The Raise a Tiki At Tiki Gardens Thread

Joe Wood of Tiki chachacha Time Radio is going to give us a mention on his (web?) radio broadcast on Monday.
TG
http://www.exotic-tiki-gardens.com

i saw APE was in for 20clams....

BoneProducutions/Tikimania is in for at least 20coconuts!

On 2002-11-08 19:56, crazy al wrote:
i saw APE was in for 20clams....

BoneProducutions/Tikimania is in for at least 20coconuts!

Tres cool!

Thanks!
TG
http://www.exotic-tiki-gardens.com

ah-man~ Otto wrote-
maybe there could be a "business" pledge at a higher level? Heck, I'll go $40

i'm in for another 20!

AS A CARVER/ARTIST TYPE... a vote for a recreation of origial TikiGardens' past!!!!!
AS THE REIGNING EASTCOAST BIG KAHUNA WITH THE MOST MANA...
Wayne is our man!! AND DESERVES THE GIG!
Go Wayne GO!!

put me down for 40.00

Hanford

On 2002-11-09 00:16, hanford_lemoore wrote:
put me down for 40.00

Hanford

Thanks, If my posts drop off, it's because my 5 year old computer is on it's last legs. I think it will make it, but I might only be able to post from work.
TG
http://www.exotic-tiki-gardens.com

Hi, this is chris y from tikigardens.com.

I contacted tikigardener early last week just after the tribune article came out, and told him a memorial was a good idea, that we had also been considering one (albeit not real seriously) for some time, and maybe the article could provide the catalyst to actually get this done. (I also told him I was sorry he thought the quote about doing it himself came out sounding like a dig, I didn't mean it that way, but that's a different story). I suggested we join forces to that end, but haven't heard back from him yet or seen any posts on the subject, so I thought I'd throw out my ideas here on tikicentral.
First, the original Tiki Gardens tikis were designed and built by Gordon Keith. Gordon is now retired, and his son runs his business. The Keiths were longtime friends of the Byars, staying with them when they came to Florida, vacationing together in North Carolina, and then visiting them there when they retired to the mountains. We had been in contact with his son for the past year, I called him on Wednesday and asked if he'd be interested in coming on board for this, he said hold on a second, and the next thing I hear is, 'Hi, this is Gordon Keith'. I told him what we were trying to do, he thought about it for a second, and said, 'I'll do it'. He has offered to design and build an exact replica of the tiki god of our choice(lono or kahuna, to be determined), have it shipped down, and then fly in for the dedication ceremony to boot. The man himself is a god; he regaled me with stories like how when Frank asked if he could convert a two car garage into an oriental shop, he drew out the plans for the Signal House (including the oval doorway) on the back of a grocery bag (maybe that's the origin of the 'jo drawing up plans for TG on the back of a piece of butcher paper' legend!) Or how he looked out the back door of the signal house one day and saw a bathtub (?) with plants in it and said to Frank, why don't you put some gardens in back here? Or when he told Frank to buy himself a panama hat and call himself Trader Frank. Anyways, my point is this is a coup of historic proportions to have the man who designed and built the original tikis offer to come out of retirement and build one last statue in memory of TG and his close friends the Byars (can you imagine the media interest in that angle?) I know Wayne has been contacted about the project, but he's an artist (and a heck of a nice guy as well if you haven't met him), I don't think he'd be offended in the slghtest if we told him the original artist wanted to be involved in the project. I also told tikigardener I have the cash flow to fund this project upfront, so that while pledges and fundraisers are great, the permitting process is going to take long enough on its own, we need to hire Gordon Keith and get him working on this project- NOW. And while we're on the subject, $2500 is a good starting point, but that does not include shipping, materials and labor to erect the statue, a plaque designed, printed and mounted, a lobbyist if we have to go before the commissioners, permits and all those incidentals that always pop up. Aah, yes- the permitting process...
Tiki Gardens is a county park; while the Indian Shores mayor might be all for a memorial, unless it is located off the park property, he pretty much has no authority to sign off on it. We met with the county yesterday; if anyone has ever dealt with government bidding or purchasing, it's going to be just that arduous. You must present technical plans including dimensions, materials types and characteristics, architectural renderings, schematics, mounting plans, first, second and third location choices, dates, contractors' names, addresses, and previous projects, plaque verbage, materials and dimensions, and I think you get the picture. After that, the parks director can either approve the project or kick it up to the parks board, who can- you guessed it- either approve it or kick it up to the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners. Whoever ends up approving it, a presentation is probably going to have to be made by the group or a representative of the group (if it has to go before the county commissioners, we may well have to hire a lobbyist). So while this project is absolutely doable, there is a considerable amount of work and paperwork to be done.
We've started the paperwork, including the initial filings with the county, Greg Keith will have all technical drawings to me some time next week, so we could have a formal submission ready to go by end of next week. (the official from the county did say the fact that the man who designed the original tikis is offering to design this one was a big plus in our favor). Of course, this is all completely contingent on everybody who's posted here or pledged here or even just expressed interest in the project coming to a consensus. This idea has been languishing for a couple years, it would be nice to take matters into our own hands and get this started as soon as possible. Anyways, what I thought I could bring to the table was having the statue built by the man who without question should be our first choice to build it, and the ability to get the ball rolling financially. Thanks for your time, chris y [email protected]

