Jab blows into Chicago and points north - 4/9/05-4/17/05

I'm flying into Chicago next Saturday April 9th. for a couple of days, and then I'm driving up to Green Bay for the Rockin' 50s Fest II.

123 acts over 6 days for only $40!!

Some of the performers: Jerry Lee Lewis, High Noon, Big Sandy, Wanda Jackson, Joe Houston, Sonny Burgess, Ike Turner, The Crickets, Barbara Lynn, The Fendermen, Bob Will's Texas Playboys, The Teenagers, Ruth Brown, Kim Lenz, Los Straightjackets, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, Hank Thompson, Janis Martin, Dale Hawkins, The Lucky Stars, Link Wray, The Comets, and The Dave and Deke Combo.

http://www.rockabillyhall.com/GB2005.html

I'll be hitting Chicago town's nightspots with my host, man-about-town James (tikibars). I would love to meet any TC folks in Chicago or Green Bay or towns in between.

The home of Lake TIki is here in Milwaukee... the halfway point between Chicago and Green Bay...

Let me know when you might be passing by... I might be at home carving!

Lakesurfer - I love Milwaukee! We should meet for a beer and a brat!

We will be up in Green Bay 4/13 thru 4/16. Let's try and hook up for a cocktail, maybe Thursday night.
Dave & Coalbe

BaMbOoLoDgE...where the South Pacific meets the Great White North!

[ Edited by: BambooLodge on 2005-04-03 08:20 ]

Looks like Jab and I are locked in for the Chef Shangri-La -- Hala Kahiki -- Club Paradise Club run on Sunday the 10th.

PM me closer to the day and I'll let anyone interested in joining us know what time we'll be where.

I'm going to follow Jab up to Green Bay on Wednesday through Saturday with a portable bar and ingredients for Mai Tai and Flanders.

I was in Green Bay in 2002, and it was amazing. Better than the VLVs I've been to, IMHO.

don't forget - there's pre-greenbay shows happening at martyr's thursday(big "c" jamboree) and friday and sat. nites -lot's of rockabilly if you want to catch a show saturday night.

On 2005-04-04 11:57, Tipsy McStagger wrote:
don't forget - there's pre-greenbay shows happening at martyr's thursday(big "c" jamboree) and friday and sat. nites -lot's of rockabilly if you want to catch a show saturday night.

Wow, I don't know if I could handle more than 6 days straight of music. At least it's not all rockabilly - there's plenty of R&B, country-western, and vocal groups included.

On 2005-04-01 15:00, thejab wrote:
Jab blows into Chicago and points north

A Blow Jab!

Dean (Jab) and I will be at Chef Shangri-La tonight at 6:30, and then head to Hala Kahiki by 8:00.

Come on out!

Where's James?

The last time I saw him was in Manitowoc, WI.

We were in seperate cars and were supposed to meet in Sheboygan.

I learned a couple of lessons. Never trust a map in a travel book. I gave James bogus directions (from my travel book) to the Charcoal Inn in Sheboygan. When I arrived there I found it was closed so I proceded to the next stop, Rupp's Lodge. Closed too. Damn!

Always carry a cell phone on road trips, especially when traveling in seperate cars.

I had to catch a plane in Chicago so I left Sheboygan and never saw James again.

Sorry James!

The 50s Festival in Green Bay was amazing! Without a doubt it was the best concert event I have ever attended. James brought several jugs of tropical drinks including the Pisco Sour, Missionary's Downfall - mmmmmmm, and Tortuga. The concert went from 2PM to after 3AM but I managed to squeeze in a few adventures in the surrounding area.

Here's some pics. The concert pictures I took are here if you want to see them as well: http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeAOG7JoxbNmb2Y

Bar at Chef Shangri-La:

Dining room at Chef Shangri-La:

The rum was kicking in at Hala Kahiki:

Vitco!

George's Steak House in Appleton, WI. Great 1950s Olde English decor with a piano bar. I had a delicious 6 oz. tenderloin filet for lunch. Only $12.95 with salad and potato!

http://www.foodspot.com/georges/

I had desert at Leon's Frozen Custard in Oshkosh, WI. Their sign was amazing but somehow my picture was deleted. James, did you get a picture of that?

