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Tiki Central / California Events

TIKI-INVASION, Mission Tiki Drive-In Theatre, 8/5

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RUT

This may be a dumb question (if so I apologize in advance). I have a friend that is going to attend Tiki-Invasion. Since Houston is not a mecca for tiki items I plan to send him with money to bring me back tiki goodies. Is there a list somewhere of vendors that will be selling tiki and what type of things that they might be selling so I can point him in the right direction? Are any of the artists from TC selling there?

On 2006-07-27 22:25, R U Tiki wrote:
This may be a dumb question (if so I apologize in advance). I have a friend that is going to attend Tiki-Invasion. Since Houston is not a mecca for tiki items I plan to send him with money to bring me back tiki goodies. Is there a list somewhere of vendors that will be selling tiki and what type of things that they might be selling so I can point him in the right direction? Are any of the artists from TC selling there?

I know Tiki Tony will be there, Adrift, Possibly Bosko!,Von Franco, Me (Tiki Diablo), .....and more. Sure we can put a list , or if you are vending post here.

I will be there too with a handful of originals, a few framed prints, decals and some Octane Radio promo stuff. Last time I talked with them, the folks from Untamed Highway and Sideshow stamps were going to have a booth also.

See you there should be some kinda fun. Stop by the booth and say hi!

Chongolio

Yes, I will be vending.

On 2006-07-28 20:06, Swamp Fire wrote:
Yes, I will be vending.

Hey Doug, love the print you did. I definitely want one, but I won't be able to get there until the afternoon. Anyway you can set one aside for me?

'
'Vid posted on Sat, Jul 29, 2006 7:20 PM

Band lineup and assorted news ~

Lots of folks have been asking me what time certains bands play, and the Burlesque dancers, etc.

Here's a schedule of what's happening on stage:

JUVINIHILISTS- 10:45am
THE WELLINGTONS- 11:20am
VICKY TAFOYA - NOON
DAVIE ALLAN & THE ARROWS - 1:00pm
TIGER TIGER! - 2:00pm
THE GHASTLY ONES - 3:00pm
MISS BONNIE DELIGHT’S BURLESQUE REVUE - 4:00pm
SLACKTONE - 4:45
AUTHENTIC POLYNESIAN FIRE & KNIFE DANCERS
THE WOGGLES - 6:15
THE 88 - 7:15
THE MUFFS - 8:15

THE MARTINI KINGS will play in between sets of the main stage bands starting after Tiger Tiger!

Note the two opening bands have changed, as Couple and El Capitan had major 7th musical difficulties beyond their control.

The Juvenihilists are a bit of an all star band featuring Johnny Knox of Hi-Test fame (maybe you remember him from Hukilau '04) and Dan Elektro of The Woggles on drums. 'Vid (yours tuly) formerly of The Cogburns dusting off the famed Fenderbird bass and Shane of Tiger!Tiger! on guitar and sax. Great band to kick this shindig off with!

The Wellingtons are a rare treat for us Yanks as they come all the way from downunder in Melbourne, Australia. They have perfected the snappy, uptempo guitar driven sound best known as powerpop and sound somewhere between early Green day and The Rembrandts. Smooth harmonies, magnetic guitar riffs and melodies with pop hooks that will tear your shirt off. You'll be humming Wellingtons tunes all damn day. They are killer muscians and if I could I would have placed them much later in the lineup, but this is a last minute replacement and I need to be fair to other bands in the lineup. We're thrilled to have them in their first US appearance! Do not miss!

Other notes ~

Any vendors out there still wishing to sell at Tiki-Invasion, you are in luck! Download a vendor application from http://www.missiontiki.com and bring a check or cash with you to the gate on event day. PLEASE arrive early, gates open at 8:00am.

Looks like more good news... we will have cold beer on tap PLUS a full bar available to the general public! Also explore the grounds to find the ultra hip "underground" tiki lounge known as Trailer Vic's, operated by none other than Johnny Knox and his adorable squeeze Melissa. This is a (you are reading this correctly) FREE bar that operates on tips, so be generous as you're guzzling that VooDoo rum from real bamboo cups!

