Denver Ohana-Happenings & Info

This thread is for tiki happenings, info, etc. specific to those living in or near Denver, Co. Myself or someone else will probably bump this thread from time to time.

[ Edited by: caerthe 2006-09-23 00:24 ]

Found this on Craigslist:

510 Retro is looking to decorate there new store in a vintage Hawaiian, Surf, Tiki motif... if you have velvet paintings, tiki mugs, old hawaiian shirts, bamboo furniture. Please call Richard 303-818-0776
Please 1970s and older items only!

[ Edited by: caerthe 2006-04-06 22:45 ]

Right on!

Good to start a thread for Denver Tiki events and Denver Tiki in General. My wife and I are diligently working on our outdoor Tiki Bar and hope to host a Denver Ohana event sometime in late may or early June (after we recover from Oasis 6). Will keep everyone posted as soon as we nail down a date.

Speaking of Oasis 6 this could be a good thread to thereby figger out who from Denver is going to make it to San Diego.

T.F.

[ Edited by: ZuluMagoo 2006-09-17 12:46 ]

Re Tiki @ Target in Denver.

I have seen on the Tiki at Target thread, some pretty cool and affordable resin Tikis that are definitely on par with the Big Lost ones. I have been to the Super Target on Colorado and Alameda and there were no Tikis at all. There is however the Mai Tiki gazebo,$250. which is freakin' awesome. Also, If anyone is interested, they do indeed have the full on Tiki Bar w/ stools also cheap, plus a pretty cool resin bamboo water fountain.

If anyone discovers the Tiki statues at their local Target, PLEASE post it.

T.F.

Well, one more Target down. Only the same stuff at Targrt @ Suckingham Square. One thing to keep your eye on is the impending clearance sale of the aforementioned items.

I encourage you to check your local Target stores and post your findings.

T.F.

The Super Target at Aurora City Place doesn't have the statues either. At least from what I've seen and I viewed their Tiki display right after they set it up. Pretty nice, actually, but the only Tiki-esque statuary, per se, are the bamboo fountains. Unless they've introduced something new into the display in the last couple of days, which was the last time I was there.

The canopy and bar combination does look nice.

I'll let you know if I see any Tikis.

Miss Amy gave me the night off Saturday night.....one more before the baby arrives.
So I rounded up about eight car freaks and were went out and bombed the town in tire smoke and V-8 exhaust noise.
But we did are best to represent the tiki life..we started at Swing-Thai on 44th and Tennyson...they aren't really tiki but they have some great tiki style drinks. Thai-tanic is a green pineapple, Vodka and sweet and sour mix that just rocks!
We worked our way through highlands, down Speer and onto Broadway....the whole time picking up speed and volume. The three gear burnout by my buddy Brian Hardman (Pikes peak hillclimb racer) in his 68' Ford Fairlane was truly beautiful.
Filled the whole intersection of Alameda and Bd-way with a wonderful blue smoke.
Everybody landed at the Twin Dragon again and they were happy as hell to see us. I think they are quite pleased by the new interest and business. Thanks again Zulu.
We all indulged in more Zombies and Mai Tais, and then hung around drinking water and juice until everybody felt normal again.
Then it was off to Lincoln's Roadhouse to see Ethel and the Regulars where we finished the night. Great band. Jeff Yeary rules!
All in all we had 7 cars; My 64' Galaxie, a 50' Ford Coupe, a 39' Ford Sedan, a 66' Cadillac Convert, a '68 Fairlane, a Blown 52' Ford Coupe, and a beautiful 2000 Cadillac DHS my buddy Tony out of Wyoming just bought.

But the reason I'm tellin you all this is that we want to do it again...everybody had a great time. We are hoping that after my new baby girl arrives and things settle down we can storm the town. Maybe June or July.
But this will be an open invite to anyone who wants to go. The only requirement is that you bring a car and it's an American make. The bigger and longer the better.
Let me know and I will get in contact before it happens.
Thanks, Mr. Dale

"Somedays I'm an Artist. Other days I'm just a poo flinging monkey"

---Happy Skull-ptures---

[ Edited by: Mr. Dale 2006-04-12 11:44 ]

To the Denver Tiki Preservation Society ( Denver Ohana )..

Who is going to Oasis 6? It would be cool it we could find a way to meet up there. Suggestions? Time? Place? By the pool ( drink in hand ) ? After kau kau? What day / night? Let's make a showing for Denver!

Wish I was going, but it's not in the cards.

The High Cost of Oil

Tiki lantern oil, that is.

Went to Cost Plus (also known as World Market) today and discovered that the price for tiki torch oil is skyrocketing.

