Blowfish Bar – Flagler Beach, FL

As a follow-up to bigbrotiki’s observations (http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=38880&forum=20&vpost=595048) on the Flagler Beach Pier A-frame structure, I dug a bit into its history. The original pier and pier building were constructed in 1927 and dedicated on July 4, 1928. Here are some postcard scans and photos of the old pier from http://www.flaglerbeachpier.net/ and http://www.cityofflaglerbeach.com/...

The original pier was intended to be huge, according to a 1957 newspaper article, excerpted here…

Daytona Beach Morning Journal April 21, 1957

The deteriorating condition of the old pier building drove the town commission to plan and construct a new building in 1962...

The Flagler Tribune March 22, 1962

The article below reveals that the town commission wanted a more contemporary look to the pier, so they chose an A-frame structure like that of a now defunct restaurant named Beyond the Reef down the coast a few miles in Ormond Beach...

Daytona Beach Morning Journal November 4, 1962

I haven’t been able to find any photos or information about the décor and structure of Beyond the Reef Restaurant, formerly located at 1130 Ocean Shore Blvd, Ormond Beach. With a name like that for an early 1960s era restaurant, it’s entirely possible that the pier A-frame was inspired by Poly pop...

Maybe someone on TC has a postcard, matchbook cover or menu for Beyond the Reef Restaurant (but not the Wisconsin establishment of the same name)? It’s interesting that the former owner of the Ormond Beach restaurant, Charles Gittner, came to Florida in 1955 from Wisconsin, according to his 1980 obituary.

-Tom

David Hettel, a local Ormond Beach artist and surfer, has accepted a commission to create a Polynesian mural at the Blowfish Bar. Dave has been busy lately at nearby Palm Coast, but found a gap in his schedule to begin applying the paint base (completed mural will extend down to just below stairway handrail)...

How long this takes will undoubtedly depend on the local surf conditions, and things don’t look favorable for the Blowfish Bar... a storm is brewing right now out in the Atlantic and forecast to possibly be a hurricane just offshore by this time next week. That means great surf conditions, and probably an AWOL artist. Dave’s business name is Primal Colors and here’s his web site...

http://www.primalcolors.com/index.html

There are several new additions to the Blowfish Bar. The first of a pair of awesome Cannibal Trio Lamps by Tiki 65 (Chris) arrived...

Chris shows the various stages of lamp assembly at his web site...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiki65

Lush (pardon the pun, Marty) music is now playing at the Blowfish Bar since the arrival of The Tikiyaki Orchestra’s Deluxe Getaway Package... Jim Bacchi and fellow orchestra members have set a new high mark for contemporary tiki music with “Aloha, Baby!”

Included in the Tikiyaki Polynesian Village Hotel Deluxe Getaway Package was an “Official Souvenir Shop Certified Genuine Polynesian Style Hand Crafted Tiki Mug from Hawai’i” by Bosko...

The small print on the mug box stated the qualifier “may or may not be made in Hawai’i.”

Marty Lush & Jim Bacchi at Hukilau 2011

-Tom

Dave's making progress on the wall mural (iPhone photo)...

-Tom

That mural is going to blow this home bar up! Great work!

McTiki

particularly wanted to say those palm tree lamps are showstoppers! NIICE place

McTiki and Holler Waller, thank you for the appreciative comments.

I expect that with an ocean view to the East and a Polynesian mural to the West, it will take very little rocket fuel to achieve escape velocity from the Blowfish Bar.

Here's several more photos of the mural in progress as of today...

-Tom

Dave's been adding definition to the foreground palms of the mural...

-Tom

Today's incremental mural progress (pardon the iPhone camera resolution)...

-Tom

Mural looks great. You will have to have another party once completed so we can see in person. I loved visiting Flager Beach - such a cool little beach town.

You are a decorating genius!!!

Christina, we'll reprise that party soon so you can see the results first hand and try out something a bit different at the Blowfish Bar. Flagler Beach calls...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4bNqECDU84

Starting to take shape in the mural are some new images...

-Tom

Wowza...that mural is looking great...can't wait to see it when it is finished.

