Say goodbye to the Kona Lanes In OC

I heard it was announced in the OC Weekly that the Kona Lanes Bowl in Costa Mesa will be demolished. The fabulous tiki lettered marquee is still intact (rare for a bowling aley these days) and the interior is relatively original.

A picture is at the bottom of this page. http://www.roadsidepeek.com/googie/ocgoogie/

[ Edited by: Cherry Capri on 2002-09-06 16:30 ]

What a Shame! They used to have some good punk gigs there. Oh well, I'll file it away with the Cuckoo's Nest and the Golden Bear.

Any knowing of when they're tearing it down, and is it now closed?

Geeeez. Don't remind me...Yes, the land has been purchased. Closure date is not definite, but it is suppose to be Spring of 2003. The whole building will be demolished, sign and all....to make room for Coles Department Store. UGGGHH! I grew up one mile from Kona Lanes up until 9 years ago. I had my suspicions this past year since no actual promotions for Kona Lanes has been done, and no upkeep such as new plants, painting of the outside, etc. had been done. I'm sure the owners of the land were looking at the dollar value of the land rather than preserving the architecture. Hopefully, it won't end up like the Bel Congo Motel across from Kona Lanes. Anyone remember that place? It's STILL just empty land since being demolished YEARS ago! Anyone that has any extra "souvenirs" from the Bel Congo, please email me! In the meantime, I'm going to throw a few strikes down the lanes at Kona!

SugarCaddyDaddy

what a bummer-

we are rapidly losing all of our googie architecture here in America

"Sometimes you just dont know what you've got until its GONE-

-promise me you'll never go bungeejumping in Mexico.." -The Cable Guy

NOoooooooooo! I used to go there all the time to get 25 cent Frogurts. Once upon a Tikitime! :(

I remember hurling in the parking lot of the Kona Lanes after doing shots of vodka chased with Yohoo after some non-descript punk gig long ago.

I either wish I was 20 again or am god damn glad I'm not 20 any more!

Well, the inevitable will happen, BUT maybe a good thing for local carvers could happen...Kona Lanes has quite a bit of palm trees on the lot which have grown quite large, so maybe they can secure some of the trees for carving tikis when the new land owners have them cut down? If so, will those lucky carvers remember me when they get their finished tikis carved? (Hope so!).

SugarCaddyDaddy

[ Edited by: sugarcaddydaddy on 2002-09-12 22:34 ]

Maybe we should have one last TIKI bowling night at Kona and have a moment of silence between frames. But don't step in Bongs barf on the way in.
Way back when, I used to get served there all the time by the lady with the big big red hair. Anybody remember her, now those were the days.
OK who wants to bowl and when?

Have no brakes
Cannot stop
Mahalo to you
Baxdog

[ Edited by: thebaxdog on 2002-09-12 22:52 ]

I thought ALL the women who worked there (way back when) had BIG BIG RED HAIR?!?!

[ Edited by: DawnTiki on 2002-09-13 00:18 ]

anyone know who can save this beautiful sign from destrucion?... I e-mailed MONA ( Museum Of Neon Art ) to have them save it... anyone else with better ideas?

Bowling sounds good. How about the 21st?

I've shot pictures of the place for reference in the past and I'm glad I did. the shots I have of the now gone Mesa are pretty poor. I regret not getting better ones. I guess I better get over to The Port on PCH and get some of that soon as well.

r

Costa Mesa

I sent email to the American Sign Museum notifying them as well.

Please tell us more about The Port on PCH.

The Port is an old movie theater in Corona Del Mar that used to show old surf films and more reciently foreign and art films. I think that it is supposed to be coming down pretty soon. I had the fortune of seeing a double feature of both of the Endless Summer movies there when The Endless Summer II came out several years back. The theatre was big, with no carpet, and one small fan to cool the whole place. It's a shame that they're closing it. Corona del Mar is gonna end up like Vegas; no visible architectual history. When are they gonna chop down those palms at Kona?

So, no one has any specifics on when the closing date might be? I am going on a pilgramige of Tiki in the southland, or more like A Lost Tiki Weekend, I haven't been to the Kona Lanes since I was 14, it's time to go pay my long overdue respects! I hope I'm not to late! And the Port is going too? Man, what is to become of us? :tiki:

[ Edited by: DawnTiki on 2002-09-18 23:14 ]

On 2002-09-18 23:11, DawnTiki wrote:
So, no one has any specifics on when the closing date might be?

