The Volcano

Were you feeling it??!! I was!!

I wish I could do that with every post. Sorry that I'll have to get back to a bit of reality here. Here's more pics!

Mom's note on this next one was that she thought it was taken of one of the dining room waitresses on break in the Tiki Lounge. (Notice her outfit versus the cocktail waitresses coming up in later pics - or like the ones from the luau at Cypress Gardens). I'm pretty sure Dad didn't allow any of the workers to smoke while on duty. This was probably even taken before the evening crowd showed up. I tried enlarging the items in the background, without much enhancement value. I hope you'll be able to see enough of it here.

Here's one of a cocktail waitress in front of the Bora Bora. I think I see a torch over her left shoulder.

Here's two dining room waitresses showing off their colorful outfits in front of the Bora Bora. I wonder what his nickname was - my brother had mentioned about it earlier. I never knew they gave him one! There is a small sign at the base of the statue, and it probably described something about the BB, however, I don't remember the details.

If the other bar was in the Tiki Lounge as Mom thought, then this was probably the bar in the Lava Club. Some of the decorative pieces are the same as the ones in the other bar. Sorry this one came out much redder than I thought!

This looks like a spread for for one those buffets you've seen in the ads. I've always enjoyed the dry-ice effect!

I tried to get a close up of the tiki things just for all of you. Hope it came out okay! If anyone knows any info about any of the pieces, please fill the rest of us in!

This is one of the buffet workers. Looks like he's getting going on a crown roast. At least that's what it looks like to me. I can't tell what's in the pan. Maybe oven-roasted potatoes?

Apparently this was taken on opening night. From left to right: GrandDad (just barely), Grandma P. (GrandDad remarried after his first wife died), a waitress, Mom, and Dad on the right behind her. Those curtains behind them are made of black bamboo beads. You could still see beyond them a little, but it was obscured a bit. I think the kitchen area was behind them, so Dad didn't want anyone to have to look at that while they were eating. This was taken in one of the thatched huts that you can see in the postcard. I think it was one of Dad's favorite tables to eat at. We sat there a lot when we went, but not every time.

I hate to say it, but this is all I've gotten done so far. I will keep working on this, but this is probably it for tonight. I need to take a little break! Could someone please make me a Mai-Tai? :)

I made you a mai tai last night but I drank it!

Thanks for all the work. You're doing a fine job on the scanning. I wonder who made the Bora Bora statue? What's interesting about that statue is that it has the marquesan style head on top of a moai style body.

Did you say that you have a sketch or blueprint of the layout? I'm having a hard time picturing it in my head. Am I correct that there was a Bora Bora Lounge, Lava Lounge, Lanai and Dining Room?

Do you remember ever hearing about or visiting the other Florida tiki establishments? As Sven mentioned, the large bowl at the Cypress Gardens luau is the one that they use at the Mai Kai in Ft Lauderdale.

Wow, cool stuff. The first thing that strikes me is the "What's missing in this picture" effect between the two shots of the bar at the Tiki Lounge. In the one with the waitress smoking (as far as I remember, everybody was smoking everywhere all the time back then) there is a very seductive black velvet nude painting on the back wall, which is replaced with a rather mean looking native in the one a couple of photos below. I bet that some of the more conservative churchgoin' folk had complained, maybe that native was a joke about that....
That nude is a known motif, a wahine drinking out of a shell, and I think it was done by Tyree, not Leeteg.

Most the folks here know this postcard image, but I wanted to show YOU this. Here is a Mai Kai mystery girl carrying that famed mystery bowl:

It has been reproduced since, but not with the same detail. A you can see in your photo of the Luau table, the straws went in thru the Tiki's mouths.

And here is a late 60s ad for Calvert's Leilani Rum, showing the Tiki Leilani mug they practically gave away as a promotional item. (See close up of text below)

Now that modernist BOTTLE sometimes stood in a vacu-form display that looked like this (flash-lit):

This is the Tiki you see as a centerpiece on your buffet table. It came with a light bulb inside to light the sign and make the Tiki glow, and a light bulb outside to back light the bottle (shot without flash):

This is a rare item now, that vacu-form plastic is very fragile, but TC's Swanky just scored one on e-bay for very little money.
I wanted one ever since I had seen them on the walls of the Tiki Ti in LA, where they have been re-engineered as wall sconces lighting their cocktail menu (sans feet). Can someone maybe post a photo of that?

I vote that some TCer who has a bunch should send Volcano Girl a Tiki Leilani mug for her wonderful thread here! (And send me a Leilani Rum bottle for my display! :wink: )

I won't be posting for the next two weeks, because I'll be in Havana, but will be back with Trader Vic's pics and stories. Aloha all.

On 2007-03-03 06:07, Kono wrote:
I made you a mai tai last night but I drank it!

