What exactly was tiki at Harvey's Lake Tahoe?

One of the glaring omissions in Critiki is Harvey's Lake Tahoe... I haven't put it in there yet because of the life of me, I haven't been able to figure out what precisely was tiki about the place. I see the Sneaky Tiki mug and the bucket mug all over the damned place, but no mention of them actually coming from a tiki establishment within the Casino... were these mugs just a bandwagon idea for a souvenir (a la the "Andersen's Pea Soup" tiki mug)? Or was there a Polynesian lounge in there at some point? If so, what was it called? The "Sneaky Tiki?" Or was that the name of a drink? Or was that just something slapped on the side of that mug for the heck of it? (The bucket mug just says "Harvey's Lake Tahoe" if I remember correctly.)

I see those two mugs all the damned time in antique malls... it seems bizarre to me that there should be so many of those mugs that made it out there, and yet so little information about their genesis. I've searched TC and I find plenty of discussion of the mugs, but none about the place they came from. I'm sure it's one of those things that about a hundred of you out there know all about and can kindly fill me in on. :)

From the vague information I have been told, the Sneaky Tiki was a tiki bar possibly on the top floor of Harvey's Lake Tahoe. It was around until maybe the mid-late 80's. I think. No matte4r what, there definately was a tiki bar at harveys and those mugs came from it.

Yup, top floor at Harvey's in South Shore.

Had windows on three sides, dark blue/nvy/black carpeting with kinda generic fronds and flowers woven in - standar casino level wool carpeting.

Had low lighting and a selection of tiki drinks.

Some Polynesian appetizers and dishes from time to time, but nothing I would describe as having established any certain tradition.

Standard round, wood tables, with seating for four around them. Maybe one or two "rattan twig" seats - by that I mean only one or two 'rings' of rattan, with single rattan backs.

Had a smokey DJ area and a small parquet dance floor.

No tiki music, per se.

Maybe ten or so different tiki drinks on the menu, but they all kinda ended up being the same - pineappla juice, grenadine, and rum.

No distinctive swizzle sticks or cherry sticks that I can recall.

On the main hotel level, I seem to recall one concrete semi-tiki announcing the presence of the lounge.

My parents went there a few times before I was born in the 70s. Growing up I used to drink milk from a Sneaky Tiki mug they got on a visit. In the few times that I've asked them about the place, they just said that it was at the top of Harvey's and that it was decorated Polynesian style with some tikis. I don't think they were really there to check out the decor at the time, and were probably inebriated before they even reached the top floor...

yep, there definitely was a tiki place at harvey's. it was at the tippy top of the place. to solve a little more of the mystery, im posting two menus from harvey's (as stolen from mike's site)

as you can sorta see in the menus, harvey's had four main mugs and bowl. the mugs were the bucket mug, the "sail with harvey's" hula girl mug, the sneaky tiki black w/orange paint mug, and the green sneaky tiki mug. the most uncommon vessel was the hula girl "sail with harvey's" bowl as seen here.

later on they got cheap and did a smaller hula girls bowl.

harvey's matchbook is hot pink with the sneaky tiki on it. it also had salt and pepper shakers in the likeness of the sneaky tiki. the swizzle was green and had the sneaky tiki perched on top. i have all of these but i am currently experiencing a big case of the lazys to go take pictures of them. i think some of these items can be found on mike's site.

anyone have a postcard of the place? :)

Ahh, Lake Tahoe my old stomping ground, where Lady Luck meets Mother Nature. The Restaurant on top of Harvey's was called the Top of the wheel. The Bar was the Sneaky Tiki. Judging from the number of Mugs it had to be one of the most successful Tiki places of all time.

Haveys Bucket, the Logo is a wagon wheel and cow skull, hence, the top of the wheel

1967 Nevada magazine

Add on back of Mag





Sail with Harvey's
Shelley says it closed about 1990, she had drinks there. Michelle, ask her about her "story", it's hot. The bar is now somewhat generic, but, very posh. The view is outstanding. the restaurant is a little nautical, not much, and pricey. For six years I searched in vain for those cool salt and peppers (Bot pg 180). There is not one thrift store in northern Nevada I have not searched with a fine tooth comb.
Mahalo,
Al

[ Edited by: Alnshely on 2005-01-12 19:17 ]

Top of the Wheel it was called. The "Sneaky Tiki" name was lifted from Tiki Bob's, of course. This is really a Bamboo Ben question, since granduncle Eli outfitted the place. From what I remember seeing in Ben's archive, it was quite elaborately decked out with Beachcomber and Tiki decor. According to Leroy Schmaltz, it closed/went bland? when the joint was firebombed by a disgruntled employee (with 151 Rum? :) )

These are merely distant echoes in my overloaded Tiki brain, but easily checked at the sources, Ben and O.A.

a Bamboo Ben question, since granduncle Eli outfitted the place.

"Granduncle?" Sven, you have lost your mind!

"GRANDFATHER!!!! ELI not ELY, Hedley!!!!"

