Aku-Tiki Room at the Andris Waunee Farm Restaurant, Kewanee, IL (restaurant)

On 2008-06-23 21:36, BrickHorn wrote:

On 2008-06-23 21:18, Tipsy McStagger wrote:

On 2008-06-23 18:57, BrickHorn wrote:
I had someone bidding for me, and won one of the big OA poles. Had I known what they went for, I might have bought two of them. However, I'm glad I didn't; one person owning two results in less total happiness (i.e. "social welfare") than two people owning one.

i suppose it was you that had your mother bidding against me on the poles, huh??.....thanks!! I ended up with a $260 pole because of her....not that it it wasn't worth it, but then she wanted my help in removing it for her after screwing me by bidding it up!!!! yeesh!!! next time bid on your own stuff and keep yo mama out of it!!.......p.s. I helped her out anyway.......your welcome.....

Karma strikes again! You falsely accuse me of trying to mislead people about the auction date, and then my mom steps up and hoses you during bidding. :)

Thanks for helping her out, Tipsy. Your first round of mai tais is on me at the next Hukilau. And thanks for stopping at $250. By that time in the day, she was hell bent on walking out of there with something and wasn't going to lose. Since she didn't squander any of my budget on the small, overpriced stuff, I had given her the go-ahead to bid much higher than our winning bid. Anyway, I'm glad to know my new tiki pole's twin is in good hands.

Har!! no problem my friend!! enjoy the pole!!

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2008-06-23 22:01 ]

On 2008-06-23 16:35, hala bullhiki wrote:
i didnt think some of the prices were crazy, just fair market value....your not gonna get a steal of a deal on a witco piece when theres 30 or more folks whom are heavy into tiki.....i think alot of the witco pieces were similar prices to those commanded on ebay(if you add what shipping costs thru ebay)....overall a great day, and it seems like everyone who was there for the tiki went home with some good stuff, and carol can know that the stuff went to good tiki loving homes where these pieces will be cherished....

Swanky,

I agree with hala bullhiki. Yeah, the mugs went pretty high, but some (not all but some) of that was caused by former employees wanting a piece of the action. Quince-at-Danny's and I were talking to them quite a bit. They were really focused on the mugs and some of the smaller pieces.

There's no doubt the frenzy of the auction atmosphere drove up some prices, but lots of these pieces are pretty big so shipping would be a killer. Plus just the event itself was worth the extra $$$. It was a crazy day, with farmers, restauranteurs, and tikiphiles kinda mixed together. And the auctioneer himself was a hoot. Even if you didn't buy much, it was a fascinating, one-of-a-kind memorable moment in history that was truly priceless. It was well worth the trip! I will never forget it. I wish you could have been there!

I, Zombie

anyone know who bidder 7 was? is he on t.c.?.....that guy sure won ALOT of stuff.

On 2008-06-24 08:44, hala bullhiki wrote:
anyone know who bidder 7 was? is he on t.c.?.....that guy sure won ALOT of stuff.

I bet it was that older guy in suspenders nicknamed "Fonzie" who was buying stuff from all over the auction. He got a round of applause when he bought 70 chairs at $17 a piece. I know he had a low number (seemed like the kind of guy who got there at 6am).

He also picked up this great miniature Budweiser Clydesdale carousel bar curio at the auction before the tiki stuff went on the block. Quince_at_Danny's and I loved that guy!

fonzie was a bar owner, which is why he bought the budweiser stuff and all the chairs.....he didn't buy all the tiki stuff...

bidder #7 spent about $3500 on stuff, or so i hear....he was the wiry little guy from oshkosh wisconsin...he's not on tiki central...he claims he really doesn't have use for a computer and that his girlfriend is the computer savy one.....he claims he's putting all the stuff in his tiki room...says he has 2 bars in his house and one out back....claims to be decorating the living room next.....don't know where he gets his money from. He seems like a nice enough guy....I've seen him at events on occasion.....he's been to exotica, and some chef shangri-la events.....pretty much keeps a low profile though...except when he's buying tiki stuff!!! LOL

and congrats to basement kahuna...his tiki carving went for $275 i think.....

"when the shit eventually hits the fan.......we all get a little on us!!"

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2008-06-24 11:23 ]

sounds like everyone had fun out there... are there any pics from the auction? - or even stuff people walked away with? just curious!
mahalo

Long-time lurker, first time poster....

As soon as I get my disposable camera developed (left my real camera in TN(oops), I'll try to scan and post some of the pics I shot on Sunday. The auctioneers were very cool about letting people poke around while they set up. It was really a strange feeling to be in the Aku Tiki room and have sunlight streaming in the windows and the place just silent....