Thanks for all the work. You're doing a fine job on the scanning. I wonder who made the Bora Bora statue? What's interesting about that statue is that it has the marquesan style head on top of a moai style body.

Did you say that you have a sketch or blueprint of the layout? I'm having a hard time picturing it in my head. Am I correct that there was a Bora Bora Lounge, Lava Lounge, Lanai and Dining Room?

Do you remember ever hearing about or visiting the other Florida tiki establishments? As Sven mentioned, the large bowl at the Cypress Gardens luau is the one that they use at the Mai Kai in Ft Lauderdale.

Hey, no fair on the mai tai!! :P

Oh, yes, and the layouts. It turns out that they seem to be sketches Dad must have made of how to arrange a certain portion of the restaurant for say like a private party or something. They aren't making real sense to me. It must have been something he was playing around with, because the outlines of the space are all the same, but some of the basics, like where the restrooms are changes on each one, the different stations are in different places (ie. water station, turn-in order station), even the manager's office in a different place on each sketch. Also there are notations with math problems about how much of a certain thing needed to be ordered or accounted for. It does not show the layout of the rest of the building, at least not in a way that I'm understanding it yet. I'll try to ask Mom if it supposed to complement some other drawing or layout.

As for the blueprint, I think it's just of the house when Dad used to live there as a kid. It doesn't relate to the transformed building in any way that I can discern, other than it's what the structure was like before it was altered. Seeing that she sent some pictures of the house before it was changed, that's probably all she had, so she sent it. I'll get around to showing the couple of those house pics after a while.

I really, really wish that I had a photo of the entrance to the restaurant, through the covered walkway. I mean it's great to see the volcano and the lagoons and the buildings, but that next (missing) view would be total sweetness. It's funny, but as helpful as these pictures are to give you an idea of the place, it almost seems like they are not the parts that I really want to convey. I guess we will have to glean as much information as we can from each one of them.

As for the buildings, there were two. I think that the nightclub building housed pretty much one long room, with a bar to the left as you entered and the stage on the far side (I think, but I'm not 100% on the stage position, it could have been on the right about midway.) This nightclub building was called the Lava Club by Mom, but I think I called it the Tiki Lounge in my earliest posts.

The restaurant building housed the main dining area, the Bora Bora Lounge/aka the Tiki Lounge by Mom's words/aka the lanai. I always thought the lanai was the entryway before you got to the atrium part when the BB statue was, but I guess I was using the wrong terminology. So really there were three areas that were used by most guests (the dining room, the lounge, and then the nightclub, which was separate). If Dad had a separate banquet room, I am unaware of its location. I would have to guess that for private parties he must have closed off an area of the restaurant to regular customers, maybe used some sort of room divider or curtain. I just don't know for sure, but will ask Mom if she remembers any more about that. Maybe that's what those sketches of layouts are for.

The only establishment that I had heard of back then that was Polynesian (besides our own) was the one at Disneyland. We had been there about a year or so before Dad opened the Volcano. Mom said that she remembers that Dad had visited Anne Langford's (?) place in Ft. Lauderdale, and I can only guess that she is referring to the Mai-Tai there. However, I can't seem to find a reference to Anne Langford with any of the historical information online about the Mai-Tai. I got the impression that they were sort of friendly competitors, so it's possible that Dad either borrowed the bowl from them or had one of his own. Maybe when the place closed the Mai-Kai got some of the ephemera?? Unless someone knows anyone at the Mai-Kai to talk to, I don't think we'll ever really know some of these specifics.

I have seen one picture at the Critiki Mai-Kai site that reminds me of the entrance to the Volcano. Here it is!

That little bridge over the water...picture something akin to that, but instead have it be a thatch-covered walkway. The part closest to us (where the musicians are) would be walkway on top of grass with the lagoon and volcano to the left (out of sight from this vantage point, but not in real life). Once you cross the bridge (which was longer than the one in the drawing) are the big heavy double doors to the restaurant. After you go through the doors, the BB is in front of you, the main dining are is to the left and the bar/lounge is on the right. Is it coming into your imagination any better? I will attempt to sketch a layout and will scan it in at some point.

I do know that Dad loved Trader Vic's, but I don't know which location, or if he discovered it after the Volcano or before. He traveled extensively across the US and loved eating out at any fine restaurant, not just Polynesian. I have matches somewhere in my huge collection (if it still exists) from the Mai-Kai although I have never been there myself. Some of the pictures on Critiki look very dark on the restaurant parts, and the ambience at the Volcano was not as dark as those. If there are any of the old Kahiki in Columbus, it was more similar to the atmosphere there. I do know for a fact that Dad had no idea of the Kahiki's existence until we took him there in the late 90's. We were stunned that there was another restaurant as close in ambience to the Volcano, and had never heard of it in all Dad's travels (although in fairness to Dad, I don't think he visited Columbus at all until we moved here).

