Tiki connection right in my PA back yard!

Long time lurker infrequent poster modbetty here, sharing some randomness I thought would be of interest to folks in these parts-

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I went to a reading at the bookstore in our town and were introduced to some people we had not met before. I was introduced to the gentleman I was seated next to and when I asked him what he did, he replied that he owned and worked in a building on Main street. This place had always intrigued me when we would walk the dog by, because occasionally we'd see somewhat tiki-esque lamps or carved looking things through the window. When I mentioned this to him he said that my observation of the tiki stuff was pretty spot on as he had actually created the tiki carvings for Walt Disney's Polynesian Resort!

I told him of this forum and he was kind enough to forward me a couple of photos to share. One is of his work from the Disney Ohana restaurant:

I thought this other one would be interesting for the tiki historians as it is a photo of him and his brother taken waaay back in the day "in front of The Kona Kai that was on City Line Avenue."

I thought this was pretty wild, considering we're in a small town in Pennsylvania - our biggest claim to fame is The Blob!

Here's a link to his studio too if anyone is interested:

http://www.luttmannstudios.com/

(now back to lurking!)

Modbetty, this is GOLD!!!
What a cool thing/man to stumble upon - thanks for sharing!
I LOVE the shot of him as a little kid - with a tiki!!
F

hey modbetty,
you are right up the road from me.
have you been to rumbar yet for tiki tuesdays?
you and your man should come down sometime.

hello Exquisite- we have been to the rum bar just once but should probably check it out again. If I had to choose, Southwark is my fave cocktail destination in the city, and I'm looking forward to checking out the Oyster House when it opens again!

There's a thing going on at Luttmann Studios next Friday for the Phoenixville Cultural Alliance and First Friday, I am sure if you were interested in checking out some of John's work he'd be glad to talk about it & show you some stuff.

Also I am thinking if TC folks might be interested I could see if he'd be interested in having a more tiki-centric talk and show of his stuff. TC'ers let me know and I can inquire about it!

I kinda love the fact that our town has a tiki and Blob thing going on, SO glad we moved here!

The wonder of Tiki set you next to a very special person Betty. I thought you might enjoy this website if you haven't seen it before.

http://theblobsite.filmbuffonline.com/Locations/BlobTourIndex.htm

KK

On 2009-05-29 15:50, modbetty wrote:
hello Exquisite- we have been to the rum bar just once but should probably check it out again. If I had to choose, Southwark is my fave cocktail destination in the city, and I'm looking forward to checking out the Oyster House when it opens again!

There's a thing going on at Luttmann Studios next Friday for the Phoenixville Cultural Alliance and First Friday, I am sure if you were interested in checking out some of John's work he'd be glad to talk about it & show you some stuff.

Also I am thinking if TC folks might be interested I could see if he'd be interested in having a more tiki-centric talk and show of his stuff. TC'ers let me know and I can inquire about it!

I kinda love the fact that our town has a tiki and Blob thing going on, SO glad we moved here!

southwark does make a good maitai.
i'll be in vegas next weekend for miss exotic world, but i would love to check it out sometime.

Kraig- thanks for the link, I had not seen that! We walk the dog past "Doc Hallen's House" practically every day and "The High School" is where we vote. It was also interesting to see the photo of the Colonial Theatre with the brick facade, as it is now remodeled to match the Blob Era, with striking yellow and black panels:

I did not know that the Royersford Sly Fox was the grocery store. Thanks for sharing! Can't wait for Blobfest!

Here is another shot of the Philadelphia Kona Kai gardens from the same angle:

We can see that the Moai had a top knot, and also appreciate the modernist roof lines in the background, created by Armet & Davis architects from Los Angeles.

Being in an area without tropical foliage, this landscaping takes on an almost Japanese Zen Garden look.

cool, thanks for sharing! Wish there were any tiki places left in this state, alas I have to go home occasionally to Kowloon, South Pacific, to get my fix!

Unless I'm missing something/anything in the Keystone State? I did attend Apo-Tiki back last fall, as it seemed like the first and only tiki event I'd heard of since we moved here.

On 2009-05-31 23:02, modbetty wrote:
cool, thanks for sharing! Wish there were any tiki places left in this state, alas I have to go home occasionally to Kowloon, South Pacific, to get my fix!

Unless I'm missing something/anything in the Keystone State? I did attend Apo-Tiki back last fall, as it seemed like the first and only tiki event I'd heard of since we moved here.

critiki shows the tiki lounge in pittsburgh is still open
http://www.tikilounge.biz

it looks decent but doesn't justify a 10 hour round trip drive.

Although a bunch of ohana an Amtrak to Pittsbugh could be fun!

On 2009-06-01 13:56, rugbymatt wrote:
Although a bunch of ohana an Amtrak to Pittsbugh could be fun!

hmmm i have a friend who owns a share of a limo...

I am going to a meeting tonight in town and will be seeing John the guy who made the tikis. If you folks think there would be some interest, I can see if he's into giving some sort of presentation about his tiki work and background?

Do you think this would be of interest for TC folks? I don't want to suggest it unless there would be some folks who would want to attend. Thanks!

A big YES I WILL ATTEND from me, who is starved for tiki culture here in PA! YES Yes a thousand times yes!