Ha! Just messin wit you Sven-ster.

We blame the past on translation matters.

Sven is a bro!

I remember sitting on his 1 couch (or was it the floor) many moons ago with a few artists who have made it these days. Who would've known that night who the Art God was going to choose. We know. The few that were there. It all went down at Svens pad.

Harveys "Top of the Wheel" it was 'big time' back then.

Have some Tiki Mug Shelves (with history) coming up soon that will house the Harveys mugs just perfecly.

Net Tiki gets one and so do Al & Shelly.(I have not forgotton. Just a design issue) The rest will go here TC then to EBay.

After Harveys, there will be Trader Dicks/ Nugget, Steve Cranes Luau and a few more........Mug shelves that is.

Sven- Hefe Doupple Bock with a chaser of Underberg!! Score!!

Good god, I love you people.

On 2005-01-12 19:39, bigbrotiki wrote:
According to Leroy Schmaltz, it closed/went bland? when the joint was firebombed by a disgruntled employee (with 151 Rum? :) )

FIREBOMBED?!? oh my.

On 2005-01-13 10:17, cynfulcynner wrote:

On 2005-01-12 19:39, bigbrotiki wrote:
According to Leroy Schmaltz, it closed/went bland? when the joint was firebombed by a disgruntled employee (with 151 Rum? :) )

FIREBOMBED?!? oh my.

is 'firebomb' the name of a drink? if not, it should be.

The bomb was a regular old bomb - if there is such a thing - that was detonated on a lower floor.

The Tiki bar bombed on it's own.

The bombing was late August, 1980.

I used to have a T-shirt that read, "I got bombed at Harvey's."

On 2005-01-13 10:20, Johnny Dollar wrote:
is 'firebomb' the name of a drink? if not, it should be.

How about a Molotov Cocktail? :lol:

If you Google "harvey's lake tahoe bomb" you will find a number of sites about the bombing. It was a 1000-pound bomb disgiused as a copier, and was part of an extortion plot!

Here's the short version from: http://members.xoom.virgilio.it/all42day/history/h4aug/h4aug26.html

August 26, 1980 -
Extortionist's 450-kg bomb destroys casino-
Workers at Harvey's Resort and Casino in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, discover a 450-kg bomb disguised as a copy machine in an executive suite. A ransom note attached to device demands $3 million to be paid in return for instructions on how to defuse the bomb. As experts from the bomb squad examined the complex, handmade explosive containing a control box with 28 switches, the hotel is evacuated and the adjoining streets shut down. However, the nearby casino remains open to the gamblers so addicted that they are willing to gamble their lives.
The extortionist demands that a helicopter fly $3 million in cash to an area south of the Lake Tahoe airport where a strobe light would give further coded instructions. But when the FBI violate the ransom instructions by contacting the helicopter by radio, the plan goes awry and the bomb squad is left to dismantle the bomb. From the Sahara Tahoe Hotel, experts try to do it with robots. But he bomb explodes, demolishing the hotel. Luckily, none of the gamblers are killed.
After remaining at large for nearly a year, the four perpetrators were arrested by FBI agents in 1981. John Waldo Birges, who had lost a large amount of money at the casino in the months before the bomb exploded, orchestrated the plan with the help from his girlfriend, Ella Williams, and two other men. His sons later testified that he stole the TNT from a construction site. Birges was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Harvey's Resort and Casino was eventually rebuilt.

What a story! Like a parody! I Must write a script about this, finally a film where a Tiki Bar location fits in!

I sounds like the Top of the Wheel was de-tikied earlier than 1980, but whatever was left dissappeared with that big bang for sure.

Fantastic story!!

On 2005-01-13 11:29, Hakalugi wrote:
Here's the short version from: http://members.xoom.virgilio.it/all42day/history/h4aug/h4aug26.html

August 26, 1980 -
Extortionist's 450-kg bomb destroys casino-
the plan goes awry and the bomb squad is left to dismantle the bomb. From the Sahara Tahoe Hotel, experts try to do it with robots. But the bomb explodes, demolishing the hotel.

I always had a feeling that Harvey's was a BLAST!!!!

I've dined at the top of Harvey's before with my family. It's expensive, good food, great view of the lake (time your dinner to catch the sunset); but sometimes has obnoxiously loud wedding parties off to the side. I'm somewhat glad I didn't see it in its former tiki incarnation or I would probably be disappointed with how it is now - much like when I go to the new Cliff House, after having been there in the way it used to be.

Shelley says it closed about 1990, she had drinks there. Michelle, ask her about her "story", it's hot.

Is it as good as the story about how you two crashed/served a big splashy party at the E'ville Trader Vic's. I love that story.
mrs. pineapple

Believe it or not, I was standing on a dock on the west shore when the bomb went off. We were kids fishing for crawdads under the docks and heard a boom and saw smoke coming from downtown. Found out on the radio what had happened. (of course, being a pyro/explosion lover, I thought it was cool) :D

TikiHula I didn't know you were there. I just watched it on TV all those many years ago. Wendy