Spring of 2003. No EXACT date, just "Spring of 2003". Since the new land owners (Kohl's Department Stores) don't have to answer to anyone buy themselves, unfortunately they could close up anytime they want. It's just a guess, but they are probably allowing Kona Lanes to fulfill existing obligations like the last of the leagues, as well as any kids/birthday/school-related bowling events already scheduled and relocation/closure of the snack bar and pro shop, which are owned and operated independent of Kona Lanes. The Kona management weren't up to giving me more info than that.

SugarCaddyDaddy

The Caddy and The Tiki Transporter

[ Edited by: SugarCaddyDaddy on 2003-02-17 14:12 ]

can anyone answer this question at our other message board?
http://www.lottaliving.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=50

we are trying to locate the name of the architect of Kona Lanes.

I don't remember, and I'm too lazy to look at the previous pages, but are we TC's gonna go to Kona Lanes and drink/bowl or what?

Start posting some names and possible times of those who would be interested in going to Kona Lanes.

I'd like to go, but I wonder if we have the luxury of waiting until the middle of October?

Well let's plan on October 11 or 12. If it's gone, we'll go to the La Palma Chicken Pie Shop in Fullerton (umm!)

I received a response to my email from Tod Swormstedt with the American Sign Museum in Cincinatti. He would like to save the Kona Lanes sign even if we can't stop the building's demolition.

He said he will be attending the Modcom meeting this Monday.

Here are some pics we took at Kona Lanes on the day of the Tiki Farm bash.

-Randy

A little update to Kona Lanes closing:

I took my little girl (3 years old) out to Kona Lanes, since they have the air-filled bumpers to put in the lanes so that she can actually hit the pins and not get a gutter ball, and found out from the manager that the previously (un)announced closing date of March 2003 for Kona Lanes, has now been pushed back to August/September 2003!

I asked if any preservationist/conservationist pressures contributed to the pushing back of the closing date. She smiled, winked, and said "oooh...maybe!". Either that was the case, or she was just being a flirtatious older woman.

The delay in closing is good news for us, since I do hope we will all still do more Kona Lanes Blasts over the next year!

One side note: the manager did tell me that the owners, the Mann Family, not only owned Kona Lanes, but also owned Tustin Lanes AND Saddleback Lanes. Oh, and that they also owned a few Theaters....as in Mann Theaters (sound familiar to you fellow California people?).

She personally felt that Kona would close since in her words: "Once the Segerstrom Family puts their mind to changing something in Orange County, rarely does it not go their way".
(for non-OC people, the Segerstrom Family owns/controls(?) a large part of the land here in Southern California, and would be THUMBS UP for closing Kona in order to replace it with a new shopping center.)

Take the info I got with either a grain-of-salt or jigger of rum, I'm just reporting it as I heard it.

SugarCaddyDaddy

This Daddy's Caddy & The Tiki Transporter

[ Edited by: sugarcaddydaddy on 2002-12-01 21:29 ]

I just got drunk last night with a buddy and 2 fine ladies at Kona. We had the whole place to ourselves on a monday night just before closing.......I used to go to punk shows at Kona too. They would put plywood right over the lanes and rock. I grew up at Kona and the Q-club across the street. And we used to pick up cute Ice skater girls at Ice-Capades. Good times.

[ Edited by: LapuRocker on 2002-12-03 03:29 ]

February 2003 Update

Just received the "Public Notice" on the next step of the demise of Kona Lanes. I have provided (verbatim) the notice information so that any interested party knows exactly what it says:

*Public Notice Proposed Construction

Master Plan Amendment PA-02-06 and Planed Signing Program Amendment ZA-02-08 for Tait And Associates, authorized agent for C.J. Segerstrom and Sons, to demolish approximately 95,456 square feet of building area and construct an approximately 95,839 square foot retail building (Kohl's Department Store), with a Minor Conditional Use Permit to deviate from shared parking requirements for Mesa Verde Center, located at 2701 Harbor Boulevard in a C1-S and C2 zone. Environmental determination: negative declaration. The project location is not listed as a hazardous waste site. The environmental document is available for public review and comment from February 5, 2003 to February 24, 2003 at the following locations: (a)Public Counter, Planning Division, City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, (b)Mesa Verde Library, 2969 Mesa Verde Drive, East, (c)Orange County Public Library (Park Avenue Branch), 1855 Park Avenue.

