One of the final official events for Real Twin Peaks 2024 was the Twin Tilts Pinball Tournament at Volition Brewing Co. in North Bend, Washington. This location served as Nadine Butler Hurley’s Run Silent, Run Drapes shop in Twin Peaks The Return before it was converted into an outstanding local brewery. The cool part about this tournament is there is a direct connection between pinball and David Lynch and Mark Frost’s wonderful and strange show.
TWIN TILTS PINBALL TOURNAMENT AT VOLITION BREWING CO.
The Real Twin Peaks event website included the “Twin Tilts Pinball Tournament” as part of the weekend activities. The tournament was held on Sunday, February 25 at Volition Brewing Co. located at 112 W. North Bend Way in North Bend. Signups began at 3:00 p.m. with “flippers up” at 3:30. All skills welcome must be 13 or older to play. The tournament followed a 3 strike format the top 2 winners will pay out. $5 cash only buy in, plus quarters for game play. Costumes were encouraged but I don’t remember seeing anyone dressed up.
A closer look at the advertisement created for the tournament.
On February 22, Volition Brewing Co. posted about pinball tournament on their Instagram account and Facebook page.
The included this flyer on the brewery’s front door.
Smaller flyers were found at the bar, like this one next to a Golden Shovel ale.
GOLDEN SHOVEL
Speaking of golden shovels, I arrived at Volition Brewing Co. shortly after 3:00 as I was coming from the meet and greet with Kyle MacLachlan at Salish Lodge & Spa. How cool is it that brewery owner Lucas Haines put up a golden shovel in the front window?
The shovel is almost an exact replica of the one seen in the show (the handle is slightly different)
It looked even better at night.
While it was not in the exact location found in the show, it was awesome to see such a direct nod to the brewery’s direct connection to the series. The window display was something new this year.
Last year, they had introduced the Golden Shovel, a British Golden Ale (4.7 % ABV / 33 IBU) made with 2-Row, flaked barley and hopped with Washington grown Goldings. It was light, crisp and helped me shovel my way out of the shit.
I love that beers are always changing at Volition. With every visit, I try something new (the Quarter Bandit was the new one for me this trip).
It was wonderful to share a beer with Jeremiah Beaver from Take the Ring. We had never met in person prior to this event. He’s an incredibly talented storyteller and video editor. Check out his YouTube channel Take The Ring.
They offered a golden shovel prop that folks could pose with during the weekend.
HOW IS PINBALL CONNECTED TO TWIN PEAKS?
Believe it or not, there are two connections between pinball and Twin Peaks.
The first connection is found at the Johnson House from episode 1.003. There is a brief nighttime establishing shot just after Leo Johnson leaves to get Jacques Renault for a border run. Look carefully and you’ll spot a pinball machine on their front porch. Which one?
It’s Gottlieb’s Jumping Jack pinball machine from 1973. To find the match, I searched the Internet Pinball Database looking for a matching side panel. At first, I thought it was a football themed machine, but multiple searches proved inconclusive. I discovered the machine after looking at every machine starting from the mid-1980s and working back to the early 1970s. The best part is the machine has a clown theme which is echoed inside the house.
The second connection was first identified by Pieter Dom from Welcome to Twin Peaks on May 7, 2011.
There are two pinball machines located in a back corner of the Roadhouse set.
The machines are Suspense (released in 1969) and Shangri-La (released in 1967).
We even see Bobby Briggs playing the Suspense pinball machine in episode 2.019 after Mike Nelson confesses why he’s with Nadine Hurley (“Do you have any idea what a combination of sexual maturity and superhuman strength can result in?”). For some reason, the machines were switched compared to episode 2.009.
So I love the fact there was a pinball tournament at the Real Twin Peaks event this year!
PINBALL TOURNAMENT AT VOLITION BREWING CO.
The place was already hopping (or is that “flipping”) upon my arrival.
The tournament kicked off with game play instructions.
Fellow Twin Peaks fans Aaron and Eva show off the small poster participants received to commemorate playing in the tournament.
I love the small nod to Nadine in the bottom half of the image. The golden-hued poster reminds me of Edward Hopper’s work (an artist that David Lynch adores). Sadly, I didn’t find who created the artwork.
PINBALL TOURNAMENT ACTION
It was a fantastic turnout for this year’s tournament, as seen in the group shot from inside the brew room.
Pinball is a relatively new addition to Volition Brewing as they added their first pinball machines on October 2, 2023.
Lucas joined other contestants in this exciting tournament.
I particularly like the Han Solo frozen in Carbonite attached to the wall. Lucas and team make the brewery a lot of fun to visit.
Game play continued for awhile on the five different pinball machines.
By the time gameplay was done, it was dark. One thing I didn’t capture was who ultimately won the tournament (if you know, please send me a note).
A BLUE ROSE BY EZELL GLASS
Bartender John Ezell surprised me with an incredible gift. He’s an amazingly talented glass blower who runs Ezell Glass in North Bend. John presented me with a glass blue rose. I was left speechless.
You have to see this thing in person – it’s beautiful! John’s been an artist for more than 20 years, first in the Bay Area of California then Snoqualmie Valley. You can follow him on Facebook. Thank you John for one of my favorite items I brought home from the Real Twin Peaks 2024.
HANGING OUT WITH FRIENDS
The best part about the tournament was having moments to hangout with friends, such as Lucas. What he’s done with Volition since they opened in 2019 is impressive.
I also chatted with local Seattleite Dylan Himes (love his Rainier Ale pullover). You should check out his book “Good Grief” about the loss of his beloved mother which was published in September 2023. He’s a wonderful storyteller and the book is a fitting tribute.
I also spent an extended time speaking with Jeff Moore who served as the Twin Peaks season 2 prop master. I had missed connecting with him during the Real Twin Peaks event in 2023. I loved everything about our conversation which was a nice companion piece to the panel discussion we held on Friday.
Always wonderful to share a pint with James Ellis from the U.K. Not only is he a good friend, he is also a talented artist. Follow his work on Instagram at PurpleMonkeyltd.
All said, this was a fun event to close out such a wonderful and strange weekend. Can’t wait to do it again!