:o Wow Tom this is really looking great. I loved it when the palm fronds when up on the second tree. And thanks for the YT link, I love that one also.. :)

Tikipaka, pleased that you're enjoying the developing mural. Here's today's progress photo...

-Tom

That mural is AWESOME! I wish my painter buddy would not have chickened out to do mine. That looks a million times better than the photo mural I put up.

You know I gotta tell you, most times I don't like murals
as most are not done well.
This one looks GREAT!
Nice job!

Thank you, newB24 and John (tikiskip), for sharing your impressions.

newB24, I have used photo murals to great effect in the past to add an exotic ambiance and to expand the dimensions of a room. I've looked at your home bar and I like what you're doing with it. Keep it up. The fun is in never finishing...

Needless to say, I am very happy with the work of Dave Hettel, artist and surf dude, on this mural. Here's the latest progress photo...

-Tom

A few more days and the mural should be completed...

-Tom

The second of a pair of awesome Cannibal Trio Lamps by Tiki 65 (Chris) arrived and took its place flanking the TV in the entertainment center next to the Blowfish Bar...

The presiding Blowfish lit with approval...

Dave is adding an incredible amount of detail to the mural; zooming in on one portion to illustrate...

-Tom

I'd never leave . . .

Blue Kahuna, agree it's tough to leave... but thanks for the virtual visit, even if only a while!

In the mural background, Dave’s added a couple of musicians and a surfer with alaia, or ancient Hawaiian surfboard (that’s the shortboard; you should see an olo, or longboard!)...

One can almost hear an ancient surf chant...

*Ku mai! Ku mai! Ka nalu nui mai Kahiki mai,
(Arise! Arise! You great surfs from Kahiki,)

Alo po`i pu! Ku mai ka pohuehue,
(The powerful curling waves! Arise with pohuehue,)

Hu! Kai ko`o loa.
(Well up, long raging surf.)*

-Tom

Wow! That mural is really beginning to POP! with snazz now!

Glad you're liking the mural, tigertail777.

Progress today was focused at the outrigger canoe, or wa`a in Hawaiian...

In the Hawai`i of old, when a canoe was finished, a pig would be cooked and the gods of the canoe makers would be petitioned in a ceremony...

*O Mokuhalii, Kupaaike`e, Lea,
Here is pork,
A payment, a gift, an offering,
A sacrifice to you.
The canoe is finished,
Ready to be launched into the sea,
Its home where it will seek profit and wealth;
Watch over it carefully
Be alert for coral heads and stone heads of the reefs,
For the waves and the swells of the open ocean.
Guide the canoe over the depths of the sea,
Let the canoe ride over the waves of the sea,
Till it is worn out, overgrown with limu, and aged.

(E Mokuhalii, Kupaaikee, Lea, eia ka puaa, he uku, he makana, he alana, he mohai ia oukou. Ua paa ka waa, a e hoolanaia aku ana i ke kai, o kona. aina ia e huli ai i ka loaa ame ka waiwai. E nana pono loa oukou, e makaala i na pukoa, na puupohaku o kahi laupapa, na nalu, na ale o ka moana. Hooholo no oukou i ka waa ma kahi hohonu o ke kai; i hele ai ka waa a nalukai, a apulu, a ulu ka limu pakaiea, a kanikooko`o.)*

(from http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/hawaiian/voyaging/pvs/L2canoebuild.html)

-Tom

The mural is complete save for the addition of a tapa border pattern along the bottom below the great room handrail level, as well as a flat protective clear coat which will also serve to level the paint sheen. Dave Hettel has done an awesome job and was really great to work with.

-Tom

Hey ya need a pic of Dave Hettel next to his work.
Nice job Dave!!!

Aloha, John (tikiskip)... you're right, of course, so here's Dave Hettel, Ormond Beach artist and surfer, next to his art...

And here's the tapa border along the bottom of the mural (not visible above the handrail)...

-Tom

Fabulous job Dave!, and congratulations on that glorious addition to the Blowfish Bar TikiTomD.