On 2007-03-03 08:10, bigbrotiki wrote:
In the one with the waitress smoking (as far as I remember, everybody was smoking everywhere all the time back then) there is a very seductive black velvet nude painting on the back wall, which is replaced with a rather mean looking native in the one a couple of photos below. I bet that some of the more conservative churchgoin' folk had complained, maybe that native was a joke about that....
That nude is a known motif, a wahine drinking out of a shell, and I think it was done by Tyree, not Leeteg.

I was looking at those two pics very closely as well. It seems to me that they are in two different places. One is in the nightclub bar, the other is in the lounge across the atrium from the dining room. I don't know which is which, but the ceiling areas look different to me. I would think that this one is in the nightclub because of the seductive picture,

and that this one was in the lounge. However, Mom thought it was the other way around. I will try to ask her more.

The rest of your info is way cool!

I vote that some TCer who has a bunch **should send Volcano Girl a Tiki Leilani mug ** for her wonderful thread here! (And send me a Leilani Rum bottle for my display! :wink: )

I second that vote! Any takers?

I won't be posting for the next two weeks, because I'll be in Havana, but will be back with Trader Vic's pics and stories. Aloha all.

We will miss your input!! Have a great time!

Here's a few more that I was able to clean up a bit. In this first one, is it just me, or does the figure at the top of the sign seem to be at an angle, as if it spun around?? I don't remember that but I suppose it's possible! It also looks like Hwy 17 (aka 6th St) was already two lanes in each direction.

I know you've all seen lots of shots like this, but I thought I would go ahead and show you everything I've got. This would be off the covered porch area (isn't that called a 'lanai'?) of the restaurant bldg, looking north and east a bit to the nightclub across the lagoon. You can see one of the geysers spouting in the background, and the waterfall on the volcano is flowing, too (I think it was shut off during the closed night hours).

Here's another view of the volcano from the covered walkway. With that piece of bamboo laying there on the mulch, I'm guessing that we haven't opened for business yet. On the right you can see a bit of the lanai (covered porch) of the restaurant bldg. Beyond that would be where the water through the glass wall was for the dining room guests.

This one is a view of Lake Howard at sundown from the back side (west) of the restaurant. The road that you see there, in my mind would be the equivalent of Ave. E (which doesn't seem to exist anymore) or possibly Ave. F. The old Continental Can Company would have been behind the photographer. Across the street is the property that the Volcano sat on. I don't know if the parking lot extended that far back to Lake Howard Dr. (which the car is on). I tried to enhance this better, but couldn't without skewing too many other features.

So this is the extent of the photos that I have scanned and edited thus far. There are still more, and I'm probably about 2/3 of the way through them all.

This thread continues to amaze!!!!

Thank you Volcano Girl!

On 2007-03-03 11:14, The Granite Tiki wrote:
This thread continues to amaze!!!!

Thank you Volcano Girl!

You are quite welcome! I am glad there is someone to enjoy it!

On 2007-03-03 08:10, bigbrotiki wrote:

This is a rare item now, that vacu-form plastic is very fragile, but TC's Swanky just scored one on e-bay for very little money.
I wanted one ever since I had seen them on the walls of the Tiki Ti in LA, where they have been re-engineered as wall sconces lighting their cocktail menu (sans feet). Can someone maybe post a photo of that?

This?

On 2007-03-03 09:42, Volcano Girl wrote:
The only establishment that I had heard of back then that was Polynesian (besides our own) was the one at Disneyland. We had been there about a year or so before Dad opened the Volcano. Mom said that she remembers that Dad had visited Anne Langford's (?) place in Ft. Lauderdale, and I can only guess that she is referring to the Mai-Tai there. However, I can't seem to find a reference to Anne Langford with any of the historical information online about the Mai-Tai. I got the impression that they were sort of friendly competitors, so it's possible that Dad either borrowed the bowl from them or had one of his own. Maybe when the place closed the Mai-Kai got some of the ephemera?? Unless someone knows anyone at the Mai-Kai to talk to, I don't think we'll ever really know some of these specifics.

Maybe your thinking of Frances Langford's Outrigger in Jensen Beach. Here's a thread about the place:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=13970&forum=2

The Mai Kai likely had the bowl years before The Volcano opened and it did say "Mai Kai" on the side. A few people here know the owners of the Mai Kai and maybe could ask if they remember anything about The Volcano.

I spoke with Mom again last night. I told her I had trouble finding Anne Langford on Google (in relation to Ft. Lauderdale or Mai-Kai), and she said, "Oh, did I say Anne? I meant Frances...Frances Langford, and I'm not sure if her place was in Ft. Lauderdale or not." So you were right, Kono! Good to know the place was in Jensen Beach. That makes a lot more sense, since we were in the Orlando area at the time. Not that Dad didn't go to the Mai-Kai a time or two, but Mom said that he was always talking about Langford's place. I also asked about Trader Vic's, and her recollection is that they had not gone there until AFTER we had already moved from Winter Haven.

