New Route 1 Pinball League Finishing Season at Brentwood’s miXt Food Hall

A Route 1 pinball league is preparing to crown its summer champion.

Since last fall, a group of pinball enthusiasts has been gathering from 7:30 to 9 p.m. each Wednesday at miXt Food Hall in Brentwood.

The weekly winner receives a $25 gift card to miXt. At the end of each eight-week season, there is a tournament where the overall winner earns $100 cash.

While competitive pinball can be pretty serious — there’s even an international association that hosts tournaments — the Route 1 league feels more like your neighborhood bowling league.

After the beloved pinball arcade at Mom’s Organic Grocery in College Park closed last year, miXt picked up the slack. It now has eight pinball machines, including ones styled after “The Mandalorian” TV show and “Guardians of the Galaxy” and a classic “Jaws” game.

All of the machines are the modern electronic type, which is a plus for young kids and inexperienced players, since they usually give bonus balls to players who aren’t doing as well. The cost is $1 per game.