The display featured two different shaped bottles, apparently filled with the exact same oil in the same quantity (64 oz.). The teardrop shaped bottle (the same style bottle they've been featuring for the past couple years) is priced at $3.99. The newer, more rectangular shaped bottle, is priced at $6.99. I tried to inspect both bottles carefully and couldn't discern any difference in either product. Both are World Market products. My advice is to stock up now before the old bottles are gone.

The Cost Plus I purchased my $3.99 bottle is on Mississippi, near I-225. I'm not sure how many Cost Plus/World Markets there are out there, so I thought I'd post on this thread first.

Happy torch fuel hunting!

I was wondering if anyone from Denver wants to chime in on the impending opening of Hula's on Broadway. I don't want to be too prematurely skeptical, but the name of the joint raises some questions in my mind. For example, why would you name a place Hula's out on the myriad endless possibilities of cool names for a Tiki / Poly Pop establishment.Single word possessive names for bars and restaurants are out like a friggin' leg warmer. Something about this is just a little too close to Chili's for comfort. Kind of corporate not unlike TGI Friday's or Shennagin's for crissakes. I really hope that this concept doesn't try to dumb down Tiki in any way. The Idea of selling Tiki to the lowest common denominator is a troubling proposition that could very well start with a clueless staff and end in banality.

To their credit, the Hula's web site does have some nice musical tidbits that show that someone did their homework, and the interior shots of the Monterey location are not half bad. The lighting scheme seems awfully bright for my tastes but that could be a concession made for the sake of photography.

I guess only time will tell with this one, however, if my suspicions are correct, there will be at least a Tiki bar where Dave Flomberg feels comfortable in his 80's aloha shirt, listening to Jimmy Buffet with a teriyaki cheese burger in paradise.

Tiki Fink prefers the more authentic approach, so see ya at the new Tiki Boyd's or whatever they decide to call it.

I had very similar concerns before I visited the Monterey Hula's. Indeed, I believe that when they first opened years ago, their concept was a little more simple; geared a bit more to generic modern tropical Hawaii. Technically, the name isn't Hula's, it's Hula's Island Grill & Tiki Bar, but that's such a mouthful (and the extra words pretty much just state the obvious anyhow), that everyone just calls it Hula's.

After building the place (which is just a few blocks from Munktiki HQ, and you can get your drink served in a Munktiki mug), the owners got a bit more into vintage Polynesian Pop. They expanded the restaurant into a side room, which this time was decked out in true PolyPop fashion -- bamboo booths, lauhala matting, velvet paintings, and the biggest Tiki Tony carving I've ever seen. The Mai Tai I was served was an honest attempt at the Trader Vic's recipe -- no pineapple or grenadine -- and was very, very close. The main dining room area is still more simple (though it has a number of cool carved panels, which I think were done by Bosko), but that side room is awesome. When we ate there, we spoke with one of the owners, and he told us he was dying to go all-Poly-Pop at their next location.

In my opinion, the news of Hula's opening a location in your town is perhaps as good as if Trader Vic's was. It still has all the potential pitfalls of any new spot: who knows what the decor really will be, or the drinks, or the food -- but the decor & food in Monterey are way better than the modern-day Vic's I've been to, and the drinks are about on par with the average not-the-best-but-still-good Vic's bartender.

Critiki - Ooga-Mooga - Humu Kon Tiki

[ Edited by: Humuhumu 2006-04-18 12:16 ]

Humuhumu:

Thanks for the info. I really hope that they do indeed play up the Poly Pop aspect of the Denver location. I also hope that Hula's is as good for the bar fly as it is for it's dining aspects. For a city like ours to have a lacklustre re-introduction to Tiki would be a shame. I am old enough to remember many of the original Tiki establishments in Denver and my parents frequented them with delight.

Perhaps the last holdout in terms of a real original Exotica style bar here was a place called the Fuji En and I was able to enjoy that place up until 1998. Fuji En was kind of run down but it was still pretty spectacular and it had the kind of ambiance that was truly addictive. Fuji En fell to the hands of some tasteless iconoclasts who gutted it, discarded many beautiful hand crafted items in a construction dumpster and Re - named the place Dazzle.

I am really hoping that the new Tiki / Exotica places to fill the niche in Denver are wonderful in their own right.My bet is still on the new Boyd's in terms of concept,hospitality and overall ambiance.

T.F.

[ Edited by: ZuluMagoo 2006-09-17 12:50 ]

Regarding Hula's arrival in Denver. Currently, there no Tiki and even if Hula's is only halfa**ed, it will be far more than what is available. Denver is still fairly conservative, so I don't expect them to really pour on the Tiki charm. If they do, excellent. If it's just a toned down island theme, well it's at least a start.

Zulu:

Sounds like a plan! I hav rezzies at Bali Hai for 5:30, so I will be there!

T.F.

Anyone know of a Chinese restaurant of a similar caliber as the Twin Dragon in Westminster?

