Country Acres Mini Golf in Berlin, Ohio, is expected to open sometime in July, according to owner Matt Keeler (pictured below), who told The Daily Record he and his family wanted to do something fun as a family business. “About a year ago, we were sitting at home during Covid and we started talking about a family business we could get started, and the idea of mini-golf was mentioned,” Keeler said. “I thought back to growing up, and how our grandparents always took us mini-golfing.” Thus, Country Acres was born. The course is being constructed in front of Encore Hotel…
Author: Matt Harding
The Egret II Mini is the latest home cabinet from Japanese video game maker Taito. The miniature cabinet, modeled after a 1996 cabinet of theirs, comes with 40 retro titles including Space Invaders, Bubble Bobble, Kaiser Knuckle and more. According to Hypebeast, the company will make another 10 games available for purchase after the mini cabinet’s release. Pre-orders are available now at a roughly $170 cost. Egret II Mini is set to release on March 2, 2022. Click here or visit www.taito.co.jp for more information.
A Dave & Buster’s location is opening in downtown Bellevue, Wash., on Aug. 30 and is currently in the process of finding 130 people to join their team. According to the Bellevue Reporter, the new location is over 40,000 sq. ft. and is the second D&B in the Seattle market, featuring hundreds of brand-new arcade games and the D&B Sports Bar with its 40 feet of high-definition screens. Applications are currently being accepted there for managers, servers, bartenders, hosts, game tech and more. Learn additional information at www.daveandbusters.com.
The return to normalcy has officially begun as the amusement industry gathered in Las Vegas this week. While exhibitor and attendee numbers are down for a typical Amusement Expo, organizers said it was better than expected and they were pleased with the response from those who packed the show floor. “I’m really glad for the positive atmosphere that’s present on the show floor – the energy that’s there,” said AAMA Executive Director Pete Gustafson. “We’re back. I think that was the resounding message – that as an industry, we’re back.” Show host W.T. Glasgow, led by Brian Glasgow, said there…
And the AMOA Innovator Awards go to… Amusement Connect for its new Slider Mech and LAI Games for its Angry Birds Coin Crash. The pair were selected from 10 submitted entries. Amusement Connect also won AMOA’s Operator’s Choice Award. The awards were handed out at Amusement Expo’s Beers and Cheers event. Best Booth Awards were also given to three companies with small, medium and large-size booths. In that order, they were Payment Alliance International, Pace-O-Matic and TouchTunes.
Creative Works’ education program Amusement 360 will return to an in-person format from Aug. 24-26 and will also provide a virtual registration option for those who can’t travel. The event will feature more than 15 speakers, operator interviews, panel discussions, presentations, site visits and more. “After more than 15 months of virtual-only events, our team is so excited to meet face to face again with all of our partners, friends, and existing and aspiring entertainment operators,” said Danny Gruening, VP of Marketing at Creative Works. “The speaker lineup for the August event is phenomenal, and attendees will learn so much…
QubicaAMF just debuted their new Fly’n Ducks duckpin bowling attraction at the Las Vegas Nightclub & Bar Show, held June 29-30. They’re at Booth #472 of that event. Fly’n Ducks utilizes the BES X Bowler Entertainment System, Conqueror X center management system and the EDGE String pinspotter to “deliver the best duckpin experience and more variety and entertainment for customers,” the company says. The product is available in four lane lengths and can be purchased with or without the traditional bowler approach platform. “We developed Fly’n Ducks to deliver a better duckpin experience,” said Neil Pennington, QubicaAMF’s director of performance…
In partnership with AMI Entertainment and TouchTunes, AMOA just announced the development of Jukebox Jams Emerging Artists, a new industry program “created to generate awareness, excitement and inspiration for the jukebox music experience nationwide.” The inaugural Jukebox Jams program will showcase a select playlist of up-and-coming artists to drive more awareness of the artists themselves as well as the jukebox experience. It will run from Nov. 1 through National Jukebox Day (Nov. 24). “AMOA has partnered with both AMI Entertainment and TouchTunes in bringing the Jukebox Emerging Artists program to life,” said Michael Martinez, AMOA Jukebox Promotion chair. “The program…
After a year-plus since their last in-person industry event, Bandai Namco Amusement America is back on the trade show floor today, June 30, showing off their games at Booth #139. They’ll have Red Zone Rush, Pac-Man’s Pixel Bash, DC Superheroes and many more. If you’re unable to make it to the show, visit www.bandainamco-am.com for more information. The company also announced they have a new digital catalog available at that website. It includes links that allow customers to watch YouTube videos featuring the games and send inquiry emails to BNAA.
It’s cliché but it’s true: teamwork makes the dream work. And for those leading the charge at both the AMOA’s Coin-Op Cares and AAMA’s Charitable Foundation, a decision to unite their fundraising efforts during Amusement Expo, creating the new “AEI Charity Fund,” will hopefully greatly enhance the industry’s ability to give back. During the keynote address on Education Day (June 29) at the show, the plans for the new fundraising effort were announced, along with its timeline: to debut the program at the 2022 Amusement Expo. The joint venture is under the leadership of AAMCF Chairman David Cohen and AMOA…