Incredible job! Love it! I have never seen anyone use a brown wash technique as an under layer on a mural before, it really works well to bring the warmth of the reds forwards. I may have to try that some time. Kudos Dave! :) (nice tapa border too!)

So where does the Blowfish bar go from here? :wink:

Aloha, komohana, from the East Coast of Florida to the West Coast of Australia! Mahalo for sailing across oceans and continents to visit...

Well, tigertail777, you know it’s human nature never to be satisfied with the present, so the bar will never be finished... as to what’s next, I think we’ll take some time out to invite the Central Florida ohana and anyone else who can make it to the Blowfish Bar for a mural celebration. You’re invited, if you need an East Coast break. I’m also going to see if I can find a good photographer to better capture the beauty of Dave’s work.

“Keylo” Lewis of Haka Tiki in Daytona Beach is carving us a re-creation of the iconic Kona Kai logo tiki found on tea cups, cocktail menus, matchbook covers and the like. It will go in a corner adjacent to the bar, next to the Shag print. He’s using wood from condemned Sable Palms, part of the carnage from Hurricane Charley in 2004. It’s so hard to carve that he’s referring to it as petrified palm. Here is a photo of the head roughed out...

-Tom

I would absolutely LOVE to come, but I have not had work in a while so funds are at an all time low. Guess I will have to take a tropical rainstorm check for now. :wink: But I would love to see pics of the soiree when you put it on.

Tigertail777, rain check noted. Best of luck on your situation. These really are hard times for many folks. Around the Space Coast, thousands have been laid off with the end of the Space Shuttle program, joining the throngs already in that situation from this terrible economy.

As my wife and I were admiring Dave's artwork on the mural, Pat called my attention to something strikingly familiar about the kane (Hawaiian word for man) carrying the bananas at the outrigger canoe... he had the face of our son, Tommy! We finally got Tommy to admit that he and Dave conspired, with the two of them wondering when we would stumble on to it...

Since then, Mom & Dad have been mercilessly regaling Son with the distinctly non-tiki Banana Boat Song (of Jamaican folk origin), popularized by Harry Belafonte. My favorite performance of that was in the movie Beetlejuice...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQXVHITd1N4

-Tom

Dave came by on Saturday to apply a clear, dead flat varnish over the entire mural for protection of the underlying acrylic paint and to level the sheen, as some of the paint colors were flat and others had varying degrees of gloss. The product he used is manufactured by a California company called Modern Masters (http://www.modernmasters.com). The product number is DP609.

Here’s a departing photo of Dave by his grateful client...

The artist’s signature...

Dave will be returning to enjoy tropical cocktails at the next Blowfish Bar soiree.

This afternoon, a professional photographer friend of Dave’s named Don Bok will be visiting to take photos. Don’s clients have included the Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR and the Tampa Bay Bucs. His work has appeared in a number of publications, including Mechanics Illustrated, Powerboat, Road and Track, Circle Track Magazine, Cycle News, Road Racing World and online at NASCAR.com. It will be interesting to see how he composes and captures images of the mural and bar area. Don has a website at http://www.donbok.com.

Keylo completed carving the re-created Kona Kai tiki for the Blowfish Bar. He applied a Colonial Maple stain yesterday afternoon. It stands 38 to 40 inches tall (will get precise height later). Here are a couple of photos before and after staining, framed in his business graphics...

Hope to rendezvous with Keylo this afternoon near the Lifeguard Station at the old Ormond Beach Pier, where he and his friends often hang out on Sundays and chase a few waves.

Tropical Storm Irene is projected to affect next weekend’s local activities. The latest official forecast track by the National Hurricane Center has it hitting Florida as at least a Category I hurricane on Friday and Saturday. She still has miles and miles to go, so we’ll just undertake some preliminary securing before the workweek starts.

-Tom

First the incredible mural, and now this awesome tiki? DANG! I GOTTA see pics of the bar when you open it for your party. It is going to be stratospherically spectacular!

careful with that hurricane... maybe you should throw a "Hurricane tiki party" to ride out the storm? :wink: Seriously though, I'll keep you in my thoughts and hope the hurricane doesn't happen.

