A Sad Day

On November 1st, Sage and Annie Spirtos, owners of Rusty Quarters Arcade, posted the following image on the official Rusty Quarters Facebook Page:

This upcoming Wednesday Rusty Quarters will close for good.  It is a very sad day, as this amazing Twin Cities hangout will be no more.  I hope nothing but the best for Sage and Annie.  They are an amazing couple, and this is just a bump in the road for the two of them as they continue to share amazing adventures together.  Still, this is a tough time for them, and my thoughts and prayers are with them.

The Friends of Rusty Quarters did their part in building the RQ community and also bolster the arcade's game cabinet line-up.  In the short time that FORQ was around we were able to raise enough funds to purchase two different games: Street Fighter II: Championship Edition and Final Fight.  They were hugely popular and for the time they were there they got a great deal of play.

Now the big question for FORQ: What now?  Those who have supported FORQ and Rusty Quarters loved helping out an amazing couple try to keep such an amazing business open, but FORQ was also a group of classic gaming enthusiasts who enjoyed playing arcade games in the way they were meant to be played: With friends and strangers in a public setting.  It is not a group who wants to hoard this great hobby to themselves, but one they want to share.

So that's why FORQ may be ending along with Rusty Quarters, but a new group will rise and move forward with the goal of someday bringing classic gaming back to the Twin Cities.  We will be collecting the two games that were purchased and keep them in a secure location until there is a plan in place to either support a different Twin Cities arcade (since there aren't any it would have to be a new arcade that has yet to be established) or if able to, FORQ members will help create their own arcade.  The latter would be an incredible project that would require a lot of volunteerism and support, but we will see if that is something that can be structured.  If it is, we shall pursue it.

If a time comes in which either supporting a new arcade or developing one ourselves isn't a feasible option, then the games will be sold and the money from the sales will go to charity.

I am going to greatly miss Rusty Quarters.  I loved the warm atmosphere, I loved being in the glow of the games, and I loved reliving moments of my childhood.  Most of all, I'm going to miss a place that I loved taking my daughter, Shaelyn, to.  I told her today about the arcade closing, and she began to cry.  She had a great time there, and I can't thank Sage and Annie enough for the memories they created for us both.

Thank you, Sage and Annie.  You created a place of magic and wonder.  Rusty Quarters will be greatly missed.

Ted C. Williams
Founder, Friends of Rusty Quarters

FORQ Brings FINAL FIGHT to Rusty Quarters!!!

Thanks to the efforts of the Friends of Rusty Quarters, the Capcom beat-em-up classic Final Fight is now part of the collection of arcade cabinets at Rusty Quarters!

Thanks to an amazing offer by Jeff in Apple Valley, MN, FORQ was able to purchase this cabinet for only $120!  With just some minor repairs needed to be made, Rusty Quarters patrons will soon be playing this 90's great!

Final Fight is the second cabinet that FORQ has been able to bring to Rusty Quarters (the first being Street Fighter II: Championship Edition).  These two cabinets is just the start of what the Friends of Rusty Quarters can do, and if you want to help bring more arcade classics to Rusty Quarters, CLICK HERE to find out how you can donate!

Can We "Do" It?!?!

We have been in contact with someone looking to sell their Mr. Do! cabinet, and the price is reasonable and unlike the last time the game is within driving distance of the Twin Cities!

The seller is looking to get $175 for this cabinet.  This is an amazing deal, and because of this it will certainly sell fast if we're not able to finalize the sale ASAP.

I have already talked with Annie and Sage (co-owners of Rusty Quarters) to see if they would rather purchase the game themselves (since it is one of the missing gems), and while they would LIKE to, because of low attendance in recent weeks (especially when it was incredibly hot and building management was unable to repair their A/C) they don't have the funds to purchase the game.

With this in mind, if Mr. Do! is going to come back to RQ, we need to do it!  Let's raise the money quickly and bring this classic back to our favorite retro arcade!  CLICK HERE to make your donation via PayPal.  Tell your friends about this drive too!  We don't have much time, so let's get to it!!!

Fundraiser #2: To Infinity and Beyond!

In August, Disney Interactive launched Disney Infinity, a game that is part LittleBigPlanet, part Skylanders, and part Super Smash Bros.  If you love Disney or creating you own gaming experience, this game is a must!

The game has been released on every major console and has been a smash hit.  Members of FORQ have also been heavily into this game as well, and their collection of figures and power discs (two collectible components of the game) have become quite large.  Sage, one of the co-owners of Rusty Quarters, is also into the game as well.  He even wrote a review of the game for the website Strange Kids Club (check out his review by clicking here).

One of the two mentioned collectibles with this game are called Power Discs, which are little plastic discs that give a character in the game special powers or features.  It also can be used to create different backgrounds for the level a player is creating.  They are a great addition to the game.  

