Stern Pinball will debut its new Ford Mustang themed pinball at this week's Chicago Auto Show. The Windy City-based flipper factory will offer a premium game featuring Mustang Boss 302, Boss 351 and Boss 429, plus a limited-edition game honoring the 1965 original and all-new 2015 Mustang. As part of the festivities, champion pinball player Zach Sharpe will challenge auto journalists to beat his high score on the new machines.

The Mustang-inspired games combine two prime examples of 20th century American pop culture -- the coin-operated pinball machine and the original pony car.  

"For five decades, Mustang has represented some of the best of American culture, inspiring a feeling of freedom and independence for people around the world," said Steve Ling, Ford car marketing manager. "We're excited to have Stern Pinball join us here in its hometown of Chicago with its brand-new games featuring Mustang."

The pro-level machines, designed for arcades and other public spaces, feature Mustangs from the past five decades. The more feature-rich premium edition focuses on Mustang Boss 302, Boss 351 and Boss 429 of 1969 to 1971 and 2012 to 2013.

A special limited-edition model signed by the game designer features the 1965 original and the all-new 2015 Mustang. Both premium and limited-edition games feature genuine chrome Mustang badges on the speaker grilles.

"The first car I ever bought was a 1970 Mustang Sportroof with a 302, and I'm currently restoring a 1969 Mach 1," said George Gomez, EVP for game design at Stern Pinball. "In designing these new games, we wanted to celebrate the freedom and fun of driving Mustang."

The games incorporate a mix of classic pinball play features and modern technology to let players go racing with some of the greatest Mustangs of all time, and even build up a dream collection as they progress.

Different interactive sections of the playfield and sequences of shots let players go drag racing, rallying, drifting and road racing in pursuit of a high score. For example, hitting specific targets with the ball enables gear shifting, and subsequent hits activate going up or down through the gears. The games feature video displays in the backboard and real Mustang sounds, giving players the visceral experience of driving Mustang.

"The beauty of pinball is that there is no set outcome, and it can't be programmed like a video game," said Gary Stern, founder of Stern Pinball. "That makes pinball a perfect match for Mustang, taking drivers anywhere they want to go."

Click to see a video about the Stern Mustang pinball games http://youtu.be/xvSLTNrLyK0

The Bowling Proprietors' Association of America (BPAA) reports that Doug Lipp, former head of Disney University's training team, will kick off the educational programming at this year's Bowl Expo with a Thought Leader Session on June 23. This year's show will take place at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando, Fla., June 22-26, 2014.  

Lipp is the author of Disney U: How Disney University Develops the World's Most Engaged, Loyal and Customer-Centric Employees. As part of his keynote address, he will entertain attendees with intriguing never-before-told stories about how Walt Disney created "The Happiest Place on Earth," and share how Disney continues to capture the hearts and minds of thousands of employees around the world through an unwavering devotion to the core values established by Walt Disney himself.  Lipp will offer first-person insight into Disney's legendary employee development program which reinforces organizational values, culture and brand that can be applied to bowling centers.     

The session, sponsored by Brunswick, kicks off two days of educational seminars and workshops designed to help enhance the profitability of all bowling centers.