Greetings from Gold Rush Gulch! First, I want to wish everyone a belated Happy New Year! Next, I wanted to let you know that Kasey O'Kelly and I have been hard at work on GOLD RUSH™ getting ready for the launch of my upcoming KICKSTARTER Campaign. Look for more updates on the campaign and news from the railroad yard in the coming weeks.
At the end of November I was honored to attend the FREE PLAY FLORIDA expo as a guest speaker. I can't say enough about how wonderful the crew and volunteers were! They treated me and my colleagues, Garry Kitchen and David Crane like superstars! The expo floor was constantly buzzing with energy and excitement and was filled with retro game consoles, computers and retro game vendors. Numerous pinball games both classic and new were also on hand to play. Overall it was a wonderful experience that I encourage every retro game enthusiast to attend.
Here are a few photos from the expo I hope you'll enjoy:
One of the expo's organizers hand crafted this incredible PITFALL™ diorama!
Yes, that's yours truly swinging over a swamp filled with hungry crocodiles!
My brother Garry Kitchen and I joined Dave Crane on a panel where we retold stories about the early days of Activision.
During the panel the host surprised Garry and I with some photos of us working in my original home basement lab. Good Times!
We even had a chance to wander the expo floor and play some of the classic games. In this photo, a collector reunites Dave with his "Venetian Blinds" 2600 prototype cartridge that he originally designed in the beginning days of Activision.
The Kitchen Brothers.
I was honored to sign autographs for some very cool fans.
During the expo I unveiled the fourth in a series of Limited Edition Collectible Trading Cards for the upcoming release of GOLD RUSH™.
That's it for now! Please check back in the coming weeks for an interview with Kasey O'Kelly direct from Gold Rush Gulch. I hear he's got a lot of news about some new train cars and rolling stock the old 0514 locomotive will be pulling through the desert this summer. And by the sound of it, I think he'll need your help to keep everything on the right track...