Here's the last of the photos you haven't seen, with the exception of the newspaper photos and articles, although they aren't any big deal. I guess I was more than 2/3 done (more like 90%). I had problems with my computer last night, so a couple of the photos I had worked on I had to re-do today. I also tried using two other photo programs that the scanner suggested, but I couldn't maneuver around in them as well as this Microsoft one.

Anyway, here's the same shot with two different kinds of enhancement. It's the same photo but two different copies as well. Both were flawed, as you can see by the big spot on the bottom left of the first, and the scratches near the top of the second. This picture was taken in the dining room. You can see some of the thatched huts, as well as more seating in the background. I couldn't get it to come in any sharper than this. Those darn Instamatic cameras don't give near the sharpness of a 35 mm, but that's all we had at the time! I guess these pictures are better than nothing!

This is the actor, Cornel Wilde. I don't know who the woman is.

This is Otto Graham, who I understand (from my husband and son) was an NFL player, though I'm not sure which team. The guys thought maybe it was the Chicago Bears. This photo is definitely taken in one of the bar areas, but I can't tell if it was in the Lava Club, or the Tiki Lounge (Bora-Bora?). The tables are different than the ones that were used in the dining room.

These last two are a couple of shots of a few Red Sox players, probably from the 68 or 69 team(s). If anyone is interested, maybe a photo roster of them could be found online somewhere. They are apparently seated next to the rock wall closest to 6th St (the far side of the dining room). Mom said that the far wall was the one with the waterfall windows, but if that's true, you can't really see it from either of these shots.

I'm going to try to work on some of the newspaper articles next, and then maybe a sketch of the layout.

Oh! I tried to zoom in on the Mai-Kai bowl for everyone. Enjoy!

Thanks Volcano Girl you are the best!

Now you just need to find the owners of the two cameras on the table, get those pictures and scan them. Thank you in advance.:lol:

[ Edited by: Bora Boris 2007-03-04 21:28 ]

I just found one more! This is Vikki Carr - a popular singer in the 60's (she's the blonde with the pink umbrella). This looks to me like it was in the Tiki Lounge. I don't know why I feel that about this picture, but it's a gut feeling.

Here's a picture of my Dad's house before it was transformed into the restaurant building. Mom thinks that the front porch became the Tiki Lounge, but she's not sure. If that's the case, then the Bora Bora (atrium) would be from the part on the left. The dining room would be to the left of that (that part didn't exist in this picture). The front of the house was facing north, and Joe's room was on that second floor on the right corner. The kitchen area was on the ground floor, behind the Bora Bora and the lounge.

Just for grins, here's the side of Dad's old house, the side that faced Lake Howard. It was pretty big. All I know of this house is from the stories I've heard. I've only seen pictures of it, and have no recollection of visiting there personally. Perhaps my older three siblings remember it somewhat. I was just too young to have ever been aware of this house.

Mom did say that she had more that she didn't send. She said that the pictures she held back were even darker than the ones she sent me. I'm trying to persuade her to send them anyway, and let me get them refurbished by a professional, so we'll see. I'm also thinking of making a trip back home in the next month or so, and if I do go, I'll try to hunt for more in the attic. Apparently she had tucked this stuff away in a closet.

On 2007-03-04 21:27, Bora Boris wrote:
Thanks Volcano Girl you are the best!

Now you just need to find the owners of the two cameras on the table, get those pictures and scan them. Thank you in advance.:lol:

---

[ Edited by: Bora Boris 2007-03-04 21:28 ]

Now THAT would be completely awesome!! :)

Wow! I should be sleeping right now, but I got so wrapped up with this I had to read it all.
Thank-you so much for sharing all of this with us.

Great stuff! Thanks for sharing!

I've been meaning to check this thread out for a while & finally had time this morning (when I am supposed to be writing a proposal for work....). WOW! It's amazing what a few TCers can dig-up in a short amount of time - Thanks Volcano Girl for sharing your memories & pictures!!!!

These last two are a couple of shots of a few Red Sox players, probably from the 68 or 69 team(s). If anyone is interested, maybe a photo roster of them could be found online somewhere. They are apparently seated next to the rock wall closest to 6th St (the far side of the dining room). Mom said that the far wall was the one with the waterfall windows, but if that's true, you can't really see it from either of these shots.