Unfortunately the only way players can purchase Power Discs are in 2-packs that are sealed and covered, much like baseball card packs.  With each pack you purchase, you don't know what discs you'll end up with.  Because of this, players end up with duplicates, and that's what a lot of FORQ members who have been playing the game also have!

Many Infinity players, in order to complete their collections, either swap with friends or turn to ebay.  With this in mind, FORQ members have donated some of their extras to sell in order to raise money for arcade cabinets for the current and future Rusty Quarters arcade!

For a minimum $5 donation, you can purchase one of the Power Discs that have been donated to FORQ.  Here is a list of the Power Discs that are available as of 9/14/13 at 12:45pm:

* Kahn, the horse from Mulan

* Mickey's Car

* Sugar Rush Sky from Wreck-It Ralph

* Alice's Wonderland from Alice in Wonderland

* Marlin's Reef from Finding Nemo

* Rapunzel's Kingdom from Tangled

* Rapunzel's Birthday Sky from Tangled

* Pieces of Eight Power-Up from Pirates of the Caribbean

* Cinderella's Coach from Cinderella

If you wish to purchase a disc:

1) Email friendsofrustyquarters@gmail.com the Power Disc in which you would like to purchase.  Also indicate your mailing address (depending on the distance of the shipping extra shipping charges may apply).

2) A member of FORQ will confirm with you if the Power Disc is still available, and they will send you a PayPal link to allow you to complete the transaction.

3) Once FORQ has received confirmation from PayPal of your order, we will ship it to you!

With some potential cabinets we are looking at purchasing (but currently don't have the funds to do so), we certainly hope that this fundraiser will be a success!  Please spread the word of this fundraiser, especially to those who are enjoying Disney Infinity!!!

Mr. Do Update: Better Luck Next Time :(

Well, in a little over 24 hours after we made the push to try to get Mr. Do back into Rusty Quarters, it looks as though it has been bought.  Sadly, not by us.  We'll keep an eye out for another Mr. Do cabinet, and hopefully it will be more local and therefore easier to pick up and bring to the arcade.

There is actually another cabinet that is available in the Twin Cities (and for an INCREDIBLY cheap price) that may be a game to consider getting.  The game is Rush 'N' Attack, a Konami classic that was very big on the NES when the system launched in the mid 80's and has a great Cold War vibe.

While the game is not on the Top 5 List of games to get, it's still a pretty great game, especially for the price the seller is looking for ($100!).  As it has been mentioned before, however, the FORQ funds are tapped at the moment due to the purchase of Street Fighter II.

We have had a friendly dialogue going with the seller, and while we encourage the seller to make sure he can be successful in finding a buyer, we are on his short list, if we're able to raise the funds.

If you're able to donate, please do so by clicking here to access the PayPal link.  The more classic cabinets we can get into Rusty Quarters, the better!

Can we get Mr. Do to come back home to RQ?!?!?

Could this cabinet be coming to RQ?

We are in talks with possibly getting a Mr. Do cabinet (one of the five games we had on our missing gems list)!  There are two major hurdles that we are trying to clear:

(1) The cabinet is in Manitowc, WI, so we will need to figure out how to get the cabinet from the Cheese State to the Twin Cities.

(2) The seller is asking for $225, and after the recent purchase of Street Fighter II: Championship Edition, the FORQ account is currently tapped out.

We are trying to figure out how to transport the game from Point A to Point B, but the shipping aspect is a non-issue if we're not able to raise the funds to purchase the cabinet.

That's where we need your help!  We are going to to an emergency fundraising drive, with $225 as our goal to hit (although we may need a little more too depending on gas reimbursement for whoever would be picking up the game).  If you are able to donate, please CLICK HERE to go to the page that will take you to the Friends of Rusty Quarters PayPal account, and then make sure to tell your friends and family about this and have them support the efforts as well!

Let's make this dream of getting Mr. Do back at Rusty Quarters a reality!  Thank you in advance!!!

FORQ Brings Street Fighter II: Championship Edition to Rusty Quarters!!!!

Today was an incredibly exciting day for the Friends of Rusty Quarters.  FORQ made its first purchase and was able to pick up the most demanded game that Rusty Quarters did not yet have: Street Fighter II: Championship Edition!!!

Thanks to everyone who had donated to recent FORQ fundraising efforts, we were able to purchase the game and bring it to Rusty Quarters.  Before the business day was over, Sage was able to get all the hardware squared away and it has already seen it's fair share of action!

A huge thank you to Paul in St. Michael, MN, for being such an incredible guy and selling his SFII cabinet to FORQ.  Paul told me how much fun he and his friends have had with this cabinet over the years, and he is very thankful that his cabinet will be enjoyed by gamers young and old for years to come!

If you wish to donate to the Friends of Rusty Quarters so that we may continue to bring more gaming classics to everyone's favorite Twin Cities classic arcade, please do so by clicking here.