Absolutely fookin' brilliant! Having the original artist involved is a fantastic break and yet another media angle for both before and after the project actually comes to be. You can totally count me in for whatever way I can help down here "on the scene." I'm 30 minutes away from the site and 10 minutes from the County Commision chambers.

BTW, here's the official Pinellas govn't site, if you're interested in that kind of thing:
http://www.co.pinellas.fl.us/

Count me in for $20. As far as who does what, I'm totally willing to follow TikiGardener's lead -- if it weren't for him, I frankly wouldn't have given a damn about Tiki Gardens, and he clearly has a true passion for all of this.

Thanks, TikiGardener, for putting so much effort into keeping the memories alive!

[ Edited by: TIKIGARDENER on 2002-11-10 11:39 ]

The idea for a memorial was completely tikigardeners; at the time I emailed him last week asking if he wanted to go in together I hadn't thought of using Gordon Keith because his son told us last year he was long retired. I had called just to see if original plans were available.
It would basically suck if politics or personality clashes got in the way of putting up a monument to tg. That is the end result, right? I lucked into Gordon Keith and offered to shoulder a large portion of expenses to get this going, it seemed that's what I could do to help the effort. I'm sorry if the way I did it offended anyone. cy

Nobody knows, better than I, how hard TikiGardner has worked on this site. It is truly HIS. It is amazing how many people come up with ideas after one person starts collecting for it. Hats off to you for not trying to make any money on the deal. YOU should be doing this by yourself, after all the time you have put into it. You have known for quite some time who would be constructing this tiki. I have lived in the area for over thirty years and know a little bit about it. Yes, this IS county property, but the Mayor is influential too. I will make this short and sweet, but you get my point. From one tiki lover to another.

[ Edited by: swizzledd on 2002-11-09 15:31 ]

Wow Who Knew????... Great Sat. morning fun and excitement!!

not to take sides... now that we have the Original Artist on board... Let work out the BS and do some thing cool when the smoke clears...

On 2002-11-09 15:49, crazy al wrote:
Wow Who Knew????... Great Sat. morning fun and excitement!!

not to take sides... now that we have the Original Artist on board... Let work out the BS and do some thing cool when the smoke clears...

Indeed.

Sorry folks, I'm a little slow, saw dust and all. I'm in for $20.00 .

I'm glad to see another pledge.

Shall the rallying cry be less BS more Tiki?
Whoever does whatever, just do it.

Honor your pledges, file your papers, and think of Kahona radiant in the Sun.

Tg
http://www.exotic-tiki-gardens.com

It appears that Chris Y has a good deal of money invested in his ideas, and he has the benefit of location, and feels that he is in contact with the right channles, so I'm of the mind to say that he should run with it.