Ardy and Ed's drive-in, in Oshkosh since 1948. They still have carhops on roller skates! They make their own root beer so I had a refreshing root beer float.

http://www.foodspot.com/ardyandeds/

Bamboo Room in Green Bay. It's a nudie bar. The sign says "Naughty but nice".

Jellystone Park campground in Door County, WI.

Friday fish fry (a Wisconsin tradition) at Phil Rohrer's in Two Rivers, WI. On the plate is fried lake perch, raw fries and gravy, ho-made bread, and cole slaw.

Check out their sign: http://www.roadtripamerica.com/signs/homade.htm

Silver Coach restaurant in Steven's Point, WI.

Grotto Gardens and Wonder Cave, Rudolph, WI. A religious shrine and grotto built from the 1920's into the 1950s. It was closed for the season so I couldn't go into the cave or see Wisconsin in miniature.

Herschleb's Restaurant in Wisconsin Rapids.

The pictures are nice, but did you go anywhere interesting?!?!!? :)

On 2005-04-20 16:27, mrsmiley wrote:
The pictures are nice, but did you go anywhere interesting?!?!!? :)

Yes, but if I posted those pictures they might throw me off tiki central. :o

I am alive!

Sorry to be incommunicado... we went about 8 miles past the proper exit, and then decided that the directions were wrong. I got out my map, found the right exit, doubled back, and eventually made it to the rendezvous point, to find, not surprisingly, that the Jab had vanished. We did find some interesting old diners and such in Sheboygan. EVERYTHING there is closed up on Sunday.

Immediately upon returning to Chicago, I had to prepare for Tabu Tiki nights on Wednesday, and then leave for Indianapolis the next morning.

I will post my pics from Green Bay, Tabu Tiki, and Tiki Torch (forthcoming), next week, after I rturn from Atlanta.

Jab, I have car-free pics of George's, and I do have the sign for Leon's and many others.

and...
Doing green Bay, Indy, and Atlanta on three consecutive weekends, with a Tabu Tiki thrown in between it all, I am starting to get an idea for what our resident jet-setter Humuhumu must feel like...

Glad to hear you're alive JT!

I should have waited longer in Sheboygan for you but I figured it was 50% that you wouldn't go back, 50% that you would, and I had to catch a plane.

After leaving Sheboygan I only stopped briefly near Milwaukee to eat (at Kopp's) and made it to the airport just in time as there was some heavy traffic in Chicago.

Mahalo for the good times and great drinks in Green Bay, and I'll see you at Hukilau!

And if you ever return to Manitowoc check out the Penguin drive-in, which I forgot to visit as I didn't have my Roadfood book with me.

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=636&RefID=636

Here are some more pics from Green Bay, including some more shots of places Jab visited, and some places he missed.

Imperial Motel in Sheboygan.
The attatched diner is authentic early 1950s and untouched.

Further arguments against the interstates: you just don't see this stuff there.
Wisconsin Route 57.

Ditto above statement...

Per Jab's request, more shots of Leon's

Another old mo'

Uncle Tom's(!) in Brussels, Wisconsin has all sorts of geodes, antiques, and weridness. Guy who owns it is really nice, but might want to reconsider the name of his place!

Here's a car-free pic of George's

And speaking of cars, I found this old farm with about 50 classic cars in all states of repair - from Mint to TRASHED - all over the fields. Here are a few of the dozens of pics I got...

Some of our people...

Me and Jab

Breaking in the Mobile Exploration Lab 2.0...

Here's a pic of SweetPea (leeched from a pal)

And here's Mattfink, his wife Siobahn, and Annika, a Tiki lovin gal from Amsterdam. They're in the Black Cat vendors booth, which as you can see was pretty Tiki-friendly. (this pic also leeched from a pal)

Leaning jab - booze will do that.
image by mattfink

Love the pics-especially the one of your meal at Phil Rohr's!My inlaws have a house in Door County,and they always stop in for one of Phil's "Ho-made" soups.I always imagine women in slit skirts and high heels,cooking soup in the back of the restaurant.Tiny place,isn't it?Food's pretty tasty-looks like you had a good time on your Midwestern road trip.

On 2005-05-05 12:07, docwoods wrote:
Love the pics-especially the one of your meal at Phil Rohr's!My inlaws have a house in Door County,and they always stop in for one of Phil's "Ho-made" soups.I always imagine women in slit skirts and high heels,cooking soup in the back of the restaurant.Tiny place,isn't it?Food's pretty tasty-looks like you had a good time on your Midwestern road trip.

