Tiki History - Heddy's Hawaiian Bamboo Room - Echo Lake, PA

This week, puamana's and my collections coincide on a mysterious tiki bar in Pennsylvania. There is no mention of Heddy's Hawaiian Bamboo Room and Tropical Bar in Tiki Road Trip and there is extremely little information on the back of my postcards, yet they are two of the most nicely presented postcard images in my collection. They depict a sleek, vinyl-upholstered tiki bar with large fake palm trees that are mirrored in the very nice murals on the walls. Here are the postcards:


Looks like there's a small dance floor and bandstand presided over by a very frightening tiki.

Does anyone recognize this mug? Could it be unique to this restaurant, or do you think it's a standard manufactured piece?

The reason I ask is that there appear to be the trunks of two palm trees on the mug, which seem to match the palm trees in the mural and the restaurant itself.

The back of the postcards simply read: "Heddy's Hawaiian Bamboo Room Tropical Bar. Echo Lake, PA, RT-209. The Place That's Different. Wine - Dine - Dance"

Puamana should be providing photos of her menu soon.

Sabu

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy on 2003-06-18 12:40 ]

The following menu lists Heddy's address on Route 209, "7 miles north of the Stroudsburgs":

Heddy's was located in the Pocono Mountains, an outdoor recreational destination (with lots of skiing in the winter, and several lakes in the area for summertime visitors ), I believe around 90 minutes from NYC. Those postcards show quite alot more indication of what the Hawaiian Room was like than the menu. Great murals around the dining room & dance floor !

I found this listing under bars in Yahoo Yellow Pages:

Bamboo House
Route 209, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301
Phone: (570) 424-2460

Echo Lake shows on the map near East Stroudsburg so it may be the same place! Urban archeologists start your engines!

thejab,

Great find ! It has to be the same place. Here's an ad I just found on an online directory for Poconos area restaurants:

Bamboo House - U.S. Hwy. 209 Bus., East Stroudsburg  424-2460

" This traditional Chinese restaurant has a variety of Szechuan, Hunan, Cantonese and traditional Chinese favorites. It also offers an American selection of steaks for those in your party who are not inclined to Chinese, and a children's menu that is more American in choices, including hamburgers. It has two dining rooms decorated in an Oriental motif. "

Sounds like the same dining rooms pictured in Sabu's postcards.

[ Edited by: puamana on 2003-06-18 13:39 ]

Hi:
My cousin had her wedding at this bar in the 1970's. I was about 15 or so, but I remember it vividly because it made such an impression on me! It was great seeing your postcards on here! I live about an hour from where this place was. There was also another place my father used to take me swimming - it was in the same area. It was called Vacation Valley, Echo Lake, PA. It is under another name now, that of which I cannot recall at the moment.
I just came across this site by accident, but glad I found it!

This has always been one of my favorite interior postcards.

Look what I picked up the other day, a postcard of the exterior! Now we know where the illustration on the back of the card comes from, it is the cool sign out front.

DC

Hey look, I found a matchbook from Heddy's. Same sign as the postcard.

DC

[ Edited by: dustycajun 2009-01-23 17:41 ]

I picked up the two postcards from the inside of Heddy's Bamboo Room and thought I would do a little updating of the Red Xs that Sabu originally posted.

Also the sign on the back of the card.

DC

Man, if that doesn't make you put the car into a skid and pull over I don't know what will!

A little new Googling reveals the "Bamboo House Sushi"

Wait, after binging it: That little peaked roof line sure look slike it. Right across from 2 vintage looking motels.

Your key to Beachbum Berry's books. Login and start concocting!

[ Edited by: Swanky 2009-08-19 09:23 ]

[ Edited by: Swanky 2009-08-19 09:29 ]

Finally, a menu surfaced from Heddy's Bamboo Room on ebay!

They had all of the classic mugs in play.

DC

Cool! I have never seen a picture of a cocktail with one of those mini lamps like the one on the menu drawing for the Dr. Funk folly. Who can show me one?

..from Mimi's site. I know, these are too cool. Has any body ever found any of these? They must have been discontinued a long time ago, I have never come across any, only those double umbrellas picks.