Aloha, tigertail777. Appreciate your application of mana to diminish the impact of Hurricane Irene. You can be assured that rum spirits and other cocktail necessities will be stocked and mixed to help us ride out the storm, once everything’s been done to secure home, family, friends and animals as best we can. Hurricane parties are a normal, if thankfully infrequent, part of life in tropical latitudes, especially near a coast. They help folks cope when the power goes out and you’re captive amidst darkness, deafening noise, sweltering heat and humidity.

We had a successful rendezvous with “Keylo” Lewis in Ormond Beach yesterday afternoon. Here’s Keylo with the Kona Kai tiki he carved for the Blowfish Bar...

I think he did an awesome job of re-creating the iconic logo tiki. Compare it, for example, to this 1960’s Kona Kai cocktail menu in Mimi Payne’s collection (http://www.arkivatropika.com/)...

A very similar Maori tattooed tiki image appeared on some of Trader Vic’s items, including this 1958 luncheon menu, again from Mimi Payne’s collection, perhaps serving as the precursor for the Kona Kai tiki icon...

Here’s Kona Kai in his new home at the Blowfish Bar...

-Tom

[ Edited by: TikiTomD 2011-08-22 18:53 ]

Hey Tom
Just wanted to say thanks for all the artist support. Looks like the Blowfish Bar is full of incredible works of art. Hope all goes well this weekend with the storms. Be safe and a big Mahalo for your support.
Thanks Chris AKA Tiki 65

P.S. The lamps look like they have a great home. :)

Nice one! A tradition perpetuated! I got Danny Gallardo the job of carving two likenesses of that Tiki for the entrance of the new Trader Vic's in downtown L.A.

Here is a thread that discusses where the original carving can bee seen today:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=24081&forum=1&start=0

What still remains a mystery in what mid-century publication (magazine or art book), the Trader Vic and Kona Kai menu designers found a photo of this guy. I don't think that the Armet & Davis designer Irving Weisenberg necessarily ripped off the Trader Vic logo. Even though that came first, which makes sense, because the original was always in San Francisco.

And the resolution isn't that good, but I swear I see a drunken TikiHardBop underneath one of the palm trees as well. And he's still gripping his tiki mug!!!

Bigbrotiki, appreciate your insights on the origins of the Kona Kai and Trader Vic’s Maori logo Tikis. Those have always been among my favorite of mid-century Polynesian restaurant icons.

There are interesting Trader Vic / de Young intersections. According to this web site, http://www.heald.edu/about/history, “Trader Vic” Bergeron and Michael de Young, after whom the museum was named, were both alumni of Heald College in San Francisco. De Young published the predecessor newspaper of the San Francisco Chronicle and died in 1925, long before Trader Vic launched his restaurant empire. So I’d file that as merely a coincidental artifact.

However, this publication on the web indicates an early 1950's Trader Vic engagement inside the de Young Museum, so perhaps the Trader actually viewed the original Maori Tiki inside the museum and took a photo himself or had one taken: http://www.rcj.com/PacificaDesigns.pdf

Here’s the relevant excerpt...

-Tom

Aloha, Chris (Tiki 65). Glad you could stop by. Mahalo for those awesome Cannibal Trio Lamps – they’ve already elicited a lot of interest and kudos from my visitors.

TikiHardBop, I’m not sure that this is an issue of photographic resolution. You’ve likely been down in the Storm Shelter making those spirit potions again. A few of those and the vision tends to cloud over. However, I’m pretty sure that you’re correct... there seems to be a rather unsteady figure amongst the palm trees of the mural, holding firmly onto both mug and tree trunk. Don’t let go of either! Best regards to TornadoTiki.

On Sunday afternoon, Don Bok dropped by to take some photos of mural and Blowfish Bar. He’s a semi-retired professional photographer who was on the photography staff of Daytona International Speedway for 44 years. At well over six feet tall, he made me feel severely height impaired. His camera also dwarfed my little Canon PowerShot. Don is the nicest gentleman you could ever hope to meet. He’s also into plants, so he and my wife, Pat, established an immediate rapport, with promises to exchange Plumeria (aka Frangipani) cuttings. The flowers are used to make leis in Polynesia.