To the best of my detective work I believe I've come up with names for these three 'most famous' Red Sox Players! All three members of what Red Sox fans call the 1967 Impossible Dream Team. From Left to right - Carl Yastrzemski, Tony Conigliaro, and Jim Lonborg

In 1967 The Red Sox won the American league pennant and brought their world series matchup with the St Louis Cardinals to game seven. The Sox didn't win the world series but so many heroes were born to the young boy in Boston in the summer of 1967, these three were among those heroes.
The shot above, from The Volcano in 68 or 69, shows the friendship of the three and their ability to share a laugh! They obviously knew where to have that good time!

Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Lonborg are still alive today. Lonborg is a practicing dentist in Massachusetts even today, unfortunately Tony Conigliaro died at the age of 45 in 1990 after a number of tragic incidents in his life.

Jim Lonborg enjoyed seven seasons (1965-71) with the Sox, and is probably most noted for his magical 1967 season.
"No player in the history of the World Series, before or since, did what Jim Lonborg did in 1967, Lonborg still holds the record for the fewest hits given up in back-to-back starts, when he was simply brilliant in Games Two and Five in the great Series with the St. Louis Cardinals that year." - Boston Globe

Carl Yastrzemski enjoyed his best season in 1967, when he won the American League Triple Crown with a .326 batting average, 44 home runs (tied with Harmon Killebrew) and 121 RBI. He is the last hitter to have won the Triple Crown as of the 2006 season (six different pitchers have since won the pitchers' version). He was voted Most Valuable Player almost unanimously (one voter chose César Tovar of the Twins). That year, Yastrzemski also won the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year and Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" Award.

In 1967 Tony Conigliaro at age 22, became the youngest American League player to reach a career total of 100 home runs. On August 18, 1967, the Red Sox were playing the Angels at Fenway Park. Conigliaro, batting against Jack Hamilton, was hit by a pitch on his left cheekbone, and was carried off the field on a stretcher. He sustained a broken cheekbone and severe damage to his left retina. The batting helmet he was wearing did not have the protective earflap that has since become standard.

A year and a half later, (Around the time of this Volcano picture)Conigliaro made a remarkable return, hitting 20 homers with 82 RBI in 141 games, earning Comeback Player of the Year honors.

What legends!
I was born in 1960 in the Boston area and these three are among my heroes. I was thrilled to see this picture! Thanks Volcano Girl!

[ Edited by: jpmartdog 2007-03-05 09:33 ]

You are all welcome, and I am very glad that we have all worked together to learn as much as we've been able to so far.

I was just looking around in this stash that Mom sent, and realized that there was a small envelope with a few slides. One looks particularly promising, with a view of (perhaps) one of the covered walkways. I don't have a projector or anything to view the details of it closely, so I really can't tell what I'm looking at until I see it enlarged. Does anyone know how to make a scan of a slide? Do I need to take it somewhere to be developed first? Any input would be appreciated!

JP-

Just wow!!! That is really sweet sleuthing!! I can't wait to share this with the family! My just-a-bit-older-than-me brother was probably following them closely as well. He would be particularly thrilled at your info. He was born late in '58, and I was born in very early 1960.

By any chance, if you followed the team closely, do you have any recollection of a player or anyone associated with the Red Sox of that time frame with a last name of Ostrander, or Olstrander, or something along those lines? That was the surname of the rather large family that went to my school for the second half of the year. There must have been at least 8, possibly 11, kids that exited that stretch station wagon. The girl in my class was named LuAnn. I can't find anyone rostered with that name, so I was wondering if it was someone who might have been an assistant of some type.

Aloha Volcano Girl,

You should be able to take all the slides to a Cord Camera or similiar photo store and they can transfer the slides over to a CDR for you. I recently had this done with a bunch of Korla Pandit slides and they came out really nice.

Cheers,
Jeff

Mahalo!

On 2007-03-04 19:04, Volcano Girl wrote:
This is Otto Graham, who I understand (from my husband and son) was an NFL player, though I'm not sure which team. The guys thought maybe it was the Chicago Bears. This photo is definitely taken in one of the bar areas, but I can't tell if it was in the Lava Club, or the Tiki Lounge (Bora-Bora?). The tables are different than the ones that were used in the dining room.

Otto Everett Graham Jr., Quarterback for the Cleveland Browns from '46-'55. He also led the Rochester Royals to an NBA title in the '45-'46 season.

Otto Graham was the quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in the 1950's, and led them to multiple national championships. In 1999 the Sporting News listed him as #7 on their list of the greatest NFL players of all time.

I love the picture of Vikki Carr, as she is one of my favorite singers. Those of you have Capital's Ultra Lounge Series may remember her voice from the 'Crime Scene' CD. Vikki sings the Burlesque sounding song 'The Silencers' to a great Elmer Bernstein arrangement. The song's lyrics include ....

"But if you should see a lady who,
Has the kind of waist that measures twenty-two,
And she's thirty-eight where it is great to measure 38,
Dear Sir: She is a Silencer"
Dear Sir: I'm Her"

That song was from the soundtrack to the Dean Martin 'Matt Helm' spy film.

