By Staff
November 28th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Transformed at a cost of close to $10 million – the museum is now open to the public.
The Museum does have the name of the first citizen on the outside – but high school level entertainment is the feature currently.
The Joseph Brant Museum made the display of a collection of pin ball machines as the opening event for the expensively transformed museum.
There are two events that focus on the collection of pinball machines at the Museum.
Balls & Beer Pinball Night takes place on Friday, December 13th, from 7 pm to 10 pm
Patrons can enjoy local craft beer and test their pinball skills at the Part of the Machine: Rock & Pinball exhibition on for a special night out at Joseph Brant Museum.
This event is licensed, you must be 19 years + to attend. Your ticket includes unlimited pinball play, 2 beer tickets, appetizers, a souvenir beer glass and there will be door prizes! $40/person. Tickets for the event.
On December 21st, the Museum is hosting an IFPA sanctioned pinball tournament. You are expected to be a pinball wizard – the event is a friendly competition – all skill levels are welcome!
Prizes will be given to the top 3 scorers. Sign up before December 14. Snacks provided. $25/person.
Guest host, Jeff Teolis from Pinball Profile will lead a fun night out at Joseph Brant Museum on – 5 to 9 pm. ALL skill levels are welcome. Players will be randomly assigned opponents and a pinball machine to play a match. This event is sanctioned by the IFPA (International Flipper Pinball Association).
Top scores will be posted on their website. Registration limited to 40 people, sign up before December 14.
As a Canadian history buff and long-time resident of Burlington I’m ashamed to say that I’ve never visited the museum. I might still rectify that omission some day but it won’t be for the kind of exhibition that was chosen for its premiere. I recognize that, if our expensively renovated museum is to be self-supporting, it will have to appeal to more than the usual museum crowd. However one would have thought that it’s opening event would have been focused on the story of its namesake. Had it not been for the contribution of our Indian allies we’d likely be flying the American flag today and have Donald Trump as our president.
We’re not off to a good start here!
We shouldn’t be surprised about the pinballs and beer. Given the political persuasion of the governments who funded the $10 million, what did Burlingtonians expect?
And what pray tell, does craft beer and pinball machines have to do with Joseph Brant? Poor choice for a $10 million renovation first exhibition . Sounds more like the after party for a car rally!
Hey, I like pinball. I used to babysit a child whose parents had a pinball machine in the basement and once the child was in bed I played it til the parents came home. But millions of dollars of taxpayer money – there is only one taxpayer, doesn’t matter which levels of government chipped in for what, it’s all our money – for a museum about Joseph Brant and the history of Burlington and … pinball and beer. Mind boggling.
Given the focus on Indigenous Peoples in the public arena one would naturally have expected that a museum dedicated to and named after a respected member of that community and the founder of the City would have, as its inaugural event, something relating to aboriginal culture. Instead, we get pinballs. Hmm…..
Oh well. I guess financial viability trumps culture. I suppose we have to find a way to attract supporting patrons to pay for the “expensively transformed museum”.
On the plus side, having pinballs in an area focused on Aboriginal People is consistent with where several casinos are located.