serves. Josh deserves our admiration and support beyond a shadow of a fucking doubt especially during this daylight darkness of 2018.

The show must go on, and it will.

R.A.B>
http://www.montrealpinball.com
https://amusement.evolvo.com/

Bally 1936 "Bumper" - North Star 1949 "Sea Breeze" - North Star 1950 "Richelieu" - Universal 1950 "Feature Bell" - Gottlieb 1952 "Queen of Hearts" - Williams 1960 "Ten Spot" - Gottlieb 1971 "Challenger" - Williams 1973 "OXO" - Bally 1976 "Bonanza"

Maxed out at 10 machines, no more. Un max de 10 machines, pas plus.
Une règle suivi guéri de tout. A rule respected can cure anything.

A philosophy of doing shall rule until the days when I can no longer "do" arrive. Because when I am too old to adjust an AX relay or relieve a woman friend from sighing, there will only be memories to fill my time. So, the task at hand is to build that RRSP of memories in order to joyfully cushion the later stages of life.

Personally prefer the exceptional qualities lurking beneath any normal state of affairs. Alas, our day to day is being promoted as extraordinary via a world wide web largely fueled by the new dumb & followed closely by the latest breed of unscrupulous scoundrels & judas goats. So, god bless the fool hearted, the crazed, and the railroaded all in good measure for they will likely inherit what is left of the earth after the screwheads are done with it. God damn darwinian primates, why do they refuse to evolve, even after all we should have learned from being dumb savages for so long.

"I try my best to be just like I am, but everybody wants you, to be just like them. " - Zimmy

User avatar
semicolin
MAACA Mega Contributor
Posts: 1189
Joined: Sun Apr 17, 2016 4:32 pm
Location: Ottawa, ON
Has liked: 172 times
Been liked: 226 times
Contact:

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by semicolin »

Well said.

With the tornado that took out the substation touching down less than half a mile from the venue, we all know it could have been even worse.

Scary thoughts indeed.

I look forward to the next time!

Guard
MAACA Super Contributor
Posts: 585
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 1:23 am
Location: Guelph
Has liked: 82 times
Been liked: 71 times

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by Guard »

Home now. One nice thing is without pinball or power I got to be more social then I'm used too and talked to lots of good people.
PINS- Hit The Deck/ Tee'd Off/ Flash Gordon/Bluenote / Stern POTC/ DE Star Wars/ Big Hit/ Algar/Asteroid Annie and the Alians/Slugfest/Batman The Dark Knight/DE The Simpsons/Dirty Harry/T2/ Devils Dare/ World Poker Tour/Swords of Fury/ Lethal Weapon/Ripleys BION/Circa 1933/Striker Xtreme

RIP- Sinbad/ Supersonic

User avatar
OTTOgd
MAACA OG
Posts: 6459
Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2009 10:45 pm
Location: Brampton, Jewel of the Golden Horseshoe
Has liked: 91 times
Been liked: 31 times

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by OTTOgd »

tinyrodent wrote:For those who did not get to see it, here is a 3-minute walkthrough of the show floor just before teardown:

I didn't ask for a refund, and bought an extra shirt! 8-)
Appreciate the walk-thru video, thanks. Conserving my battery, I took very few pics, darnit.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda been an awesome show. Darn tornadoes.

Big thanks, Josh, and looking forward to next year's OPGS.
Attachments
20180921_195155.jpg

Linkage
MAACA Super Contributor
Posts: 296
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2014 3:13 pm
Location: Newfoundand

Re: Opgs is done son

Post by Linkage »

Thanks to all who organized, volunteered and made the trip. Glad everyone is safe through.

Post Reply