Denver Ohana:

I am currently stocking six types of Tiki Farm mugs in my store and I am offering a special 15% discount for TCer's on Tiki Drink items and mugs. Here is a chance to get some great mugs (along with the booze to fill em'up) and avoid the shipping and the wait. Come in and say Aloha! Dont forget to mention that you subscribe to Tiki Central for the discount!

If these items sell well I will stock more styles! Prime Tiki season is almost upon us in Colorado, so this is a great way to fill that bar with great booze and mugs for your guests.

Store info:
Forrest Wine and Liquor
20239 East Smoky Hill Rd.
Centennial, CO 80015
Ph# 303-680-4166
Email [email protected]

The mug styles are:

"The Goon"

"Drei Moai"

"Suffering Bastard"

"Flame Man Chu"

"Tiki on the Beach"

"Don Ho's Tiki Mug"

If you need to familiarize yourself with what these look like go to http://www.tikifarm.com

Suck em' up!

T.F.

Dick Dale May 5th at the bluebird......I'm gonna try, still no baby as of now so I'm still gonna try and go until it happens.

Anyone going but my drunk friends?

dear all,
If you live in or near Denver and like Hawaiian music don't miss our shows.
We do hapa-haole from the 30's and 40's, along with jazz and more contemporary Hawaiian - hopefully something for everyone to enjoy. Authentic Hawaiian quartet instrumentation - steel, uke, acoustic bass, archtop guitar. We sometimes work with our hula friends as well. If you missed our Swallow Hill concert last Fall, come see us at the Dragon Boat festival with http://www.maunapohaku.org/ There's nothing quite like seeing a live Hawaiian band and 10+ hula dancers on stage all performing in perfect sychronization!

Next public performance is:
July 26 - Broomfield: 7 pm. Listen to the gentle strumming of ukulele, guitar, and Hawaiian Steel as we play Traditional and Swing music from the Islands as part of the Broomfield "Around the World" Summer Concert Series 2006 at the Broomfield Amphitheater (3 Community Park Road).

Keep tabs on our performance schedule, or book us for your private Luau, at our web...
http://www.book-em-danno.com

mahalo!
Kalika (Chris)
Book 'em Danno Hawaiian Swing Band

Aloha,

just in... other shows not on the web site yet.
7-28 - Whole Foods Ft. Collins, evening concert
8-19 - Avo's in Ft. Collins , evening concert

Kalika (Chris)
Book 'em Danno Hawaiian Swing Band
http://www.book-em-danno.com

Aloha, Chris

[ Edited by: seldomfed 2006-04-28 09:27 ]

Aloha, seldomfed......I just signed up for your mailing list.

Its cool to have ya in town.

I took my boy to the Dragon-boat festival last year. It was so Damn hot we didn't stay long. But we will try again this year. Hope to see ya.

Theres been talk of getting some kind of tiki fest here in Denver in the next couple of years. It would be great if you all could play. No details yet...just talk. But who knows...could be big.

Tiki fest? Do you have any more info on something like this?

T.F.

Bump..

[ Edited by: Tiki Fink 2006-04-29 17:52 ]

[ Edited by: Tiki Fink 2006-04-29 17:52 ]

aloha Mr. Dale,

thanks for the note, speaking of people in the Dale Clan, I see Dick Dale king of surf guitar is coming thru Ft. Collins again soon.

later,
chris

[ Edited by: ZuluMagoo 2006-09-17 12:49 ]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery Bill. May the tikis give you strength!

Something that may be of interest to any carvers out there. I was driving by the intersection of Exposition and Havana (Aurora) today and noticed that on the west side of the street, the city had apparently cut down a very large tree. Anyway there's a huge trunk, roughly 4-5 feet in length and approximately 3 feet in width. I'm not into carving myself, but it looks perfect for someone who's looking for nice piece to carve tikis. Not sure what kind of wood either. I'm guessing at the weight, but I would say it's 300 pounds and will need more the 2 people to load it into a truck.

Not sure if anyone is interested, but thought I'd pass the info along.

Best wishes to Tiki Bill!

T.F.

Tiki Bill is a great guy, always friendly and always ready to support the tiki world. He has awesome stories and has seen most of the world. Best wishes Tiki Bill, my wife says hello too.

Also just a note, cause I'm the proudest papa ever. We had a baby girl May 2nd at 5:25 pm. -Bella Josephine Sawin-
She and her momma are just beautiful!
Amy did it all natural again and made it through pure hell and came out smiling.
Gotta tell ya, its an amazing thing to behold, babies will make you believe in life and love and pure joy all over again.

Congrats Mr. Dale!

Just got back to town from Oasis 6. It was really a blast, but somehow i missed hooking up with Zulu. This was our first time at Oasis but it won't be our last. I can't wait for next year. Everyone was extremely friendly and awesome.

