playland dreams

Luke loves playland, and this weekend he got not one, but two visits there. Todd and I both visited Winnipeg beach as a kids. My dad came here in the 1950's via the Moonlight Express which ran a regular schedule between the beach and his town. Back then, there were a lot more carnival booths, with games and food. There was a huge trampoline, a big wooden roller coaster and a huge glitzy dance hall too. It makes me so wistful for a look into the past, but I can imagine that it was a special place where many family's grew together, and couples fell in love. For us, it still is special - but it really needs a boost.

Playland and the other arcades on the boardwalk are one of the few places that still holds some character. They're full of black light posters, hanging records and mish mash of old and new token games. Todd loves arcades, and he knows more about vintage video games than anyone I've ever met. He built one, body, switches, art and all that has a game emulator which plays pretty much every 80's and 90's arcade game there is.

I'll share a secret daydream with you. We've talked about opening a retro arcade before, so when we saw that playland was up for sale this past year, we seriously thought about it. Well, we're still thinking about it, but the road between thinking and doing is a very long one. I'm pretty sure that between the two of us, we could make the most badass vintage arcade that boardwalk has ever seen. He'd be in charge of the games and arcades, and I'd be in charge of vintage merch, repro posters and carnival antiquities. I'd be cool with living at the beach all summer too and running a seasonal business. The question is, if you build it, will they really come?

I bet you can guess what Luke thinks of this daydream . . .