Important! Date Change - now November 14!

We originally announced this event for Nov. 7 but had to postpone it until the following Saturday, Nov. 14.

The headline says it all! The next SC3 event will take place on Saturday, November 14, 2026, from 4 p.m. to midnight, at our beloved Backyard location in Claremont. Get ready to swap stories, enjoy the warm glow of CRT monitors, and dive back into timeless games with fellow classic gaming fans. Send your RSVP today!

Can you believe it? This year will be the TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY of SC3's backyard parties! The group actually came into existence in the late 1990s, but it wasn't until 2006 that we hosted an event in Claremont with arcade machines for the very first time! We've been doing this for two decades now and our backs haven't given out completely yet!

After rain and unseasonably wet weather forced us to cancel last November's event, we've been itching to get back behind the joystick. The weather didn't cooperate last year, but we're back, refreshed, and ready to make up for lost time.

We're keeping things running smoothly on the refreshment front by continuing the meal ticket system we introduced previously. Your donation helps keep the lights on and the food paid for, and your meal ticket will cover your pizza and drinks so everyone gets their fill.

One piece of bad news: there is very likely NOT going to be a raffle at this event. We know you look forward to it, and we do too – but it looks like it's not in the cards this year.

– The SC3 Team

There's an old saying that it never rains in Southern California except when you don't want it to. Unseasonably wet weather already caused us to delay the November event by a week, but the storms soaking SoCal just aren't letting up. If we delayed further we'd be pushing into Thanksgiving and the holiday season, which wouldn't work. So, with regrest, we've decided to CANCEL the November 2025 SC3 event. We wish it wasn't necessary.

With our November plans zapped, we'll have to reconsider scheduling for the next event. There's nothing to announce yet, but we'll update this site and our Facebook page as soon as we know anything. Thanks for your understanding.

Stay dry and keep gaming!

– The SC3 Team

The November 9 SC3 event – only our second backyard party since the end of the COVID pandemic – was where everything came roaring back! Attendance at our prior two events was lower than typical, which was not surprising given one was right after COVID and the other was at a different venue. But this backyard bash was a different story, with about 200 people showing up – probably because they'd gotten wind there was going to be a Virtual Boy there. Or could they have had some other reason? In any case, read all about in our Nov. 9, 2024 Event Recap!

Thanks so much to everyone who helped out, attended, and donated! You're how SC3 is able to continue! And speaking of continuing, the next SC3 event has yet to have a firm date, but we expect it to be sometime around April of 2025. This site and our Facebook page are the places to watch for announcements.

– The SC3 Team

The headline says it all! The next SC3 event will take place on Saturday, November 9, from 4 p.m. to midnight, at the famous "Backyard" location in Claremont. You know it; you love it. Come enjoy the pleasant hum of 40-year-old PC monitors and timeless games! Send your RSVP today!

At this event, we are excited to announce the return of the SC3 raffle! We know you all look forward to it, and we've got a volunteer who's going to make it happen. The raffle has nearly always been handled by outside volunteers – it's amazing how many of them have come through. We're thankful to each and every one.

Now we must share one not-so-great piece of news... as anybody who has gone to a grocery store or fast-food drive-thru recently already knows, food prices are high and seem to be getting higher. Pizzas cost 150% more now than just a couple years ago. We rely on your $10 donations to keep the lights on and the food hot, and we don't want to ask you for any more. So this time there will be a meal-ticket system in place. Your meal-ticket will grant you two slices of pizza and a drink. Yeah, we don't like it either, but costs are just too high now.

Still with us? Then be sure to submit your RSVP! We look forward to seeing you November 9. In the meantime, watch this site and our Facebook page for future announcements.

– The SC3 Team

After being unable to hold the Fall 2024 SC3 event due to unfortunate circumstances, we were happy to make it back on the proverbial horse and get back behind the literal joystick by returning to Y2Kade – the incredible private arcade in Cerritos. About 100 attendees arrived for the games, the socializing, and the fun. And more than a few were there for a Smash Bros. tournament. Read all about it in our April 20, 2024 event recap.

We plan to host the next SC3 event at the Claremont "Backyard" location in November, just as 2023's would have been had things worked out. Hopefully nothing will interfere with our plans this time, but as always, vigilantly monitor this site and our Facebook page for future announcements.

– The SC3 Team