I love the photos and history of the Volcano -- and now I wonder if it is possible that Vikki Carr actually sang 'The Silencers' that night at the Volcano .... it wouldn't get any better than that.

Vern

Here is a video of The Silencers, but sung by Joi Lansing - check it out here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpbF9H0Taa0

and here is a little Vicki Carr!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QAlisxtZyA

Visit my Online Art Gallery at
http://www.jonmooers.com

[ Edited by: jpmartdog 2007-03-05 09:48 ]

[ Edited by: jpmartdog 2007-03-07 15:52 ]

Here is a picture of the Mai Kai bowl.
Yours looks like it has something other than
Mai Kai on the side.
And yes, the Tropical Bistro date has changed.
It is the 6th of march, Tomorrow at 8:00.
Hope to see you there.

On 2007-03-04 19:04, Volcano Girl wrote:

Is there a date on this picture? That's the original Harper Mystery Bowl the Mai Kai used in the beginning. Looks like the design on the side with the flower they had along with their logo. It is still not clear if the Mai Kai had the Mystery Drink in 1957 when they opened, or if it started later. These folks look to be more mid-sixties by the hair style. Could be wrong though.

Swank Blather- Talkin' atcha

[ Edited by: Swanky 2007-03-05 11:42 ]

Mom has told me that she thinks these photos of the luau at Cypress Gardens were for the Press Association, and to her recollection that would have been sometime in January, 1968 just before opening. According to a Lakeland Ledger newspaper article dated Jan. 12, 1968 (I haven't finished the enhancement to this one yet), the opening was only days away. The writer of the article, Jean Higgins, was most likely at that luau (and also at the restaurant site, based on the photos in the article). So that would be really close to an actual date of the luau, give or take a day or two.

Tikiskip uses that Mai kai bowl for his peanuts!!! :lol:

JC & tikiskip - That's a riot! I love it! :D

Also, I need for one of you to tell me whether or not the meet and greet starts at 7 or 8. Of course, I could shoot for 7:30 and probably be okay, right?! About how long should I plan to be there? I live on the other side of town, plus I will probably need to be back home in time to tell my youngest to get to bed. I'm hoping my husband will be coming also, doubling the reason why junior will try to postpone his HW and stay up later than he should.

This topic has to be one of the coolest things I've run across on Tiki Central. A big thanks to everyone who has dug up interesting tidbits on the volcano, and an extra big thanks to Volcano Girl for telling us all her and her family's stories about the volcano.

Zombiepops

The drinks are 1/2 price after 9:00.
Coincidentaly this seems to be the time everyone gets
there.
But my wife and I will shoot for 8:00.
Jeff what time are you going?

I spoke to Pia at the Mai-Kai about that luau picture. She showed it to the Thornton's (for those not aware, they are the owners) and honestly, I'm not trying to dispute the picture at all, but they claim it looks to them like a Mai-Kai catered event. I'm not so inclined to believe that because they identified the mugs as the Mara Amu mug, but I'm not aware of the Tiki Leilani mugs ever being used for the Mara Amu. But it would explain presence of the mystery bowl.

Anyhoo, for those of you who like a little controversy, rant on...

:o
:-?
:x

On 2007-03-05 16:03, GatorRob wrote:
She showed it to the Thornton's (for those not aware, they are the owners) and honestly, I'm not trying to dispute the picture at all, but they claim it looks to them like a Mai-Kai catered event.

Based on what? The polynesian theme?

The bowl is the only tie to the Mai-Kai. If they (Mai-Kai) catered an event thats a 3+ hours drive away for a national press event, at a well known tourist attraction (Cypress Gardens), you'd think they'd have more specific memories of this happening.

With The Volcano being just a couple of miles away, I think its more likely that they did the catering, bowl be damned. Why else would Volcano Mom have the pics?

Hell, I'd pick the Hawaiian Inn as being the caterers before the Mai-Kai due to proximity and all the Leilanis!

Volcano Girl- It's been a while since I checked out this thread and am totally blown away by your images and collection. Very cool place, wish I could have seen it in action!

Hey Volcano Girl, Skip, Jeff...hope to see you all tommorow night!

OK, I just got off the phone with Mom. I just couldn't let that go by without asking her about it. Here's some clarification. Mom had told me before that Dad had a dry run with the whole restaurant staff before it was opened, and the invited guests were people from various nearby press outlets. I did have that event confused with the luau that was held at Cypress Gardens, which was also for the "Press Association". I thought she had meant that it was the same event, but they were two different things. Apparently, the luau at CG happened at a later time, and not before the opening of the restaurant to the public. I don't think it was necessarily the National Press Association, maybe it was the Florida Press Assoc. However, she was adamant that Dad (the Volcano) provided ALL of the food, and that, knowing my father and his many connections, he most likely had been the one in charge of getting the rest of the luau put together. Dad had a LONG standing relationship with Cypress Gardens, since his teen years (he had been one of the water-skiers there before he got married), and my understanding now is that CG was very excited to have Dad back in town. So...while the Mai-Kai people think it may LOOK like it was catered by them, it would NOT have been.

