Rob Berk is the owner of Girard’s Past Times Arcade. He was presented with a plaque from Guinness World Records on Saturday signifying he owns the most pinball machines in the world. When the record was confirmed in February, Berk had 1,041 machines. He said that number has since grown.
The plaque was given to Berk as a surprise from his family who spent the past two years working to get the record confirmed.
“I can’t hardly believe this. This is a great honor,” said Berk. “And to have my family here and everybody else is great. So thank you very much.”
But did Berk know he was even close to a world record?
“Well I knew I had a lot of them,” he said. “Like I said, this was a passion that got out of control but this is fantastic.”
Berk was also celebrating the first anniversary of Past Times Arcade in Girard. As part of the celebration, pinball legend Roger Sharpe was on hand who in the mid-1970s, led the effort to legalize pinball in New York City and is known as the man who saved pinball.
Berk, who also owns a business in Warren, lives in Howland.
