Seattle Area Home Bar Tour 2007, July 20th & 21st

Aloha!
Proceedings for The Seattle Area Home Bar Tour 2007 are now under way. The event will be again a 2-day affair on the dates of Friday, July 20th and Saturday, July 21st.

The first day of the event will take place at Pete's Monkey Skull Voodoo Lounge (one of Seattle's best -- if not THE BEST -- home bars). Check in/meet 'n' greet will be from 5pm-7pm. During this time ticket reservationists will check in and receive their ticket and Aloha bag. Yours truly (DJ Terence Gunn) will be playing Lounge, Exotica, Calypso, Hawaiian, Surf, and Latin throughout the evening. Complimentary appetisers and tropical libations will be available. After 7pm a backyard BBQ will take place, will plenty of food and drink for all. Round 8pm-ish Seattle's own Atomic Powered Surf band, The Mercury Four, will break the musical waves. A raffle will take place round 9pm, followed by more live and DJed music.

The following day, beginning at 5pm and going until 11pm-ish, will be a 6-hour chartered tour of 4 Seattle-area home bars. Complimentary drinks and food will be provided at each stop.

Ticket reservations are $50/person, payable via Paypal to: [email protected]. With the exception of a natural disaster, these tickets are non-refundable.

Until then, Okole Maluna! And may warm winds and bright sun bless us early this year in the NW!

-T.G.

P.S. For future/further updates to the event please refer to thread below.

[ Edited by: DJ Terence Gunn 2007-07-02 09:49 ]

Only 1 home bar position open, folks! The others have already been filled, and what delights they are and will be! If you have an oustanding home bar in the Seattle area, or know of somebody who does, and would like to be considered for the tour, don't hesitate to contact me.

Cheers.

We're in. Sent the registration payment today.

On 2007-02-15 15:50, Dancin' Lizard wrote:
We're in. Sent the registration payment today.

Received! Thank you and see you this summer!

I suppose my Tiki bar in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island is too far?

On 2007-02-16 18:40, Stiki Tiki wrote:
I suppose my Tiki bar in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island is too far?

Thank you for your interest. Unfortunately, too far, too much time lapse, and too expensive to take a bus full of 45-55 people aboard a ferry (and I would have to up the ticket price, as well). Exoticat also lives on one of the islands here and suggested her bar last year. Unfortunately same story. Touring home bars on ONE island is a possiblity for the future (and I, personally, think it would be a lot of fun to meet up with everyone and take a ferry from and back to Seattle for such an event), but there will need to be at least four home bars with appropriate capacities and outstanding aesthetics on the same island (hell, a tropical backyard oasis with a little bar would be -- or should I say, Whidbey? -- wonderful); and I would, of course, have to see them before committing. But a thought for the future for all you local, home-bar-owning islanders!

Update: All the home bar positions are now filled.

Update: The Check In/Meet N Greet/Vending time slot will be from 5pm-7pm and -- like last year -- will take place at Pete's Monkeyskull Voodoo Lounge (not at Hula Hula).

Saturday right? Didn't we meet Saturday night last year? Things are fuzzy...remember the bus, remember singing a lot....remember planning a larceny of tiki mugs at Pete's house....

[ Edited by: Dancin' Lizard 2007-03-09 18:49 ]

On 2007-03-09 18:46, Dancin' Lizard wrote:
Saturday right? Didn't we meet Saturday night last year? Things are fuzzy...remember the bus, remember singing a lot....remember planning a larceny of tiki mugs at Pete's house....

The Tour last year took place on a Saturday and Sunday. This year the Tour will take place on Friday and Saturday. Pete's upper level certainly has room enough for all the vendors, and we learned a lot of what to do this year from last. But the general consensus is that things are much friendlier and relaxed in a private residence than in a public venue (not to mention the drinks will be of a higher quality). After all, the Seattle Area Home Bar Tour is about Home Bars, not public venues. And meeting on Friday and Saturday is better for such an occasion, leaving all day Sunday (rather than Monday) open for the trip home, as well as any site seeing any out of towners may wish to do here before leaving.

