A note from the organizers.
So much controlled chaos! TPF2019 was our best year yet in terms of attendance and exposure… exhibitors and vendors… and tournaments!
We were nominated for Best Pinball Tournament in 2018. For us, just the nomination is an honor. We’ve tried really hard to make sure our tournaments ran smoothly and on time and attract high quality players and sponsors. We brought home the TWIPY for Favorite Pinball Convention 2018 thanks to all of you who attended and voted. As one of the first pincons of the year, it’s incredible that other 2018 shows didn’t eclipse us. We’re hoping for a repeat for the 2020 season!
This year, like every one before was a game of Tetris making room or all our awesome vendors and Exhibitor games. This year we moved the tournaments off the main floor which allowed us to expand them to include a women’s tournament on Sunday. We had a LOT more local news and radio coverage this year and we believe we can say without a shadow of a doubt… PINBALL IS BACK!
Our volunteers really showed what they were made of. They stepped up in every way to make sure all the little things got handled. It would be impossible to pull this show off without a TON of help. We love that our local pinball community is invested and helps us pull TPF off every year.
Thank you all!
Tournaments
Photo Credit: Colin McAlpine
Some of THE best tournament players in the world made it to Texas this year. Our tournament directors Colin McAlpine, Phil Grimaldi and Dick Curtis along with an army of volunteers did an awesome job of running tournaments this year, brought back the Classics and ran the inaugural Texas Takedown Women’s Tournament. All told, we handed out over $24,000 in cash and prizes, thanks in part to tournament sponsor Scorbit. Congratulations to all our winners! Well done and well-deserved!
A Division |
B Division |
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Novice Division |
Women’s Division |
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Texas Takedown |
Classics Winners |
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Kid’s Bump N’ Win Winners |
Parent/Child Winners |
Sponsors
New this year, Scorbit sponsored our Classics Tournament with a $500 contribution to the prize pool.
Thank you Scorbit!
Best In Show Awards
One of our favorite parts of the show is the Best In Show Awards. The Best In Awards are intended to reward and recognize the incredible amount of work our Exhibitors put into bringing their best games to the Texas Pinball Festival. They spend countless hours repairing, restoring and polishing these machines until they become works of art you can play with. And though the prizes aren’t significant in themselves, the support the community shows for the Exhibitors is incredible. These ribbons are displayed prominently on winning machines even once they’ve returned to their places at home.
The judging team, headed by “The Mayor” Bill Morrison, begin their work when the show opens on Friday. They spend most of Saturday and all morning Sunday playing, inspecting and discussing the games displayed by our Exhibitors. They weigh the merits of each game within its respective category and have to make some hard choices. We do not envy their task.
Earlier this year, we lost a well-respected member of the pinball community. His name was Erron Porter. Those that knew him, knew what kind of person he was, and knew that he could fix just about anything. In his memory, we are announcing the creation of the Erron Porter Outstanding Contributions Award to be presented to a group or individual who ardently strives for the betterment of the pinball and arcade community.
And now our proud winners. We could not be happier for them.
Best Classic Arcade Video Game
Kevin Moore
Computer Space
Best Custom Arcade Video Game
Rodney Black
Morpheus
Best Pre-60’s
Jeff Frick
Army vs Navy
Best 60’s
Chris Schnick
Cross Town
Best 70’s EM
Sam Thompson
Twin Win
Best 70’s SS
Jeff Bulger
Tri Zone
Best 80’s
Ron Pennington
Galaxy
Best 90’s
Lonny Payne
Harley Davidson
Best 00’s
Garrett Hlavinka
The Lord of the Rings
Best Modern
Kim Keist
Iron Maiden
Best Original
Howard Isaacson
Paradise
Best Restoration
Aaron Beasecker /
Bill Wightman
Bonanza
Best Custom Pinball
Nick Baldridgeian
Multi-Bingo
And last but not least, this year’s Grand Champion… Kevin Moore for his Tales of the Arabian Nights!
Texas Pinball Museum Raffle
Photo Credit: Martin Ayub, Pinball News
This year, the Texas Pinball Musuem Raffle winner took home a brand new Stern Munsters pinball machine!
Pulling the winning ticket.
Michael Jolls
TPF Swap Meet
Photo Credit: Shawn Christenson, DFW Pinball and Arcade Club
The DFW Pinball & Arcade Club came through again this year! Even with the threat of rain it was a great turn out. Lots of projects to be had. This Swap Meet never disappoints!
