Loowit to host pinball tournament for a good cause

What makes a good event name?

Catchiness. Directness. Humor. Loowit Brewing Company’s “Ball Save” on Saturday hits the trifecta. Its full name is actually “Ball Save: A Pinball Tournament for Men’s Health,” which covers the cause and what you’ll get to do at the event. Ball save is a pinball phrase but also parallels nicely with an event raising funds for the Movember Foundation, a charity that promotes the struggle against men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.

“It’s a pinball term, but it also seems applicable to Men’s Health Month,” Loowit co-owner Devon Bray said of “Ball Save.”

The pinball tournament will have 16 spots open, with a $10 entry fee that includes your first drink. It’s first come, first served and open to all ages and levels of skill.

“We just want it to be a fun, casual tournament,” Bray said. “It’s not a high-stakes event.”

If you don’t participate in the tournament, you can still donate to the Movember Foundation at Loowit, or buy their drink special Saturday, which will include a donation of $1 per pint to the Movember Foundation during the event hours — the specific beer hasn’t been selected yet, Bray said.

Loowit has four pinball machines and a regular set of pinballers who frequent them. Bray said the activity is gaining in popularity, so it dovetails nicely with a fundraiser. In Loowit’s seven years of business, they’ve held various other fundraisers.

Michael Perozzo of ZZeppelin and Kyle Shold of Freshwater Bay Creative donated time and resources to partner in throwing the event. Bray said the Loowit family has connections to men impacted by men’s health issues such as testicular cancer.

“It fits our mission,” Bray said. “We like to use the brewery as a vehicle for raising awareness and giving back.”