Here’s a photo of Don, the professional photographer with his giant Canon, taken by me, the amateur using my little Canon...

Don emailed me a couple of quick-look low resolution samples from his visit, with a full CD to follow later this week after he had time to do a bit of digital processing. One of those included Tango, best dog, general proprietor and couch potato of the moment...

Here’s a wide view sample that captures bar and mural...

And another of mural alone...

Then of great room with mural...

Finally of bar alone...

-Tom

Great! Like an ode to Julians and all the classic places and their murals. I can't say I have seen it done in any home before!

Swanky, mahalo for your visit.

Ramay “Keylo” Lewis, who carved a Kon Kai Tiki for the Blowfish Bar, is also a talented graphic designer. He went to work creating a custom logo for the Blowfish Bar (e.g., for coasters and napkins). Here’s the new logo...

Other than Pat and I, the most frequent Blowfish Bar client is our son, Tommy, who just returned from a tour as surf guide and instructor at Morro Negrito Surf Camp in Chiriqui, Panama. One of the guests snapped this photo of him in action...

-Tom

That mural really pops....WOW!!

Great new design on the Blowfish Bar logo...very slick...

cool as hell picture of your son, action shots are always sweet.

Love the new Blowfish Bar logo. Very retro, would look fantastic on a matchbook cover. :)

Fun logo, and the mural looks gorgeous! I'm looking forward to my next mai tai there!

Awesome bar FL Brother!

The mural is a choice bump to the decor.

McTiki

Mahalos to newB24, tigertail777, TornadoTiki and McTiki for visiting and posting feedback.

I’m looking forward to hosting another soirée at the Blowfish Bar, targeting sometime between the middle and end of October. Chris (TornadoTiki) and Christina (metikigal), I hope that is compatible with your calendars. Maybe McTiki would like to motor up and join us. The weather should still be on the warm side, so the beach ought to be enjoyable. In the meantime, I’ve got some rocket business to deal with, as well as acclimation of a new member of the family pack.

In August, Calista, our 15-year old standard poodle, succumbed to a stroke. Her brother, Tango, is 8 years old and exhibited signs of stress in her absence. So we contacted Coastal Poodle Rescue, hoping to find a mature standard poodle female in need of a home. With rescue, you need to be flexible in your parameters. As luck would have it, we got a call within a week with a good match except for the mature part... a 5-month old standard poodle female considered as a “special needs” case because she is an albino. Fortunately, her sight and hearing are intact. Two weeks ago we welcomed Kalani (Hawaiian for “heavenly”) into our home where she has been a mighty cute and lively little pest. She loves the ocean, like Tango, but we have to limit her sun exposure. She is pure energy in motion, approximating an F0 tornado on the Fujita scale as she whirls through the beach house chasing Tango...

Getting back to the upcoming Blowfish Bar soirée, along with Mai Tais, perhaps we can pick a cocktail to try from among the Moon Islander’s recipes in this TC thread: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=26860&forum=1&start=15&hilite=moon

Any suggestions on which one?

-Tom

Right now, the only official thing on our schedule is our big Halloween party on the 29th. I would like to have a shake-down/bar christening for the new Storm Shelter bar some time before that date. It's either going to be next weekend or one of the first two weekends in October. We will have to see how much trouble the bar top gives TikiMike before I can start realistically planning a date. We keep getting great tiki art in the mail for the bar. It's going to be pretty awesome when it gets done!

George, sounds like you've got quite an interesting remodeling effort underway at the Storm Shelter. Care to share some of that with the rest of us? I'll bet you could apply some spousal charm and persuade TornadoTiki to photo document the progress, since she's an awesome professional photographer. Maybe then you could post a Storm Shelter thread here in this forum.

-Tom

We're keeping the wraps on things right now. We want to spring on people as much as we can. Trust me, there will all kinds of pics of the bar on the web soon enough. I'm taking pictures when I can. TornadoTiki is busy using her cameras on paying gigs right now.

And a P.S. TornadoTiki won Best Documentary at the recent Melbourne Independent Filmmaker's Festival in Melbourne!