Fascination (game)
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Fascination is a
Game design and play
The game consists of a wooden table, roughly 1.3 metres (4 ft 3 in) long, 50 centimetres (20 in) wide and 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) high. The player sits at one narrow end of the table. At the other end of the table is a series of 25 holes, roughly 5 cm (2.0 in) in diameter, arranged in a five-by-five square
Fascination tables are typically installed in groups from 20 to 50, but can be in as small as a system of two, up to any amount without limit, and are interlocked through an
Winners receive a prize coupon or token, which can be redeemed for a small prize, or collected to redeem for bigger prizes later, or in some locations, coupons may be redeemed as cash to play more games. Bonus coupons or tokens can be won by winning with all spots lighted on a certain row marked by colored lights; usually, the top row on the board (the back row of holes) is red and wins three to five times the normal rate, and the fourth row from the top (the second row of holes from the front) is gold and wins double the normal rate. Some operators have additional bonuses for certain lines.
An announcer, sitting on an elevated platform, presides over the activities. He or she starts each game by pressing a button which rings a bell and activates all machines. He or she also announces the winner when the bell rings again, which the machine does automatically when a win is detected. One or more assistants collect the fees and pay winners. Other employees run a prize booth, where winners redeem their coupons or tokens. The prizes range from cheap trinkets for one or two wins to appliances, radios, televisions, toys and more expensive items for large numbers of coupons or tokens, often numbering into the thousands for the best prizes.
History
Fascination was invented in
The game was a popular attraction at amusement parks before the modern
The game has declined not only because of the demise of old-style amusement parks, but also the age of the machines themselves. The heart of the system relied on relays used in telephone system, which have long been obsolete; moreover, manufacturers of the tables have long ago shut down, so spare parts have to be salvaged from old tables. Operation is also labor-intensive, with at least three employees (often more) at a time required to run a game. The game could easily be made more reliable and less labor-intensive with updated computer-based technology (as was done in the mid-1990s at the Indiana Beach parlor and at the Tributes and Traditions Retro Arcade & Fascination[4] in Wildwood, NJ, during 2019-2020) and automatic coin collection and coupon dispensing equipment such as that on a skee ball game, but the closure of many Fascination parlors has made such an effort unlikely.
A modern arcade game called "Lite-a-Line" can be found today, with roots in Fascination in that it features the same basic game play and pays off in redemption tickets. However, Lite-a-Line is a stand-alone game, played against "the house" as with skee ball and the like. It is commonly found in places such as Chuck E. Cheese. (It should not be confused with a 1930s pinball machine of the same name. Moreover, some Internet sites indicate that there may have been Fascination parlors that instead operated under the name "Lite-a-Line," but the evidence is inconclusive.)
"I-Got-It" is a variant of Fascination invented in 1961 in Western New York.[5] Its mechanism is slightly different in that balls are tossed over an open pit instead of rolled, and the ball does not return to the player, staying in place throughout the game unless it is knocked out of place by another thrown ball. I-Got-It is seen most frequently in traveling carnivals.
Locations
Active locations
California
- Long Beach, California (Looff's Lite-A-Line)[6]
- This location has the pinball-style version of the game and pays out money instead of coupons or prizes.[7]
Indiana
- Monticello, Indiana (Indiana Beach)[8]
- This location has been in operation since the 1930s.[9]
- The boards at this location offer the center "Free Space" but don't cover the actual hole, making for a slightly more challenging game.
New Jersey
- Wildwood, New Jersey (Tributes and Traditions - Retro Arcade & Fascination, relocated from the Boardwalk Mall in 2019)[10]
- The only Fascination game operating in the State of New Jersey. The machines used here are the ones formerly used at the ill-fated Olympic Fascination and Casino Arcade in North Wildwood.
- The entire game system was refurbished and modernized for 2020 by the arcade's owner, Randy Senna.[4]
New York
- Darien, New York (Six Flags Darien Lake)[11]
- Sylvan Beach, New York (Sylvan Beach Amusement Park)[12]
- Sylvan Beach also has similar games based on blackjack and tic-tac-toe rules and scoring.
Ohio
- Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio (5472 Lake Rd E)[13]
- Opened in the 1940s, one of two known Fascination parlors that were operated in the town.[14]
Oregon
- Seaside, Oregon (Funland Arcade)[15]
- Opened in 1950, this is the only remaining "traditional" Fascination game in operation west of the Mississippi River.[16]
Pennsylvania
- Elysburg, Pennsylvania (Knoebels Amusement Resort)[17]
- No park admission fee is required.
Former locations
California
- El Cerrito, California (Playland-Not-At-The-Beach, Museum of Fun closed 2018)
- San Francisco, California(1027 Market Street)
- This parlor was reported as "Closed for Remodeling" in 2005. It was the last known Fascination parlor not located in a park or resort area, and paid winners money instead of prize credits.