Also please remember that the box office only accepts CASH, no checks, credit cards or debit cards. There is an ATM inside the snack bar once you're inside, after you have purchased your tickets. If you want to charge your tickets please purchase them online at http://www.missiontiki.com.

Thanks and we'll see you there!
'Vid

RUT

Thanks for the info about the vendors...I am making out my shopping list! Can't wait to get some new things for my Tiki bar, especially works from some of the artists on TC.

T

I'm flying into Ontario so can I borrow a lawn chair from someone? I'll be bringing some rum punch that I will be happy to share.

6 more days. I can't wait!

'
'Vid posted on Sun, Jul 30, 2006 1:39 PM

Ontario airport is perfect, maybe 10 minutes away!

We'll have some extra lawn chairs I think, we used to have tons of them but they tend to disappear after consuming numerous Mai Tais when movies are over. No worries, we'll get you seated. Worst come to worse there is a Walmart or something nearby. And I'll gladly try a swig of that rum potion! Sounds yummy!

'
'Vid posted on Sun, Jul 30, 2006 2:46 PM

Hey ya'll!!

You are all invited to the Tiki-Invasion kickoff party at the Saddle Sore Saloon in Norco, CA!

We're having an informal pre-party at The Saddle Sore. I know it may seem strange to have a Tiki Invasion party at a cowboy bar, but we have our reasons...

The Saddle Sore is quite charming, the locals ride their horses to the bar, hitch them up in the corral (yes, it has it's own corral) have a steak dinner and a few beers then ride their horses home!

Special price on Mai Tais Friday night!

Friday night will be a great chance for us Tiki-Invaders to hang out, have dinner, talk Tiki, shoot some pool, play pinball, listen to live music, dance and carry on. For you out of towners it'll be a nice glimpse of old California as this is one town near L.A. that hasn't changed much over the years.

Show up when you can, say after 7:00pm or so...

The Saddle Sore Saloon is off the 15 Freeway, exit on 6th Street and go south. The SSS is about 2 and 1/2 miles down on the left (landmarks - it's just past Desparado's and the old North American Van Lines trailer, LOL).

Saddle Sore Saloon
343 6TH St
Norco, CA 92860
(951) 272-1021

T

Tiki-Ray will be vending there with tiki's and carvings . I will also be doing LIVE carving . See ya there , Tiki-Ray

'
'Vid posted on Mon, Jul 31, 2006 11:59 AM

More good news!

The weather will be very comfortable at 89 degrees for a high, according to weather.com. That's a walk in the park! Here we were all afraid it was gonna be 100+! Beautiful weather, yippee!!

We'll still have the misting booths, shade tents, etc to help keep everyone cool.

For a full list of what to bring to the drive-in, go to http://www.myspace.com/missiontiki

For those who have not purchased tickets in advance, we do have a limited number of VIP tickets available for sale ($30) at the gate if you arrive early. General admission ($20) will also be available. Cash only at the gate.

We'll also be showing the new Will Ferrell comedy Talladega Nights, and the new movie version of Miami Vice starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx on the other screens if anyone would prefer those over the cult classics.

Please arrive early! We expect a big rush between 1:00pm and 3:00pm. Beat the rush, get the best parking spot for the movies and hear all of the amazing bands!

We can't wait...it will be zazz!

CL

Mai Tai and Coco Loco are onboard!!

MG

FALLING COCOS will be there!.......... Don't forget to ask for your Tiki Central discount.

Sunday we'll have a booth at Huntington Pier for the International Surfing Museum event.

'
'Vid posted on Fri, Aug 4, 2006 12:23 PM

Hey ya'll!!

We're just a day away!!

Pleasantly overcast skies make it perfect for us... very comfortable all day long and GREAT for some awesome photos.

This is going to be so much FUN!!

Earlier I posted that we would have beer and drinks, but our vendor had to cancel as he was having trouble with the short notice and his permit. So, it's back to BYOB or look around for Trailer Vic's. Sorry about the confusion.

We'll have the vintage movies on two screens. If you prefer a new release movie, we'll have Talladega Nights and Miami Vice on the other two screens.