Mom would only go so far as to say that it's possible that the dancers may have performed at the Mai-Kai, that maybe they were a group with an agent, and may have been hired for the event by my father. Since some of Dad's ads and interviews talked about the ability to cater events up to 500, she is certain that he made the arrangements and knew how and where to get the required items to host a luau properly. It is possible he may have "rented" some equipment from Mai-Kai, but I can assure you that the china used was from the Volcano, and the volcano ice fruit centerpieces were one of Dad's signatures. I can tell you that it's within the realm of possibility that Dad had seen a luau set up at the Mai-Kai, or any other number of places (two that came to Mom's mind were Frances Langford's Outrigger, or the Tahitian Inn in Tampa). She also told me to talk with my oldest brother, because he may have had to "work" the event. Talking with him will give us an idea of when the CG luau was held, and whether he was privy to where Dad got any of the materials from, if they weren't owned by the restaurant. I will get back with you all further about that once I have heard from him. So for now, the food was completely catered by the Volcano, not the Mai-Kai. Any speculation on the part of the Mai-Kai people is just that, and that is likely because they didn't know that Dad had such a good relationship with Cypress Gardens. They should be content that they were able to sustain/grow their business, and not try to take anything away from the good work that my father did.

I'm going to try to get this article uploaded before my son needs the computer again. I've been working all day on making it readable. I'm sorry about the different sizes of font. I tried to get them to all be the same size, but I guess I have plenty of learning left. I'll probably not be able to get back with anyone tonight, so "happy reading"!

This article was published in the Ledger (Lakeland) on Friday, January 12, 1968.

This would probably have been one of the first newspaper ads, maybe the first, that Dad produced (yes, he got that involved in the minutiae, at least at the beginning).

This is one of the pictures that accompanied the article. I haven't gotten the other one done yet, but it's of the Bora Bora statue, which you have already seen. I obviously haven't grasped how to make a newspaper picture to come out any better than this.

Here is the Mai Kai logo side of the bowl. I was not implying that this was the Mai Kai bowl. I was thinking it was the Harper bowl made for the Volcano and wish that darned glass wasn't in the way so we could see what logo was there! I only know of one of these in existence, so if it was made for another location, that means maybe more of them out there somewhere. BUT this is clearly the Mai Kai bowl. You can see "KAI" in the picture. How it got there and why is the mystery.

Swank Blather- Talkin' atcha

[ Edited by: swanky 2007-03-06 10:01 ]

Volcano Girl, please don't think I was trying to question your credibility or the authenticity of your pictures. Not at all. I'm completely thrilled at the pictures you've posted and have really enjoyed the stories you've shared about the Volcano and your family. The only reason I asked the Mai-Kai about that picture was to see if they could recall the event or the Volcano and to see if they could shed any light as to why a Mai-Kai mystery bowl was at a Volcano-catered luau. I was surprised when they said it looked to them like a Mai-Kai luau. But like I said in my post, I wasn't inclined to believe that their conclusion was correct. I'm sure to them it does look like a Mai-Kai event. The bowl is theirs and the mugs they thought were their Maru Amu mugs (which I don't think so). And that ice fruit dish...

On 2007-03-05 19:29, Volcano Girl wrote:
... and the volcano ice fruit centerpieces were one of Dad's signatures.

While I have no reason to doubt you are correct, the ice fruit dish was not exclusive to the Volcano. The Mai-Kai also served one that is nearly identical. In fact, they still do. On the Mai-Kai web site, click Menus and then Desserts and you will see the Polynesian Surprise. ("Fresh tropical fruits adorn this volcano of ice, set ablaze at your table with sparklers.") Here is a picture of one:

They should be content that they were able to sustain/grow their business, and not try to take anything away from the good work that my father did.

I don't believe they had any intentions of doing so. They really didn't say anything at all to me about the Volcano and they don't know the whole back story about your father. So, while their conclusion about the picture might have been off, I don't think their intent was to disparage anyone.

You know, I debated whether to even post their remarks at all. Maybe I shouldn't have, but some good came of it, right? You contacted your Mom again and got some clarification about it. So my actions weren't really ALL bad. :)

You should really get down to the Mai-Kai sometime. I have a feeling the similarities between it and the Volcano will bring back a flood of childhood memories for you.