Hey, I just noticed above, they also used the Reader's Digest cover for their mural:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=1099&forum=5&vpost=432142

[ Edited by: exquisitecorpse 2015-03-31 21:17 ]

Wish I could read the discription of the Aloha Orgy...

On 2010-01-25 09:51, Swanky wrote:
Wish I could read the description of the Aloha Orgy...

Swanky,

Best I can do.

A festive tropical interlude. An exotic safari into paradise. The magic of Hawaii filters through this persuasive friendship drink for four or more happy people. Soft nocturnal rains, mellow moonlit nights, the surging surf and the white steaks of sun-swept beaches. A mood and lingering memory.

DC

Aaaah, I can see them now, right in front of me on the table, the yummy "white steaks"...hmmm! :D

:lol: Genius! Where did you whip that up so fast! Now that "streaks"/"steaks" misspell makes complete sense!

On 2010-01-24 12:03, bigbrotiki wrote:

..from Mimi's site. I know, these are too cool. Has any body ever found any of these? They must have been discontinued a long time ago, I have never come across any, only those double umbrellas picks.

I was looking for a song that Bongo wrote and found this picture from the Holiday mug trade that Bogielocks gave to Tiki-Kate.

Bogielocks found some of the hanging drink lanterns!

I also spied the same one on a postcard I have.

DC

Very good. And we can see what I suspected all along, they are really two paper umbrellas stuck together, hanging from a string. Those crafty orientals! :D

Those paper lanterns are still being produced. I've seen them at World Market (aka Cost Plus). And yes, they are pretty much just two paper umbrellas glued together.

[ Edited by: Hakalugi 2010-02-10 20:06 ]

Nice! Cost Plus is easy.

Al-ii was using those in the Lagoon Room the last time I was there.

Just so know I was thinking about you Al.

On 2010-02-10 19:43, Hakalugi wrote:
Those paper lanterns are still being produced. I've seen them at World Market (aka Cost Plus). And yes, they are pretty much just two paper lanterns glued together.

That's nuthin!
After a Tiki Central bar crawl, you can see 5 or 6 umbrellas stuck together in the aisles, as you're leaving the bus.
I think I saw one on EBay go for twenty bucks!

[ Edited by: Unga Bunga 2010-02-10 20:00 ]

I just got this nice menu from Heddy's Hawaiian Room.

They used the images from the mural and the Reader's Digest cover for the art.

DC

OK here is a fun find. It seems as though Heddy's survived long enough to go from late 1950's Hawaiian themed Tiki to early 1970's far out Tiki. I picked up this postcard from Heddy's Mai Tai Bar at the Tiki Supper Club.

Great ceiling and check out the Tiki sculptures on the wall behind the bar, a few mugs spotted.

TV roost and look at those bar stools.

Back of the card say it all!

DC

Ha,how cool. Seems that in the Pocono mountains they were a little behind and didn't know TIKI was over by the 70s. What a cool period font. The ceiling looks like it it glowed yellow, and the moai masks had purple lights behind them. The color of the South Seas! :)

Note to restaurant and bar owners: Print and sell (or give away) post cards and match books if you want images and memories of your place to live forever.

Another groovy 1970s view of the Tiki Supper Club in the Poconos.

DC

hey everyone!!! i am a newbie ...seeking your help in identifying a tiki that I've been trying to track down the origin of....have seen similar ones on different sites...have been told by some of my Canadian native friends that it is possibly hawaiian...polynisian.....and that it's old.....can i post some pics on here??

Hi moomoo, go to Collecting Tiki area click on Help Identify, What Is It thread to post some photos. That's your best bet for a helpful response. Also in General Tiki there is a thread for new members to introduce themselves and share their interests.

aloha, tikicoma

Heddy's Hawaiian Room opened in 1961.

Early ads from Heddy's showed the variety of Tiki drink specials they ran.

DC

Nice drink renderings…"inspired", not directly ripped off (like The Islands did) from the classic Trader Vic's menu.

Spotted another postcard from Heddy's Tiki Supper Club - 1970's vintage.

DC