A last reminder on what to bring:
Folding chairs, boom box style radio, a cooler (NO glass bottles), hat, sunscreen, maybe an umbrella for shade (or for drizzle even). No credit cards, cash only so hit the ATM before hand.

Thanks! Come early and have a blast!!

'
'Vid posted on Fri, Aug 4, 2006 12:26 PM

Oh, and the band schedule:

JUVINIHILISTS- 10:45am
THE WELLINGTONS- 11:20am
VICKY TAFOYA - NOON
DAVIE ALLAN & THE ARROWS - 1:00pm
TIGER TIGER! - 2:00pm
THE GHASTLY ONES - 3:00pm
BONNIE DELIGHT’S BURLESQUE REVUE - 4:00pm
SLACKTONE - 4:45
POLYNESIAN FIRE & KNIFE DANCERS 5:30 to 6:00pm
KING KUKULELE 6:00 to 6:15
THE WOGGLES - 6:15
THE 88 - 7:15
THE MUFFS - 8:15
THE MARTINI KINGS will play in between sets of the main stage bands starting after Tiger Tiger!

Car show, bands and over 60 vendors all day long! Vintage movies at night!

http://www.myspace.com/missiontiki

Thanks - over and out!
'Vid

P

King Kukulele only gets 15 minutes?

T
thejab posted on Fri, Aug 4, 2006 5:17 PM

SUNDAY at the Egyptian Theatre there's a Ski and Surf Double Feature. Surf Party has the Astronauts and the Routers! See all of you tomorrow! Woggles dance off!! I'll be doin' the jab.

Sunday, August 6 7:30 PM

Ski And Surf Double Feature:

SKI PARTY, 1965, MGM Repertory, 90 min. Dir. Alan Rafkin. It seemed only natural that strange mutations would evolve as the beach pictures continued in popularity at the drive-ins, and here we have the kids hitting the snowy slopes for their summer fun. Hard-up teen guys, Frankie Avalon and Dwayne Hickman (TVs "Dobie Gillis"), fearing they will continue to strike out with the objects of their affections, follow heartthrobs, Deborah Walley (GIDGET GOES HAWAIIAN) and Yvonne Craig (Batgirl from TVs original "Batman") when they depart on a ski trip. A bizarre subplot has Frankie and Dwayne taking a page from SOME LIKE IT HOT as they dress up in drag to spy on their girls. In the meantime James Brown and His Famous Flames (!) perform mega-hit, "I Feel Good" and Leslie Gore sings her ever-popular perennial, "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows."

SURF PARTY, 1964, 20th Century Fox, 68 min. Director Maury Dexter (THE DAY MARS INVADED EARTH, MARYJANE) helmed this ultra-rare, ultra-low budget knock-off of American Internationals successful BEACH PARTY. Lead teens Bobby Vinton, Patricia Morrow and Jackie DeShannon (a then-regular on TV pop show "Shindig!" and soon to become a sixties pop idol herself) cavort on the beach to the sounds of The Routers (featuring Scott Walker!) and The Astronauts. Shot in colorful black-and-white with back-projected waves for that ultra-realistic beach ambience! NOT ON DVD!

B

Hey Jab.....I have Surf Party on DVD. I will be taking a break and heading out to Mission Tiki, then Surfin Sundays in Huntington Beach tomorrow. See ya'll there.

Does the sound for the films come through AM of FM?

ALOHA!

THIS JUST IN...East Coaster 'TravelingJones' caught flipping sand out West today at the Mission Tiki Invasion! SsweeetT time out the black-top and sunny Drive-in surfing the crowds today! Suprise! Suprise!
The Ohana basking about like seals and sea lions of a beautiful secluded cove of the Golden State!

Technically, I was 'working' the crowd while on travel assignment. An extremely pleasant suprise to meet and match, so many faces and voices to thier usernames! Tiki tOny, King Kukulele, C'Al, Mr.Smiley & inkylouise, Mai Tai and Coco Loco, Kirby, Chongolio, Mean Gene, BongoFury, Cult of the Eye, and as I had to depart the event... in rolls Tiki Diablo to deliver the show stopping, jaw dropping - Tiki 'popcorn' mug!