Gator Rob,
I was mostly surprised and confused by the very idea that the Mai-Kai people thought that the Cypress Gardens luau was catered by them. If it had been, I'd like to think that they would remember such an event more clearly, because I know it was a pretty big event to Dad. We should know a little more when my oldest brother gets back to me (our schedules are completely lopsided from each other, so usually a bit of time goes by in between catching each other). However, I'm sure that time has faded all of our memories; mine, Mom's, my brother's, and the Mai-Kai people.

It's funny though, the impressions you get of things as a child, some of those impressions are very strong (maybe even incorrect), and so while I didn't relate the luau to the Press Association, I remember Dad working non-stop with Cypress Gardens on some things. The talk about what was going on would pervade the dinner table (at least in our house). I think the name I recall as one that was brought up with frequency (associated with Cypress Gardens) was Dick Pope. I'm pretty sure that Dad knew him very well, and worked with him often. If he or any of his family is still around, maybe someone could check it out to see what they remember. Cypress Gardens may even have something there that could be checked out.

Like I said in the earlier post, it wouldn't surprise Mom or any of us that Dad had engaged certain groups to help him prepare this event. The food and dishes were absolutely provided by the Volcano. I agree that even the ice fruit dish that I thought of as a signature of Dad's may not have been his original idea, or it could also be that someone enjoyed it so much at the Volcano that they incorporated it into their menu from him. I don't know how we'd ever know for sure. Perhaps the Mai-Kai has it on one of their early menus. FWIW, Dad also had the volcano ice fruit dish flame up, but it wasn't with sparklers.

As for the Mai-Kai bowl, it does look like it could be one of their early ones. I don't know how we'd ever find out if Dad was able to purchase any from them, or borrow them, or what circumstances led to them being used at this luau. I suppose it's within the realm of possibility that Cypress Gardens hired the Mai-Kai for producing part of the event, and Dad to do other parts. Maybe they all worked together to make it a seamless event. We'll see if my brother can shed any more light on it.

So, while their conclusion about the picture might have been off, I don't think their intent was to disparage anyone.

Thanks for clearing that up. I think there are a few things that I may sometimes be sensitive about, and my Dad and what he struggled with concerning the restaurant workings is one of them. There is a good reason why the Volcano didn't stay around very long, but it had little or nothing to do with Dad's capability (not that you suggested that, just that I'm sensitive to it).

You know, I debated whether to even post their remarks at all. Maybe I shouldn't have, but some good came of it, right? You contacted your Mom again and got some clarification about it. So my actions weren't really ALL bad. :)

Naw, it's okay, we're 8)! This is how we learn about all the different things there are to know. Without it being said, maybe none of us would have ever gone further. TC is a place to learn all about the world of tiki.

You should really get down to the Mai-Kai sometime. I have a feeling the similarities between it and the Volcano will bring back a flood of childhood memories for you.

Without a doubt! I don't usually visit the east coast of Florida when I'm down there, but I may have to change my ways eventually. A short visit for one of my days I can probably deal with. I'm selfish when it comes to my vacation time, though. We don't have as many sunny days as I'd like in Ohio, and we have nothing remotely resembling the Gulf beaches (which IMHO are the superior ones Florida has to offer).

I've got much work to do still, and I think I convinced Mom to send the other pictures that she held back. I told her I would get everything fixed up. Hopefully that was enough for her. She is worried about any of this getting lost or damaged further. Lots of it is very delicate already.

ALOHA!

The folks at the Mai Kai are not always 100% sure of their own history. If they are not clear on this, it is not a big surprise. There are parts of their history I don't think there is concensus about and that stuff is major! Well, now that I think about it, in the magazine articles in which that bowl is pictured, the dates are mid-sixties. 1966. So, it does make sense, time-wise.

I just stumbled upon this thread today and am grinning from ear to ear. Really cool stuff. I'm in Minnesota right now and it's not exactly 1967 but I'm really excited about this place for some strange reason.

On 2007-03-06 11:28, Volcano Girl wrote:

You should really get down to the Mai-Kai sometime. I have a feeling the similarities between it and the Volcano will bring back a flood of childhood memories for you.

Without a doubt! I don't usually visit the east coast of Florida when I'm down there, but I may have to change my ways eventually. A short visit for one of my days I can probably deal with. I'm selfish when it comes to my vacation time, though. We don't have as many sunny days as I'd like in Ohio, and we have nothing remotely resembling the Gulf beaches (which IMHO are the superior ones Florida has to offer).

Yup, we agree there. The Gulf beaches are the best. I grew up in the panhandle. The sand is pure white and the water is a beautiful emerald color. (FYI - your TC signature says "Gainesville, FL" - I went to UF) Anyway, when you plan a trip to the Mai-Kai, please let us all know and we'll do our best to plan a welcome party!

Sorry to chime in, but I just caught this thread and it is spectacular research....Thanx to all for sharing. This is some great stuff.