It was very good. I had the Friday fish fry (just like the locals) of lake perch with "raw fries" (thinly sliced fried potatoes, like potato chips but thicker) and gravy. The ho-made clam chowder was delicious. Phil still cooks at the grill (since '61) and he comes around to all the tables to say hello and see if you like your food.

The Jab is sooo cool!!! Dig the travel pics too!!!

You remind a bit of Roy Orbison in your western outfit...just need to tint your glasses a little!!

Matty

Grotto Gardens and Wonder Cave, Rudolph, WI. A religious shrine and grotto built from the 1920's into the 1950s. It was closed for the season so I couldn't go into the cave or see Wisconsin in miniature.

I finally got around to reading this thread, and was quite surprised to find pictures of the Rudolph Grotto there. Thanks for showing them! I grew up on a farm located just 7 miles from the Grotto, and know the town of Rudolph pretty well. Growing up I took it all for granted, and now I realize what a treasure the Grotto is.

The 'Wisconsin in Miniature' scene is pretty neat - definitely WW2 vintage, with toy soldiers marching, and lots of other items whose scale does not quite conform or match properly. There used to be a small church right next to the Miniature Display that you could insert a coin and it would light up inside. That church is now located inside the nearby museum, which I was quite impressed with. They have a display of old carnival game equipment (solid white milk bottles to knock over, dart boards, bingo equipment, fishing poles to 'throw the hook over the curtain and catch a prize')- and all of this stuff looked pretty old. They also had lots of vintage religous souvenirs and displays of old church stuff - even empty vintage gallon jugs of church wine.

The Wonder Cave is pretty neat, and I can remember how much fun we had as kids running through the place. The pedestrian path in the cave is actually multi-tiered with lots of steps, and you really lose all sense of where you are inside.

Rudolph also has a top-notch award winning cheese factory, a small market/butcher shop that makes some of the best summer sausage- and even a bowling alley - not bad for a town that has less than 500 people.

It was nice to see the pictures of the Herschlebs diner (great ice cream) in my hometown, Wisconsin Rapids too. Growing up, I remember no tiki presence at all in this area, so I was quite shocked to see all of those pictures on Tiki Central.

I'm heading into Wisconsin after the Chicago Exotica event for another week of roadside tourist activity, so I will likely be visiting the Rudolph Grotto again then.

Vern

On 2005-05-05 17:14, ikitnrev wrote:
I grew up on a farm located just 7 miles from the Grotto, and know the town of Rudolph pretty well.

Wow! My coworker grew up in Rudolph and she told me about the town and gardens. Her family, the Morans, owns the cheese factory. I order cheese from them about twice a year so I had to make the drive out there and see it in person. Their aged cheddar is the best!

Oddly enough, my parents came out to visit me last week. The only thing I asked them to bring me was some Dairy-State cheese, so I have a couple bricks of their aged cheddar and Colby cheese in my fridge right now! That cheese factory is also known for their cheese curds - but you've got to get them fresh, when they are still warm and squeek when you bite into them.

Ask your co-worker if she remembers the red, round barn that used to sit between Rapids and Vesper on F, until it was blown down around 1980. That is the place I used to live (closer to Holy Rosary Church)

Vern

[ Edited by: ikitnrev on 2005-05-05 18:12 ]

*On 2005-05-05 18:09, ikitnrev wrote:*That cheese factory is also known for their cheese curds - but you've got to get them fresh, when they are still warm and squeek when you bite into them.

Ask your co-worker if she remembers the red, round barn that used to sit between Rapids and Vesper on F, until it was blown down around 1980. That is the place I used to live (closer to Holy Rosary Church)

I just asked her and she remembers the barn! Small world. She says she went to school in Wisconsin Rapids.

I bought cheese curds at Renard's cheese factory in Door County. They were same day and squeeked, but they stopped squeeking after a couple days. They also have great summer sausage.

http://www.renards.com/

Sorry for the off-tiki-topic banter everyone!

Ummmm....cheese!One of Wisconsin's best "exports"-if you can't find cheese in Wisconsin,you haven't gone out your front door!Now let's talk about Johnsonville brats and Racine kringle!

Jab,

Remember, cheese is all around us. It is who we are and will always be.

(this statement doens NOT consider Velveeta)