I'll still cheerlead, but I think this has reach the point where Chris is in the position to get it done.

If he needs the pledges we've gotten so far, well I'm honoring mine.

I've enjoyed my time with the idea, and I've enjoyed the response it has generated. But its moved to a new stage, and I'm in the wrong place to see it to fruition.

Keep up the support, email the authorities if you feel thats the thing to do, and keep having a good time with this.

Let the tiki raising continue
TG

I think it's a great idea to have the original man sculpt the tikis - I think everyone should be commended for the pledges of cash & willingness to make this happen!

Obviously, TikiGardener & Cy are the two biggest cheerleaders (and both of you have great sites) - I think this could be something really special!

Tiki Gardener - I got the impression from your last post that you were turning this all over to Chris... I feel that both of you are in a unique position to work together on this - hopefully neither one of you will feel that you have to turn it all over to one person! In fact - hell, I'd like to see the two of you combine forces to make one incredible Tiki Gardens site!

Now let's all hold hands & sing "Kum Ba Ya"!

Seriously though - Tiki Gardener & Cy should both be commended for all the work done to preserve the memory of this place. I know if it wasn't for both of them, I certainly wouldn't have the interest I have had.

Whatever you guys decide to do - still count me in for support & my original contribution....

I can't wait to see Kahona in all his glory!

[ Edited by: chris y on 2003-01-15 18:54 ]

As long as TikiGardener remains cool with the plans to raise a tiki, so am I. If he's not, then I'm not.
Going forward, I think the spirit of sharing and communication represented by this forum obligates Chris to consult with Tiki Gardner in advance and in good faith on all further plans and activities.
What I'm saying is:
Welcome on board Chris. Sounds like you have some good ideas that we'd like to hear about before you act on them, and assuming you and TikiGardener can work cooperativley and graciously together, I'll gladly send my check to TikiGardener.

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2002-11-10 15:19 ]

On 2002-11-10 15:09, chris y wrote:
Tangaroa, are you happy now, you level headed, kumbaya humming idiot?

I'm always happy! :)

Seriously - I am very excited to see this come to fruition....Can't wait to see how Kahona turns out....

I am late to the party. I didn't realize all this intrigue had arisen. Kahona is the best tiki ever and I would love to see him rise again. I pledge my twenty if you're still accepting them. Sorry it took so long for me to get up to speed, Scott!

[ Edited by: floratina on 2002-11-10 19:29 ]

I also want to add Scott should get the props for this effort and all his work to celebrate the memory of Tiki Gardens and the Byars. He has been THE Main Man. Chris, I am glad to see that you are willing to extend a hand in partnership toward this effort. It appears that you are, at least by virtue of proximity, bureaucratic experience and desire, in a good position to help bring this effort to fruition.
In my observation, you have been a step behind Scott all the way and have appeared to me to be rather pugnacious in your attitude and actions. Many of us here at Tiki Central are aware of the various machinations behind the scenes over the last couple of years. I hope the spirit of cooperation you have seemed to have struck with this effort is genuine.

[ Edited by: floratina on 2002-11-10 23:56 ]

okay okay, hurt feelings and understandably bruised egos aside, I think it's cool that we can all be grownups and cheer both chris and tikigardener on -- come on guys, shake hands and let's do this! hell, I'll pledge an extra hundred bucks RIGHT NOW if you guys will agree to work together on this -- pretty please???

Ron O.

Floratina...”In my observation, you have been a step behind Scott all the way and have appeared to me to be rather pugnacious in your attitude and actions.”

RonOliver...”hurt feelings and understandably bruised egos aside,

ChrisY...”Is he feeling sorry for himself? Of course. Does he have a right to? I didn't help matters, but yes, I guess he does. But I also don't plan on letting him get away with that crap,”

C’AL... Chris, Don’t be a Dick.
No one wants to do anything with anybody who has to have the last word.

And yes... “it takes one to know one“, but what’s more Tiki then being a Dick?

Upward and Onward says the Phallus...