T.F.

Best wishes to Tiki Bill, get well soon. And congratulations to Mr. Dale.

Aloha!

I just wanted to let everyone in on something that's happening next Wednesday night. The Denver Cruiser Ride starts it's 2006 inaugural ride. This is primarily a ride for Beach Cruiser type bikes but all bikes and bike enthusiasts are welcome. The ride starts at 7:00 at the Paris Wine Bar, located at 15th and Platte. The ride continues on to three other locations and ends around 11:00 or so.

I went on several of these rides last year and they are a blast. This is basically a nutty bicycle bar crawl. Almost like a Tiki Oasis on wheels.

The first ride is sponsored by Steamworks Beer and there will be schwag and super cheap beer deals on the ride.

For more info and details go to http://www.denvercruisers.com

Hope to see you there!

T.F.

I just moved to the boulder aria and i'm looking a good bar where they make good tiki drinks... any help

Just Curious.

How many Denver Ohana have home Tiki Bars or are considering building one?
Are you indoors or outdoors?

If so, chime in. Post Pics etc.

I am in the building process myself and I would love to exchange thoughts with those of you in Denver / Colorado, on what you are doing and how you are doing it.

As for my project, I live in a classic H.B. Wolff 1954 midcentury modern home i Krisana Park. The issue of making Tiki not Tacky is pretty important. With my outdoor Tiki Bar I have chosen to go with a Tiki augmented Space Age scene rather that go nuts with thatching and such. Tikis compliment this kind of architecture very nicely, so I am going with those strengths and letting plants, lighting and well chosen music take it home. BTW the name of my home bar is The S.S. Ratfink. Hope to see you there as soon as it's done!

Pics to follow soon.

T.F.

I temporarily remolded my garage into a Tiki bar for my wife's birthday. I'll be fully converting our basement as soon as I have the $ to make this happen.

Just a general FYI.

In the effort to support and promote the Denver Ohana, I'm willing to bring my Tiki bar to any of the parties currently being discussed. The party would have to jive with my work schedule (some weekends), but it's very functional and sets up with ease (Velcro-the divine gift). Just let me know.

Caerthe

I'm going to build one but I'm not suer when... I have a lot of the stuff I just need the bar... i'll probably wait until I'm done renting i place and get ready to buy

[ Edited by: ZuluMagoo 2006-09-17 12:51 ]

Good to hear about a new issue of the newsletter. Another Tiki on the Town would be great.

Zulu:
We caught a ride out to Bali Hai earlyish with Rugby Matt and as you know, once the dining and festivities got started everything got pretty chaotic in a Tikiriffic fun way. Hope you had as good a time as we did!

T.F.

Tiki Fink.....I'm gonna try and get down tp the bike night some night...been a cruiser boy for years. Amy will have to stay with the baby but I'll bring my boy Eddie Jack.

Hope to see Tiki Bill soon. Zulu....Tell him we said hi. I have some pictures of him and my son when he bought a maoi from me. I'll post them here soon. Great guy.

We dont have tiki bar, Amy wanted an Italian porch theme place in the back. Tiki takes up the living room in a mild way.
But I would love to host an early evening get together tiki style bbq some night. When I finish the trellis and the cobblestones I'll figure it out and let everyone know. Bring the Kids too.

Love the vibe coming from all you. Its downright cool!

Mahalo, Mr. Dale

Denver Ohana:

The Tiki Finks are looking at a tentative date of Sat. June 24th at Casa Tikifink or S.S. Ratfink as it were. We are planning a pretty extensive Luau with food, hosted bar and entetainment. Denver's own mini Oasis / Hukilau etc..

Our intent is that this become an anual event. With this in mind we would like to come up with a Tikiriffic name for this shindig. I have several Ideas of my own so before the invites go to press, I would like to open this forum up to the Denver Ohana for suggestions because we want this to be your party!

Ideas? Chime in!!!
Don't be shy!

T.F.

My suggestion is "TikiFink's Hana Hou Hoapili!" which translates to "One more time good friends!-If I arranged the words correctly.

Maybe a little weird for the first party, but can become a trademark name for every annual party, thereafter.

Cool! Very Cool! That name is not really off base because I have been throwin' a semi - anual luau party since 1996. This one comming up will probably be #7 or 8,
but since this the first at my new and permanent pad, I want to start some new traditions including a new name.

Keep those ideas coming!

Thanks!

T.F.

what about "Tiki Fink's Semi - Annual Super Happy Fun Time Luau Extravaganza and Record Swap"

Tiki at a Mile High!
Mahalo!

[ Edited by: tiki-el 2006-05-24 08:14 ]

Aloha All!

I just discovered this site today. I was pretty bummed when Boyd's closed down, so it's good to see that Tiki is alive and well in denver dispite this setback.