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Tiki Central / Locating Tiki / Tropics Lounge, Wichita, KS (bar)

Post #120734 by tikijackalope on Thu, Oct 21, 2004 12:25 AM

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(Pictures were restored Jan 11, 2011; originally they were on Shutterfly.)

Once in awhile its good to be wrong. I had first reported the Tropics Lounge in a thread about places that seemed like they should be tiki, but aren't. A less rushed examination (with, I think, fewer beer standees and banners distracting from the older decor) reveals enough tikiness to include it here.
I spent part of an afternoon there recently and found it to be a friendly place with the atmosphere of a much-beloved neighborhood bar. There's no exotica on the jukebox, but, hey, this is the closest thing we've got to a tiki bar for literally hundreds of miles around. Its 1957 vintage appeals to me:

I can't readily identify the material of this head in the corner; it is thin and a small chipped area suggests it is some sort of paper mache or styrofoam:

The bar:

This Witco-like tiki resides behind the bar; part of it's right side looks like it's been burned more than in the normal finishing process. I am told its a recent addition, donated by customers. Would anyone know who made it?:

The fireplace has a piece of artwork above and styrofoam tikis flanking it:

This is paint on black paper artwork. It is dated 1958 and signed "Kirkhart"; I am told it was done by a friend of the owner and depicts the bar, although it's not quite accurate to its present layout. The name on the drum is "Bob Smith." There are no tikis in the picture but there is a shrunken head depicted on a wall by the bar. I imagine this may have been quite a hopping place back when Broadway (Hwy 81) was more traveled before interstate 135 came through Wichita:

The styrofoam tiki on the mantle - I'd never seen a styrofoam tiki before. It looks like some sort of beer or liquor display item. Input, anyone?:

Close-up of one of two styrofoam masks. Would anyone know where these came from and how old they are?:

A few tropical/African/tiki objects reside over the door to the back room:

A mask similar to the comedy/drama type and a few other objects:

A few Orchids of Hawaii tiki mugs vie with beer banners for attention in this area:

The bartender told me the place has never served mixed drinks - beer and pop only. But, they do serve it in these goblets, which they tell me they are buying new from a distributer. I didn't know these were still made. The bar also serves sandwiches in the five-dollar range, which I tried and found to be pretty good, as well a good value for my money:

(note added Jan 11, 2011: Since this was first posted these glasses have disappeared. A few years ago, a manager of the bar told me that a previous manager sold all of them to "a guy who saw them on the internet." I cringe that whoever it was may have seen them in this post.)

Two of my favorite elements are tiki and trains. The Tropics is across the street from the Burlington Northern - Santa fe yards. Here, a North-bound train speeds by. The next time a steam excursion goes through, I may have to photograph it here:

(Note added Jan 11, 2011: six years later and no steam excursion past this point. I have photographed steam engines in Wichita but all have used UP track a couple miles from here.)

[ Edited by: tikijackalope on 2004-11-03 04:46 ]

[ Edited by: tikijackalope 2011-01-11 21:48 ]

[ Edited by: tikijackalope 2011-01-11 21:54 ]