Good luck with the project.......

When I started the Memorial two years ago, I did it because viewing that flyer in The Book of Tiki brought back fragments of memories. And fragments of the joy and wonder the six year old I was at the time.

I wanted to share that joy and those memories. I looked on the web, and there was nothing but the images of a post card folder
on the imaginary worlds website.

This was criminal to me. When Jim Tunstall asked me why I did it, why a website on Tiki Gardens, my reply was " to paraphase Edmond Hilary, 'because it WASN'T there' ".

My motivation for the whole tiki memorial, has been the same thing. But more importantly I wanted a tiki back there to thank the Byars. And I knew as I found out more about Tiki Gardens, that others would also.

This debate about my feelings being hurt, or bruised egos, misses the point entirely. My feelings are fine. My ego has never been large enough to bruise. Ask anyone who knows me. I may be opinionated, but thats just my world view, and my confidence in my world view because it has served me quite well.

Now, do I want to see a Tiki raised over the barren lot that is Tiki Gardens Beach Access?
Yes. But my vision all along has been one of a memorial to the Byars, not to me, not to my website, not to my efforts. Just a memorial to the Byars. If a plaque with the individual names of those who have supported the idea of raising a tiki to once again gaze out onto the Gulf Of Mexico can be afforded, great. It's always nice to be able to say; "see I helped with this". I've got no problem with that. I think a dedication to the Byars, along with a Cliffs Noted version of the History of Tiki Gardens would be the best, and if there is room, and funds for it, a list of persons who helped see this idea come to pass.

If money is to tight, then after the history it should read along the lines of From the Friends of Tiki Gardens.

If the Memorial is just going to be a billboard, thats not what I started this effort for. It's as disturbing an idea as bulldozers toppling the original tikis.

Chris has offered up some concern that Kahona might be maintenance intensive, given that leaves, etc gathered in the originals mouth. I personally favor Kahona despite this for one simple selfish reason. Kahona is THE tiki that stuck in my mind all these years. The other memory is that damned bridge seemingly ready to sink into the laggon, and lets face it, a bamboo bridge memorial just aint the same.

So maybe Kahona could be designed with a mouth that doesn't directly just drop everything directly into his tubular innards.
Something that allows the maintanence people to just walk up and hose him out.

My indignation came from the simple fact that
I wasn't allowed to try and see if I could bring this idea to fruition. If I have the Mayor of Indian Shores going down to take photos, whether I'm " barking up the wrong tree ", let me bark. At the very least, it doen't hurt to have him on our side. To find out that intitial papers were filed, well I leave it to anyone to figure out why that pissed me off.

So, if it's for a true memorial, if it's to get just one 6 year old to have that vision of Kahona stuck in their head for 37 years, I'm in.

If it's a billboard. I'm out.
TG
http://www.exotic-tiki-gardens.com

Post Script-- If I'm out, I won't say another word on the subject, as it won't be my project to complain about. But I will still send updates about the website, Christmas at Tiki Gardens coming soon.

[ Edited by: TikiGardener on 2002-11-12 19:33 ]

Okay, so what I'm reading is let's move forward with Scott's vision and some essential help and on-site direction from Chris. Also, I hope someone has contacted Wayne and explained all of this to him. Maybe Chris could contact him and explain what happened because I would really like to have him come to the dedication whenever that is (and because he and his wife are great people). Lastly, I want to remark that I just got my Tiki Gardens cocktail menu, reciepe book and bumper sticker from Chris -- which I ordered before the hassle over the memorial started --and they are wonderful.
It just makes too much sense for both of these dedicated individuals to work together on the memorial project. Up my pledge to $50.
KG

My $20 (at least) will happily go to a large memorial Tiki designed by the original artist. Can't imagine a better thing...

Great work, everybody.

On 2002-11-10 23:12, Ron Oliver wrote:
okay okay, hurt feelings and understandably bruised egos aside, I think it's cool that we can all be grownups and cheer both chris and tikigardener on -- come on guys, shake hands and let's do this! hell, I'll pledge an extra hundred bucks RIGHT NOW if you guys will agree to work together on this -- pretty please???