Meeting all kanes & wahines today was THE HIGHPOINT of my second week on the road USA! Would love to embellish upon the warm, yet brief conversations today...but I will just leave it, as is... a wonderful time.

Great time at the Tiki Invasion event, the organizers, the entertainment and all the folks that shared their time with me...Chokest Mahaloz!

Shaka Y'aLL!!!

Flippity-fLip-flOpp'n-fLipPp... :D

T

We had a blast today -- great vendors, great food, nice weather, great entertainment ... but just one dilemma. I thought we were told BYOB, and then at the end of the night the ATF showed up and was walking around writing people up who had BYOB and had open containers. Thank god for that guy who was running through the parking lot warning everyone; he certainly saved us from a ticket. That really put a damper on the evening and made us and many more just take off during the Muffs and miss the movies.

G
GROG posted on Sun, Aug 6, 2006 2:45 AM

Such great live music ALL through the day definitely made it worth the $20 GROG had to pay to get in. GROG bummed because
GROG didn't pick up THE 88 cd. Nice meeting those of you GROG
didn't know before, and good seeing those of you GROG already
knew.

R

PICS ? ...... please.

OL

sounds like a great time! jonesEy, big mahaloz for scorin' the new tiki diablo mug for me. as for puttin' danny on the phone with me, i musta sounded like a 13 year old talkin' to a teen idol. "uh, hi danny, uh, i'm a big fan, uh, luv your stuff, uh, uh, duh!" it was exciting, though. you da travelin' tiki man jonesEy!

p.s. i dig the classic monsters tattoos on the wahine's back. i'm sportin' frankenstein myself.

I really wished i could have stayed but it was fun running into the folks I did before i was off to a wedding.....

T
thejab posted on Mon, Aug 7, 2006 4:59 PM

I had a blast!! Big mahalos to the event organizers, to Mission Tiki Drive-In, and to Voodoo Rum for the free drinks - yes, free drinks! Also, mahalo to kick-the-reverb for the Reverb Crash, and to bigtikidude for the lawn chair, and to Inkylouise and Mrsmiley for sharing their "backyard" with us - they had an astroturf lawn, umbrella, tiki lights, lounge chairs, and a barbeque!

The crowd was a great mix of folks and I never saw anyone get in an argument or fight. There were tiki folks and hot rodders and rockabillies and mods and bikers and everyone got along. Amazing!

After I had a Reverb Crash at around 1:00 things really started getting fun. Once the Forbidden Island regulars and Hoiti Toities started arriving I brought out my Knockout Punch. We finished all 2 gallons worth by the time the movie started! MaiTai and Inkylouise got K.O.'d!

Davie Allan was terrific - the crowd was small but gave him great feedback which made him happy and his band (that looked like all original members) played a great rockin' set with plenty of instrumentals (I loved the Mancini tunes) and some well-chosen vocal numbers.

The Ghastly Ones put everything into high gear with their energetic set, a sexy go-go dancer, and their great spooky instrumentals and killer 60s punk tunes.

The Woggles were amazing as usual! They had us dancing right from the start and throughout their whole glorious set of stompin' garage R&B.

The Martini Kings played several short sets in between bands, which was a real nice break from the rock 'n roll action. They really have the classic exotica sound down. I have to say they are the best new exotica band I've seen, and I'm glad I finally got to see them.

There was so much variety to the music so most people got to hear at least 2 or 3 bands they liked.

Oh yeah, we saw a movie too - Cobra Woman!

Short review,
glad it wasn;t scorching hot like 1 or 2 weeks back. but it was still too hot for my taste. Next time would it be possible to do it in may or sept. the Middle of summer is just a bit unreasonable.
But I do know that it was the 50th anniversary.
Over all , the bands were great. I thought the sound guy was a bit heavy handed on the lows and highs on the EQ. would have been nice if it wasn't so curve heavy, and also bring down the volume just a tad. And this is comign froma guy who likes shows loud.
But it was over the top loud.
I really feel bad for all the vendors, who many said people were't buying much. I understand, but at the same time I think many that were there. Were for the event, and may not have the deep pockets of some So. Cal. Hoity toitys. I bought 1 cd from a band, and di a trade with chongolio for a hawaiian shirt.
When you have a all day event like that. things are bound to get off schedulle a bit. next time, maybe add extra time for between band set up. So Movies can start before 9:30 or 10 pm.
I was so tired and the 2nd movie( forgot the name-but it had the dude and the bugs) was so bad I was like ok Check Please, I'm outta here.
I was a bit bummed more people weren't there, but there was a good solid crowd of all types that The Jab mentioned.

