Pinball wizards get your flipper fingers ready for play at Expo Center

NILES

Walking into the Eastwood Expo Center Thursday was like walking into a time warp.

When was the last time you walked into any room anywhere and saw — a pinball machine?

Think about it.

They’ve gone they way of the telephone booth, and now they’re in private collections for the most part.

But at the expo center, from 3 p.m. to midnight Friday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, you can see plenty of pinball machines. Collectors are bringing them out and putting them on display, and dealers are bringing out more for sale.

If you’re feeling nostalgic for that time when you could walk into your favorite neighborhood bar for a beer and see that familiar slanted table with the flippers and the balls and the bells and lights in the corner, then head to the Ohio Pinball Show.

If you have kids, bring them along. It’s probably the only place they’ll get to see a pinball machine — kids these days don’t know what one is, pointed out Mike Pacak, one of the show’s organizers.

Despite their disappearance from mainstream America, said Pacak, there are plenty of collectors and hobbyists who love the machines, so there are still plenty of machines around.

Read more about the old entertainment start and the show in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.