Ron O.

As it stands now, yer in for that extra Hunnert dollahs.
TG

Being a long-time Tiki Gardens enthusiast, a resident of Florida, and a guy who knows both Chris and Scott, here are my thoughts:

1. The people on this board are quick to make a drama out of anything- this memorial is way too important for that and all opinions on who-gets-to-do-what or who gets credit should be immediately dismissed. The important thing is getting a TIKI GARDENS TIKI ERECTED. The end is all that counts, the means are purely secondary.

2. The Tiki should be as ORIGINAL as possible. Scott is the one who started the idea of a memorial, and Chris is the one who produced an ORIGINAL Tiki Gardens Tiki Artist, so I feel that is even-steven and all arguments should stop there and the effort should be one of community from this point on. My vote without question goes towards having the original artist make the memorial tiki. Funds should not be an issue, as I know that there are parties on the sidelines willing to finance whatever needs to be done, so expenses involved should not affect using the proper tiki-source.

3. I feel the tiki should be LONO, not Kahona, as LONO was the Tiki Gardens signature/logo tiki used on their swizzles, mugs, LP's, etc. It is also a very cool tiki, and I suspect one of the first to go up on site- maybe someone else can confirm this. LONO was a completely unique Tiki design that originally set Tiki Gardens apart for me in a sea of tiki-fossils. Heck, he has also made an appearance in Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer for the PS2.

See LONO here:

http://user.gru.net/cateye/Lono.htm

We are on the threshold of getting a wonderful TIKI LANDMARK on the map. Let's do it right and not blow it. Everyone's input will be necessary to do the job right. Both Scott and Chris have done a great service to the memory of Tiki Gardens and I feel that goes without saying- what matters is that we get it done.. Chris being a Florida local has the ability to get the gears turning with the government- Scott has proven his ability to raise funds and drum up alot of interest- all of it will add up to a great memorial- done RIGHT this will be a TIKI FIRST! Very exciting..

Well said Fatuhiva!

My posts are going to be slightly less frequent, my old tower is dying a slow death, and I have to spend some time transferring over 500 image and http files related to tiki gardens, before I lose them.

Updates to the Memorial willbe going the same route as I need to get a web editor for the new tower that replaces old yeller.
TG
http://www.exotic-tiki-gardens.com

A quick note from work,

After discussiion w/ Chris, he's going to see about setting up an escrow account. I would do it, but given his proximity to the area, I think its better if he does it.

Plans have been submitted, although the beauracratic finessing has begun, with some odd bits being thrown up by the county. But thats their job.

So people, we're getting close to the commitng of money. Once the account is up, and the path looks a little clearer, it'll be time.

There may be a mixing of talents on the project, I'll post more soon.

Lets just say if we get what was submitted, its gonna be big!

TG
http://www.exotic-tiki-gardens.com

sweet work guys!

This is really gonna be great! TikiGardener - let us know when you need our money we pledged!

Howdy,

I'm new here. Definately put me down for a $20 contribution!

I would like to pledge $28 (the cost of a volcano bowl at waikiki wally's in NYC). All that crazy drinking isn't good with my medications anyhow! :)
My money wants to move south to Florida for the winter.
Manic NYCat

[ Edited by: manic cat on 2002-12-12 11:38 ]

How are things progressing with this noble effort??
Any updates??

I've been swamped with non-tiki work so I haven't bothered to ask Cy for the latest news. He doesn't read tikiroom forums with any regularity, so I'll email him tonight and ask that he post the latest news here. I think he's pretty busy too, so in case he doesn't reply soon, here's some dated, but relatively recent, information.
A month or so ago, Gordon Keith, maker of the original Tikis at Tiki Gardens, submitted to Cy a sketch of the proposed memorial. It looked great, but more details were needed (it was an illustration, not a formal blueprint). I don't know if GK followed with a formal drawing or whether Cy got the details over the phone. Either way, the original idea was for a relatively large, landscaped, memorial that might cost tens of thousands of dollars to install. Obviously we don't have that kind of cash, so GK is going to scale it back somewhat.
The last I heard, Cy was about to open an escrow account to pay for the construction.
What follows is not related to the memorial, but Tiki Gardens fans might be interested to know that the giftshop at TikiGardens.com now has a secure shopping cart. Check it out.

