The Joy of Sticks

Video games go retro at Lyons Classic Video.

A A A Comments By Michael Roberts Thursday, Jan 7 2010

Dale Katechis, owner of Oskar Blues, gave up his office to provide a home for Lyons Classic Video in the lower level of his restaurant — but it was worth the sacrifice to save a life. Kevin Carroll, owner of Lyons Classic Pinball (located next to Oskar Blues), "has this illness," Katechis explains. "He purchases games as a hobby, and he can't stop. After he basically overran his house with games, he came to me and said, 'You've got to give me a place to put them or my wife will kill me.'"

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Luckily for Carroll, Katechis agreed to serve as curator of this living video-game museum. Favorites such as Ms. Pac Man and Asteroids are among the more than twenty games in the space, but Katechis is most excited by such rarities as Tron, based on the '80s-era Disney movie. "There's Missile Command, Paperboy, Galaga, Gorf," he notes. "You never see those anymore." As a bonus, the cost of the games is the same as it was back in the day: a quarter. And although Katechis would love it if everyone bought dinner and a brew before grabbing joysticks, players are only required to follow Oskar Blues' simple motto: "Be nice or leave." Otherwise, it's game over.

Lyons Classic Video shares its address — 303 Main Street in Lyons — with Oskar Blues, and is open during the eatery's regular hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday through Saturday. Call 303-823-6685 or visit www.oskarblues.com for more info.
Starts: Aug. 13. Daily, 2006

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