This public hearing will be held as follows:
Date: Monday, February 24, 2003
Time: 6:30 P.M., or as soon as possible thereafter
Location: City Council Chambers at City Hall 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa

Public comments in either oral or written form may be presented during the public hearing. For further information, telephone (714) 754-5245, or visit the Planning Division, Second Floor of City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, California. The Planning Division is open 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.*

Saving this bit of history doesn't look promising.

SugarCaddyDaddy

Kohl's, huh? Ohhh, the irony. Weren't we all discussing their new tiki merch recently?

So, when do we lie down in front of the bulldozers? Since the end of the world is imminent anyway, let's just get out there in our bathrobes and relax in the mud.

Sorry, channelling "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" for a moment there.

Seriously, is there any updated info on the actual last date (even approximate) that one can bowl there? Because I may have reason to be in the south within the next month or less, and would make a special trip. Hell, I might anyway.

Whatever happens, please oh PLEASE tell me that one of you SoCal TCers has plans to rescue/buy/liberate/whatever that legendary sign!!! I don't care what we have to do, just don't let's allow it to end up at the dump! And yes, if volunteers are needed, I WOULD make a special trip for that. I'm still kicking myself for not rescuing the best bar neon I've ever seen, Sacramento's 1960 "Lunar Station," (closed a few years back) which came complete with rocket-to-the-moon imagery and of course a martini. Auuuuugh.

Thanks SugarCaddyDaddy!

I passed this info along to the Modern Committee crew... http://www.lottaliving.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=185

So, when do we lie down in front of the bulldozers? Since the end of the world is imminent anyway, let's just get out there in our bathrobes and relax in the mud.

Sorry, channelling "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" for a moment there.

Of course, the real trick would be to get the construction foreman to lie in the mud for you so you can pop off to the pub for a pint! :wink:

Patrick McNeal

[ Edited by: Biotron2000 on 2003-02-17 19:01 ]

[ Edited by: biotron2000 on 2003-02-17 19:54 ]

Bong, I think that sign would look great in your bar. It would sort of commemorate the tiki bowling thing we did. You may have to add on to your house in order to fit it in.

On 2003-02-17 14:44, tikivixen wrote:
So, when do we lie down in front of the bulldozers? Since the end of the world is imminent anyway, let's just get out there in our bathrobes and relax in the mud.

...and once we've resigned ourselves to laying in the mud, the bulldozer operators can assume we're going to lay there all day, so once that assumption is made there's no need to ACTUALLY lay there, so we may as well go 'round the Tiki Bar for a lunchtime Mai Tai!

...

On 2003-02-17 14:44, tikivixen wrote:
So, when do we lie down in front of the bulldozers? Since the end of the world is imminent anyway, let's just get out there in our bathrobes and relax in the mud.

...and once we've resigned ourselves to laying in the mud, the bulldozer operators can assume we're going to lay there all day, so once that assumption is made there's no need to ACTUALLY lay there, so we may as well go 'round the Tiki Bar for a lunchtime Mai Tai!

...

Fraid you're gonna have to settle for a half-assed Adios M'F'er, the last time I was there, the bartender didn't know how to make a mai tai.

Per my buddy James at the OC Weekly. He recently told me that there is a slight chance Kona can be saved. Word has it that (3) of the council members are bowlers !!

We shall see.....I will be there to show my support.

The bartendress muddled her way through a Blue Hawaiian with uncertainty. She looked around for the rum. Aha! She came up with a bottle of 151 and started dumping it in. I was filled with the glee.

Editing out a duplicate post. I was wondering how this was occurring so often on this site today. I sent in the first message and the system mulled it over for a bit. I was then greeted by a message that said the site was too busy right now. Well, the message did take after all. So did the second one I tried to send. Hmmm.

[ Edited by: floratina on 2003-02-18 20:01 ]