The Reef - Polynesian Lounge, Casper, WY (bar)

Name:The Reef - Polynesian Lounge
Type:bar
Street:First and Center
City:Casper
State:WY
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct

Description:
Billed as Wyoming's First Polynesian Lounge. A brief write up in Tiki Road Trip is all I could find on this one.

What great graphics on the matchbook.

DC

...and what a GREAT graphic on the matches themselves! DIG IT!

Another ebay artifact from the singular Tiki hot spot in Casper - A Plate!

I just noticed the address on the matchbook - First and Center. Sounds like school, or the army or something...

DC

The Reef Lounge had its grand opening 10/4/1961 and was opened and operated by Bill and Keith Asbell and Bill Markham.
"The First Polynesian Lounge in Wyoming" where you will be "Served in a Delightful South Sea Atmosphere"

Designed & installed by Clif and Lou Sawyer - Palm Springs. "known for their Tiki designs across the country."

"On the Center Street entrance there are two picture windows. The window to the left of the door contains a five-foot Tiki god standing amid jungle flowers and sea shells. To the right of the door stands an eight foot Tiki god. Above the door is a small shelf running the width of the building filled with rocks collected from Wyoming rock beds by local rockhound clubs"

About a year later (8/62) they opened the Surf Room the restaurant extension to the Reef Lounge.

Seen here with an outrigger canoe on its roof is the Reef Lounge in a photo believed to be from 1965.
The Reef is reported to have changed hands a couple of times, becoming the "New Reef Lounge" in 1976 closing in "78 soon to be replaced by a disco hall.

Swiped from a Facebook group. https://oilcitywyo.com/backstory/2018/05/04/backstory-reef-lounge-gave-casper-taste-tiki/

[ Edited by: tikicoma 2018-05-07 02:18 ]

Buildings gone.

howlinowl

[ Edited by: howlinowl 2018-05-07 13:36 ]

Great info tikicoma! Here are some more pics...

Taking that photo from the website and zooming in to see the back of the room :down:

That part of the room is shown here in more detail, and color! :down:

And then turning around from roughly that same spot, we see the front entry and tiki :down:

-Randy

Aquarj that's great stuff! Dusty told me a little about the research you two did on this and other places (and people) I can't wait to see it. Lets hope it can somehow be presented to tikifiles in a proper venue! It sounds like it will be an incredible story.

[ Edited by: tikicoma 2018-05-09 01:48 ]

On 2018-05-09 01:46, tikicoma wrote:
I can't wait to see it. Lets hope it can somehow be presented to tikifiles in a proper venue! It sounds like it will be an incredible story.

I can't wait to do it! Well, apparently I can - things get busy. But yeah, it'll happen!

-Randy

Great research, I like the pictures you found.