Even though I only ended up buying $20 worth of stuff at the auction, The experience was worth the trip. It was an awesome place to people watch. Quite the interesting mix of tikiphiles, former employees and patrons, restaurant and bar owners (I wouldn't be surprised if some of the items from the Tiki hay rack are hanging within earshot of Jimmy Buffet or Kenny Chesney music as I type), and farmers just waiting for the auctioneers to get to the danged tractor already. I didn't really talk to any of you TC'rs in depth but I got the impression that most of the pieces went to really good homes....unless someone is planning a full restoration of the Witco fountain's day-glo paint scheme :)

While I didn't get any of the OA stuff I was there to bid on, I submit what could be the Aku Tiki Room-related steal of the auction:

This Leslie 122 Organ Speaker was with the restaurant stuff, lined up between some beer kegs and a box of Christmas decorations. After I bought the Leslie($10), I was talking to Carol and she said the organ from the Aku Tiki room was still under the building and showed me where to look. With visions of a $25 Hammond B3, I ran and got a flashlight out of the car and headed into the crawlspace/basement to take a look.
Alas, it was a Lowery.

I ended up leaving at 2:00. Did anybody stay late enough to see the organ sell?

Here is a question for the lounge/organ music aficionados out there:
From what I've been reading today on the internet, the Model 122 Leslie was a Hammond-specific model. Could it have been adapted to the Lowrey organ?

If not, I've tried to come up with a couple of possible explanations:

1. There used to be a Hammond in the Aku Tiki Room.
2. There used to be a Hammond somewhere else in the restaurant....although I have a hard time seeing it in the medieval room in the basement or the wild west area around the main bar.

All that to say, with no provenance, I may or may not have the Aku Tiki room Leslie.

Even though I don't even know how to play the organ, to me this is cooler than any mug I could have purchased for the same price.
I remember going to the Aku Tiki Room for the first time with my grandparents sometime between 1984 and 1990 (the place was already renovated and Grandpa was still alive) and there being organ music (e.g. "Alley Cat","Girl from Ipanema"). The little dance floor between the hanging canoe and the bar was packed with old people and I had jello with carrots in it from the salad bar. I've loved that place ever since.

I, Zombie
I just realized I said almost the same thing you did in your post:

"It was a crazy day, with farmers, restauranteurs, and tikiphiles kinda mixed together. And the auctioneer himself was a hoot. Even if you didn't buy much, it was a fascinating, one-of-a-kind memorable moment in history that was truly priceless. It was well worth the trip!"

I'm either more of a plaguerizer(?) than I thought, or just redundant. Either way, I totally I agree with what you said.

my first post...

Numatiki and I attended the auction and had a great time. We got some wonderful items including the Aku Tiki
Room light box sign, a Maori(esque?) wahaika club, 2 O.A. poles and (the item that I REALLY wanted) the railing with cannibal posts.

I'm in the process of finishing a masters degree in historic preservation so I hate to see any historic architecture destroyed much less a tiki establishment. The preservationist's mantra is to always maintain as much of the original fabric of a building as possible and significant architectural elements and features should always remain in situ. So I had very mixed emotions as we were wielding crowbar and sawz-all to remove the posts and railing. I can only imagine how bittersweet the day must have been for Carol. But she was great, as were Carol and Mark Guthrie and everyone else that was helping out--really nice people!

We're not exactly sure where we will put the railing yet. Our home bar is fairly small and pretty full, but the plan is that our next home will have a much larger tiki bar and lounge. We hope to have a place to install the entire railing and keep it intact. However, if we find we can't use it all in the future, Duke and Tipsy each have dibs on one of the posts. For now, we feel lucky to be the guardians of some great historic artifacts with a wonderful provenance.

I took a few photos of the items that we purchased, both in situ and after we brought them home. I will ask my tech savvy better-half to post them later. I wish I had thought to take pictures during the auction, but I was preoccupied watching the bidding. We agree with everyone else that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and we're so glad that we were a part of it.

heres our witco tribal shield (see page 185 of tiki modern for ref.):

and the pole from one side of the fireplace (both sides of pole shown):

On 2008-06-24 17:20, albino tiki wrote:
... and (the item that I REALLY wanted) the railing with cannibal posts.

Albino tiki,

I thought the railing was one of the coolest things there... Congratulations! I was just out of dough at that point, or I would have taken a shot at it. But that's awesome that you got what you wanted most! I think it could work even in a small space, so I hope you can figure out a way to put it to use right away.

I'm not a carver or anything, but I'm going to try and figure out a way to replicate that is some manner around my deck. If nothing else it was inspiring. Look forward to your pictures of it.

