Greeting Belles! What an jaws-ome night!
On March 13th, we held our meetup at I/O Arcade Bar. It was an extra fintastic meetup as we were hosting a Jaws Launch Party with some appropriately themed prizes up for grabs. Some prizes were homemade! We had a record attendance of 25 individuals with at least two people being new! We also had a few players we haven’t seen in years stop in to join for the evening!
If you’re not familiar with Stern Launch Parties, we will play our normally scheduled tournament but scores for the relevant pinball machine will be documented to figure out who got the highest score of the night for extra game specific prizes. Players were also free to play a game on their own on the side outside of our normal Match Play tournament.
Winners’ Circle
Due to our late night, we were not able to get our usual group pictures of the winners, but there were so many prizes to win!
Sara won the gold, securing her the prestigious shark trophy. Aimee and Jacque followed, each claiming their own trophies including a scrumptious chum bucket. Tiffany, Katie, and Lauren celebrated with gift cards to I/O. Mary, Donelle, and Brianna delighted in shark-themed prizes. It was a night of thrilling competition and camaraderie, showcasing the awesomeness of our pinball community.
As far as the Jaws is concerned, Sara’s skill on the Pro Jaws machine earned her the grand champ plaque. Mary soared to victory on the Jaws Premium machine, claiming the Jaws Pro translite.
Congratulations to all the winners!
Save the Date!
Our next meet up will be at NerdHaven Arcade on Apr 10, 2024.
You can find other pinball events in the Madison area by subscribing to our Google Calendar or visiting our new website.
Announcement
With the Belles community happily growing the costs to spread the word, have free swag, and new this year our IFPA entry fees it is starting to take a toll on the personal funds of the Belles committee. Moving forward we will be charging a $5 entry fee for our pinball tournaments. This $5 entry fee will go to the $1 per person IFPA submission and replenish the sticker/magnet/button/flier fund. It will also continue to help fund homemade trophies for the events. We wish we could keep covering costs out of pocket to keep this free for everyone but thank you for understanding.
Midwest Gaming Classic
The Midwest Gaming Classic is less than a month away! The MGC is an annual trade show celebrating all forms of gaming. We’re talking video game consoles, arcade games, tabletop games, collectible card games, and of course… Pinball! All on free play! Get your tickets and more information at the Midwest Gaming Classic website.
Pinball News
On March 10, 2024, Elton John hosted his Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party which is dedicated to supporting the Elton John AIDS Foundation. This foundation’s mission is to fund frontline partners to prevent HIV/AIDS infections, tackle stigma, and provide compassionate care for vulnerable communities worldwide.
During the event, an auction was held that raised an amazing $10.8 million for the foundation. Of the things auctioned off were two Jersey Jack Pinball Elton John Collector’s Edition machines, signed by Elton John. The machines raised a combined total of $400,000 towards the Rocket Fund!
If you want to learn more about this specific event, check out the Jersey Jack Pinball Facebook page. For more information about the foundation, check out www.ejaf.org.
We’re so happy to see our little community growing! We hope to see a lot of returning faces next month!
Cheers,
The Belles & Chimes Madison Planning Team