As far as your other recollections, they are all true. I'm not sure how technologically advanced Pete's Monkeyskull Voodoo Lounge is in the way of force fields and security, but I'll notify him about taking precautions this year from any proposed larceny of his tiki mugs collection:) Perhaps Seamus will create an overlooking 'Ku' Wargod for Pete -- one that has a motion sensor attached to it and which will spit salt water into the eye(s) of any perpetrator attempting to shop the Five Finger Discount Store.

UPDATE

Due to time constraints and competing domestic projects, one of the home bar entries has regrettably dropped out of the Tour, leaving a space open for interested home bar owners in the Seattle area, who have a yard and a striking home bar/lounge, suitable for accomodating 45-55 people at one time. Themes I'm looking for are: Asian, Japanese, Polynesian, Pirate/Mariner, African, Oceanic, Atomic Age, Space Age.

As always, I will have to see/review your home bar first. Interested parties may contact me directly at [email protected].

[ Edited by: DJ Terence Gunn 2007-04-09 13:28 ]

Update
Proceedings are shaping up very nicely for this year's event, and it proves to rival last year's. There will be a couple new home bars this year on the charter, and the live entertainment on the first day will be the Atomic Powered Surf sounds of Seattle's own Mercury Four!

http://themercuryfour.com/

More to come soon!

[ Edited by: DJ Terence Gunn 2007-05-09 15:01 ]

Update
The first day itself is going to be an absolute blast! But as far as the second day...the line up is finally set! Three new stops have been added to this year's Tour, and what treasures to behold (and imbibe in) they are, too!

First stop, The Dead Elvis Lounge; second stop, The Atomic Lounge/Cabana Bar; third stop, a stunning, first place award-winning topical backyard garden and gorgeous interior that needs to be seen in person to be believed - Fantasy Island; fourth stop, The Shrunken Head Lounge (with revamped backyard deck, and an additional two rooms of tropical jungle pleasure).

Here's a link/address to an article on the Seattle tropical backyard oasis, Fantasy Island:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw02052006/fg1.html

Keep in mind this is in Seattle; and tropical plants (with a few exceptions) don't grow well outdoors here, let alone survive through the winter, which makes this landscape all the more fantastic. Unfortunately the pictures shown don't do it justice, and there is no shot of the bamboo bar; but the article is well worth a read.

Yes, there are still tickets available for the event. But now that June is quickly approaching they'll be bought up quickly, so don't delay, get yours today!

[ Edited by: DJ Terence Gunn 2007-05-24 12:04 ]

Oh yes. I forgot to mention that the meet-up departure and return location for boarding the bus will be the same place as last year, Lincoln Park in West Seattle, between 4.30 and 4.45pm (the bus departs at 5pm).

Update
Ticket reservation and vendor deadline for the Seattle Area Home Bar Tour is June 31st. No tickets will be sold after June 31st.

Update
As per a few requests I am going to extend the ticket reservation deadline into the first two weeks of July (the cut off point being the 15th of July, or when the all the seats aboard the bus are filled). There's a lot going on this month and next, and I completely understand the state of dwindling bank books and crazy scheduling. However, before sending any money, please send me an email to inquire about availability first.

I'll be on it soon for my ticket.
FUN!

Update
Though there may be a vendor or two at the event, there will be no vendors section this year.

Update
The event is only a week away! Still lots to do, lots to do. However, everything is running as planned and the weather proves to be very suitable (if not on the rather warm side). Either today or tomorrow the itinerary of the event and final notice will be emailed to all the ticket reservationists. Tomorrow (Saturday the 14th at midnight PST) is the deadline for reservations, but at the moment there are a few spots still open.