~glen (aka I, Zombie)
http://www.jetsetplanet.com

[ Edited by: I, Zombie 2008-06-24 19:39 ]

On 2008-06-24 15:18, Haole Hillbilly wrote:

While I didn't get any of the OA stuff I was there to bid on, I submit what could be the Aku Tiki Room-related steal of the auction:

Haole Hillbilly,

Excellent story about the leslie. And you're right: it probably was the steal of the auction. I wish I had checked out more of the non-tiki auction myself. Either for weird curios, or just for the surreal experience.

Mahalo,

~I, Zombie

the cannibal railing were great,so glad thst so much of this stuff went to great homes!

On 2008-06-24 17:20, albino tiki wrote:

in the future, Duke and Tipsy each have dibs on one of the posts.

..thanks much for the offer..i went to the auction determined to get that rail but made a serious error....the holes in them for the rail post run vertical....i need them to run on an angle as i would be using them for a banister that goes up to the second floor....after noticing that, i bailed out on bidding on them...anyway, i'm giving up dibs on mine..LOL perhaps duke would like one more....

incidentally, the posts are called bora bora posts, and are still made by Oceanic Arts....

if you add up what you guys paid for these it comes out to be the same as buying them new and that includes shipping...but here's the rub.., O.A. has a minumin 12 post order on these, so you lucked out there too!!

...i need at least 4 posts....maybe use more somewhere if i can't find anyone local that wants to split an order with me....any takers?? I'll pay for the whole damn order and charge you whatever they are individually plus whatever the percentage it is to ship them to chicago for however many you need...i just think they would be the cats ass to have as rail posts for my bar.

"when the shit eventually hits the fan.......we all get a little on us!!"

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2008-06-25 10:42 ]

Hey Tipsy - are you going to post a pic of that new OA pole you won? I won't get mine for several months (have to haul it down from Illinois).

Oh, and albino - if you're looking for someone to take over Tipsy's newly-abdicated dibs, I'd be happy to take one of the rail posts off of your hands. :)

Here are the photos of the items we bought:

The groovy Aku Tiki Room sign

Numatiki pointing to the original location of the sign above the entrance

Our O.A. poles

The railing

Our prized booty

The Maori wahaika club

hey brickhorn...take a look at albino's poles....we have the same ones...there were 5 total, all identical....

On 2008-06-25 13:49, Tipsy McStagger wrote:
hey brickhorn...take a look at albino's poles....we have the same ones...there were 5 total, all identical....

Sweet.

the The Maori wahaika club was one of the things i wanted, but knew i wouldnt win, as i set my bidding limit pretty low for it.....congrats on the great haul.

Thanks, Hala Bullhiki. I really liked the fireplace poles, too. They were definitely on our wish list...as was a piece of Witco...so, congrats to you, too. You probably already know this, but there is a picture on p.6 of Tiki Style of a railing made from poles identical to the one you got from the fireplace. Also, there is a smaller inset photo of it on p.11 of BOT.

Here are some pics I took on Sunday with the disposable camera...unfortunately the inside ones didn't turn out the best.

The Tiki Rack:

The chairs outside(I got one of the swivel chairs):

Inside chairs:

Light fixtures:

Good non-tiki stuff right here:

Here are some more random photos:

The portal to paradise unhinged

Nook of the fountain

Thanks for the pics, Haole! You got pics of many of the things we were meaning to snap, but didn't due to general discombobulation (I think I served under him in the war).

On another note, it didn't take long for the first of the Aku-Tiki items to hit eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Ukelele-From-Aku-Tiki-Lounge_W0QQitemZ260255397562QQihZ016QQcategoryZ16224QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

"just my opinion,i could be wrong"

[ Edited by: TIKI DAVID 2008-07-01 06:31 ]

..and they would have looked like crap....it's so much better to start from scratch with fresh poles....besides, it would cost me the same per pole whether i bought them at auction or from O.A....with so much less work involved..remember the artists motto "work smarter, not harder"....my father worked hard all his life and all they ever did was give him more work!! LOL

thanks for your suggestion....i know that sometimes the shortest way home is the longest way around, ...however your suggestion would not fall under that catagory...

"just my opinion,i could be wrong"

[ Edited by: TIKI DAVID 2008-07-01 06:31 ]

On 2008-06-26 12:21, TIKI DAVID wrote:
and they would have looked like crap 'NOT' if you knew what you were doing. but that is your call.

you are right ..i have no idea what i'm doing....i don't know how to build anything....i should just forget the whole thing....

"just my opinion,i could be wrong"

[ Edited by: TIKI DAVID 2008-07-01 06:32 ]

Eight days later and can still hear the echoes.......

Do I hear 10, how bout 15, 15, 15, Be-ding, Be-ding, Be-ding!