Pinball!
Tournaments return to
Merry Time Bar and Grill
Play in a
pinball
tournament
6 p.m. the fi rst Sunday
of each month
Merry Time Bar and
Grill
995 Marine Drive,
Astoria
$5 entry fee
Cash prizes for fi rst,
second and third
BY PETER KORCHNAK
Calling all pinball wizards.
Following a pandemic-induced hiatus,
Merry Time Bar and Grill in downtown
Astoria has resumed its monthly pinball
tournament.
Players of all skill levels are invited to
participate and win cash prizes every fi rst
Sunday of the month, with the next event
being held this Sunday at 6 p.m. It
only takes a $5 buy-in, a stack of
quarters to drop and crazy fl ip-
per fi ngers.
Todd Robinett, who co-owns
the Merry Time as well as the nearby
Labor Temple Diner and Bar with his wife,
Terry, began installing pinball machines at
the remodeled mezzanine space some three
years ago. What started with two machines
co-leased with a friend grew to six just
before the coronavirus pandemic, all the
way to a full dozen of their own today.
Robinett launched the tournament
shortly after the machines arrived at
the Merry Time, but was soon forced to
halt play due to COVID-19. The tourna-
ment returned in December , with a soft
relaunch.
A self-professed pinball enthusi-
ast , Robinett said the addition of pinball
machines to the bar made sense because it
allowed him to both support his
hobby and generate revenue. “If
I were just a collector, I would
have a hard time justifying own-
ing these machines, because
they’re not cheap,” he said , with
some limited edition models on the market
costing around $10,000. “These machines
are paying for themselves.”
Robinett has special appreciation for
the immersive nature of the pinball experi-
ence, with artwork, gameplay and sounds.
“The more you play them, the more you
realize that they’re actual games with
objectives, not just a random chaotic
thing,” he said .
See Page 7
6 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Photos by Peter Korchnak
Todd Robinett stands next to one of the pinball machines at the Merry Time Bar and Grill in Astoria.
The pinball machines stand aglow at the Merry Time.
A pinball machine lights up.