So, until the event has taken place, that's all from me. Big mahalos to Nick Camara, Heather Watts, Tikiyaki, and Munktiki, for their generous contributions! And a special mahalo to all the home bar owners this year: Marlow & JoDavid, Tammy, Patrick & Sandi, and especially monkeyskull (Pete), who always goes beyond the call of duty!

See you at the event!

Aloha!

-T.G.

Some pics from the 2007 Seattle Home Bar Tour

Outside the Shrunken Head Lounge

Front veranda of Fantasy Island (West Seattle version)

Fantasy Island

Starlight Lounge Cabana Bar

The Dead Elvis Lounge

The Mercury Four, live at the Monkey Skull Voodoo Lounge

The Monkey Skull Voodoo Lounge

There are a few additional photos from the event here

[ Edited by: monkeyskull 2007-07-22 22:39 ]

OOOOOH....looks like fun....more pix please. :D

There'll be more pics on the way, I'm sure!

Despite the quite unusual and thoroughly unseasonable rain and grey skies (and the fact that I am thoroughly exhausted), The Seattle Area Home Bar Tour was an absolute success in every other way. In fact, despite the weather, it's difficult to believe the attendees could've been in better spirits even if the weather had been sunny and dry. And though the home bar stops last year were exceptional in their own way, this year's stops certainly rivalled last year's. And to that effect, I would again like to thank all the home bar owners, particularly for going beyond the call of duty and exceeding everyone's expectations. Also thanks to The Mercury Four for putting on a stellar performance and allowing me to sit in with them on bongos. And a late mahalo for the donation of wonderful goodies from Lynette Wylie of Seattle's brilliant shop, Island Life, and to Holden Westland of Tiki Farm. And, of course, to all those who attended this year's Tour, a very big and warm mahalo to you all! Everyone was absolutely super! I've been to Tiki-related events in the past, but the attendees of the Seattle Area Home Bar Tour have been hands down and by far the friendliest and most agreeable of people.

Before I start... a few more photos can be found here.

Rain didn't dampen the Seattle Crawl at all. How could it? The people are friendly and chatty, the rum flowed freely and the hosts couldn't have been more gracious.

The Monkey Skull Voodoo Lounge is always a treat and we never fail to see something new and wonderful there. The koi pond is a marvel and the wall of tiki mugs is complete eye candy. If the hot wings and hot HOT dogs didn't kick your butt then the Voodoo Punch did. One glass and you're feeling kinda groovy.

The Dead Elvis Lounge was amazing on every level. First, just to get to see inside one of these fantastic old homes was a life-long dream and it's been restored with love. The frosting on the cake was the collections of Elvis and tiki, and religious items and pottery, and books and art and and and and.... The whole house, from top to bottom, inside and out, hosts (adult and kids) were fantastic. Aside from the art that drags you in and forces you to ponder it there was the Hitler tea pot ...oh my lord the tea pot.

At the Atomic Lounge we were treated to an atomic house the way it should be and often isn't. The furnishings and colors were perfect in every single way. The host's dedication to keeping within the period and feel of each room was uncanny. This is the way houses were when I was a kid...that didn't date me did it?

Being a plant lover Fantasy Island was complete overload. One step into the back yard and Alki was a thousand miles away. It, on this day, was a tropical rain forest minus the humidity and bugs. The house and yard are just like Pat and Sandi... gracious and comfortable.

Of course Terence's Shrunken Head Lounge is a model of "ask not what your house can do for tiki but what your tiki can do for your house". It's always nice to come back to the place we had our first over the top, no holds barred, loser leave town Mai Tai. He makes the best we've ever had. Thanks for having Gilligan's Island on the TV and for allowing us to sing the theme again this year.

Thank you everyone for letting us rummage through your homes.

It was another great "Seattle Tiki Bar - Covet Your Stuff - Wear A Fez - Pet A Dog - Drink/Eat/Sing and Laugh Crawl".

Can't wait to do it all again next year.