- Santa Cruz, California (Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, converted into restrooms in 2007)
Colorado
- Denver, Colorado (Elitch Gardens)
Illinois
- Chicago, Illinois (Riverview Park)
Indiana
- Holiday World)
Kansas
- Wichita, Kansas (Joyland Amusement Park, closed 2006)
Kentucky
- Beech Bend Park)
Maryland
- Baltimore, Maryland (Gwynn Oakamusement park)
Massachusetts
- Agawam, Massachusetts (Riverside Park, now Six Flags New England)
- Dartmouth, Massachusetts (Lincoln Park, game building burned down)
- Lunenburg, Massachusetts (Whalom Park)
- Nantasket Beach, Hull, Massachusetts
- Had been the last play-for-cash Fascination Parlor in existence, but was closed in 2019 due to storm damage.[3] These machines originally opened in Coney Island in 1918 and were moved to Nantasket Beach in 1944. At the time of closure, they had been the oldest Fascination machines still in operation.[2]
- Revere, Massachusetts (Revere Beach, closed in 1984, never recovered from "Blizzard of '78")
Minnesota
- Shakopee, Minnesota (Valleyfair amusement park)
Nevada
- Las Vegas, Nevada (Circus Circus)
- Reno, Nevada (Circus Circus)
New Hampshire
- Salem, New Hampshire (Canobie Lake Park, removed prior to the 2001 season, replaced with "Jackpot Casino")
New Jersey
- Asbury Park, New Jersey (714 Boardwalk, Casino Building, known as "Ruben's Fascination")
- Atlantic City, New Jersey (The Boardwalk)
- Fort Lee, New Jersey (Palisades Amusement Park)
- Keansburg, New Jersey (Keansburg Amusement Park)
- North Wildwood, New Jersey (Olympic Fascination and Casino Arcade)
- Palisades Park, New Jersey
- Seaside Heights, New Jersey (Seaside Heights Boardwalk, Lucky's Fascination)
- Wildwood, New Jersey (Flipper's Fascination)
- Wildwood, New Jersey (Retro Arcade at the Boardwalk Mall, 3800 Boardwalk)
- The actual name is "Lucky's Fascination" and was a predecessor of Lucky's Fascination which operated in Seaside Heights from 1974 to 1995. Was relocated following turnover of mall ownership in 2018.
New York
- Brooklyn, New York (Coney Island, Faber's Fascination) closed 2021
- Brooklyn, New York (Luna Park, Coney Island)
- Canandaigua, New York (Roseland Park)
- Farmingdale, New York (Adventureland, removed c. 1994)
- Long Beach, Long Island, New York
- New York City (Times Square, closed 1981)
- Rochester, New York (Olympic Park)
- Rochester, New York (Seabreeze Amusement Park, formerly Dreamland Park)
- Rockaway (Edgemere), Queens, New York (Faber's Fascination)
- Rockaway (Edgemere), Queens, New York (Lenny's Fascination)
- Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York (Rockaways' Playland, Pinky's Fascination)
- Sylvan Beach, New York (Sylvan Beach Amusement Park)
Ohio
- Geauga Lake, rides and games closed 2007)
- Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio (Pera family “budget” version of the game, location burned down in 1979)
- Mason, Ohio (Kings Island)
- Monroe, Ohio (LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park, closed 2002)
- Sandusky, Ohio (Cedar Point, removed 2001)
- Idora Park, destroyed in 1984 fire)
Oregon
- Seaside, Oregon (Funland Arcade)
Pennsylvania
- Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania (Conneaut Lake Park, tables burned in Beach Club fire 1 Aug 2013)
- Hershey, Pennsylvania (Hersheypark, removed 2014)
- South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania (Dorney Park)
- West Mifflin, Pennsylvania (Kennywood, room closed following 1998 season)
- West View, Pennsylvania (West View Park)
- Willow Grove, Pennsylvania (Willow Grove Park)
Rhode Island
Utah
- Lagoon Amusement Park)
Virginia
International
- Montreal, Quebec, Canada (Belmont Park, closed 1983)
- Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia (Grund's, Paradise Centre)
References
- ^ Peterson, Dave (5 April 2018). "A Century of Fascination | Northwest Travel Magazine". Retrieved 2022-08-21.
- ^ a b "Nantasket Fascination Parlor". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
- ^ a b "Paragon Boardwalk on Instagram". Instagram. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ a b Retro Arcade & Fascination UPDATE, archived from the original on 2021-12-22, retrieved 2021-08-01
- ^ "Popular carnival game began in Western New York". 16 August 2016.
- ^ Looff's Lite-A-Line — GPDT 45, retrieved 2022-08-21
- ^ "Looffs Lite-A-Line - Long Beach, CA". Yelp. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
- ^ "Games – Indiana Beach". Indiana Beach -. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
- ^ Fascination | Indiana Beach | The Friday Zone, retrieved 2022-08-21
- ^ "The Last Fascination Arcade on the Jersey Shore". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
- ^ "Six Flags Darien Lake Park Map 2022" (PDF). Six Flags Darien Lake. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
- ^ "Games at Sylvan Beach Amusement Park". sylvan-beach-park. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
- ^ Reader, Erie. "Generations on the Lake". www.eriereader.com. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
- ^ "Fascination". GOTL Summer Fun Heritage Trail. 2014-12-30. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
- ^ "Attractions". Funland Seaside Arcade. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
- ^ Hale, Jamie (2022-02-06). "This vintage arcade game has fascinated Oregon coast tourists for generations". OregonLive. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
- ^ "Fascination | Knoebels Amusement Resort". www.knoebels.com. Retrieved 2021-08-01.