[email protected]
http://www.tikigardens.com

On 2002-12-29 17:24, Tiki Bree wrote:
How are things progressing with this noble effort??
Any updates??

[ Edited by: traderfranks on 2002-12-29 19:51 ]

Why dont you just get one of those Easter Island guys to plop down in the middle of the place,they got a lot of them so you should be able to get a good deal.

Everyone who has pledged, contact Chris Y, The bank account is open.

TG

Hi, this is chris y from tikigardens.com. tikigardener and I are making some pretty good progress on getting a tiki up, we've got a presentation to the county next month, and we think we've done our homework and are ready for any questions, arguments or concerns they may have. I'll leave the details to scot, but if I were a betting man, I'd say this is going to happen; good job, tikigardener.

Hi everyone -
Cy has been keeping me updated on the progress on the memorial - it's really going to happen! I sent my check in last week - so if you pledged earlier on - now's the time! Contact Cy for more details on the Tiki Gardens Memorial Trust Fund...

This project is really looking up, so if you pledged cash to this before NOW is the time to honor your commitment by getting out the check book and giving something back to tiki.
Like I said awhile back, if we all put up the cost of a normal e-bay purchase we'll have some serious resources to work with.
Personally, I'd like to challenge everyone that posts regularly to Tiki Central to get themselves listed on the role of donors -- and it would be really nice if you lurkers would come forward with a quiet contribution too.
You can hit the email button under Chris' post to reach him, or contact him at this address: [email protected]
Tiki Gardens Forever!

Could you set up a paypal account to make funds transfer easier?

-martin

[ Edited by: martiki6 on 2003-01-16 09:53 ]

On 2003-01-16 09:52, martiki6 wrote:
Could you set up a paypal account to make funds transfer easier?

Otto should be posting today with more info regarding PayPal & payment options... He & Cy are working something out regarding this - stay tuned!

Help build a memorial at Tiki Gardens!

OK folks, it is now time to call in the pledges.

A few weeks back Tiki Gardner and I launched a pledge drive for donations to build a statue at the site of Tiki Gardens. Much discussion has ensued. I am not sure we have a consensus on what the statue should be but I know we are going to move forward and we need the money that was pledged.
Chris (aka [email protected]) has set up a bank account and I have agreed to oversee it.

I will monitor the account weekly and post to TC a list of Centralites who have fulfilled their pledges

All pledges will be deposited directly into the account and all outgoing checks must have my signature as well as cy's. Wayne Coombs has been contracted to build the memorial from a design submitted by Gordon Keith, the original builder, so you all know that we are starting off with a team of honest folks who are deeply interested in making this happen.

Tomorrow I will post the info on how/where to send checks after cy double checks the procedure.

In the meantime if you prefer to use Paypal you can add funds to my account and I will transfer them to the SunTrust Bank account as we go.
My Paypal account name is

[email protected]

Please direct any questions to the discussion board of TC rather than to me personally, I promise I will read it more often than I have been.

thanks
Otto von Stroheim
Tiki News

Just want to let everyone know that the preferred method of submitting a donation to the Tiki Gardens memorial fund is sending a check via snail mail. When we use Paypal we get hit with a small fee that could really add up in the end. So if you have a checking account and a stamp please do the following:

Checks should be made out to the Tiki Gardens Memorial Fund, and must be endorsed (write this on the BACK of the check):

Tiki Gardens Memorial fund, deposit only

mail the check to:

tiki gardens memorial fund
c/o Suntrust bank
PO Box 628096
Orlando, FL
32897 - 1553

How much is the fee? Perhaps those who wish to use Paypal could increase their donation by the amount of the fee.