But over all it was really great event, Hope they have more.
By the way great to see some at the HB pier the next Day.
Bongo Fury, Crazy Al, Mean Jean, come to mind, sorry if I missed any.
But was Bummed that The Jab, and Chongolio didn't make it. I know you guys had other plans or obligations. That's the problem with So. Cal. so much to do, so little time.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

T

The Missus and I had a good time.
Anyone else pay for VIP parking and have it turn out to have not mattered? I paid for it because we were getting there late in the afternoon and I was worried about being able to find good parking. Totally didn't matter. I didn't see a single person checking to see who parked where. Was there even a VIP section?
One other complaint-- it was easily dark by 8:30 or 9. Why didn't the movies start until after 10? I only got to stay for the first one-- Cobra Woman. It was totally great, but I was sort of hoping that the movies would have started earlier so I could have gotten in a double feature.
Two relatively minor negatives to an all-around great day! Everyone we saw/talked to was totally cool. We stopped and chatted with Doug (Swampfire) for a bit, and I bought his Mission Tiki Drive In print-- totally awesome! I was a little worried about getting there so late cause I figured I'd have missed out on the Tiki Diablo mug, but it turned out they didn't start selling 'em until like 7pm. I practically ran over to the booth to pick one up. Awesome!
And Cobra Woman! It was great! It was awful! It defies description! "Geev me dat cobra jool!" Awesome!

D

On 2006-08-08 09:40, TikiJosh wrote:
complaint-- it was easily dark by 8:30 or 9. Why didn't the movies start until after 10?

Because thats when the bands finished. From what I understand the music went into over time. I was disappointed that we only stayed for half of Cobra woman, it just got to darned cold...Brrrrrr!

Totally fun!! I am very stoked I made it down. Whoppin' thanks to Teri and Vid for throwing a great party and all the bands and vendors who showed up for an entertaining day under the sun. For the most part it was really a unique get together with plenty of cool folks from different scenes, great music and fun movies. I got the shivers when all the old hot rods came rolling in first thing in the morning with thier motors thumpin' and all the enthusiast hootin' and hollerin' Also watchin' Cobra Women with the Rapa Nui peanut gallery narration was pretty damn funny. (Did Grog learn to talk on Cobra Island?) It's always a treat to hang out with all the old So Cal friends and see some of the Nor Cal peeps down in the Southlands, and it is always a pleasure meeting face to face the familiar names here on TC. Yeah, it was HOT and sales were on the slow side, but I am not going to complain. I had a booth that gave me a front row seat for the Martini Kings who played perfectly among Diablo's Handiwork under the awnings of the snack bar. I was also able to hear all the main stage bands perfectly from my booth. (BTD is right, It was pretty loud.)

Special thanks to everybody who traded and bought stuff from all the vendors. More thanks to JonPaul and Marie for helping man the booth. To BTD for snappin' some Ghastly One pics, the turkey sandwiches, water, chairs, boom box and the movie lounging area. More thanks to Kirby and Polly for bringing the beers and to Ran and Dale for the Reverb Crash. Mahalo also to Crazy Al for volunteering his extra tie downs when my pop up kept threatning to take to the skys and my other neighbor the Ice cream guy who gave out free ice cream at the end of the day.

I do regret not gettin' out of work mode and taking more pics and checkin' out more of the cars, bands and vendor's boothes. I also wish I could of spent more time just hangin' out and going over to HB on Sunday. But by the end of the day under the sun sizzlin', I was pretty crispy around the gills and already lamenting a long drive home to be back up north by Monday morning to work. Of course in retrospect there are a few things that should be sorted out for future events at Mission Tiki. But overall it was a blast and worth the trip and I got a surf in on my way through Ventura where I also spotted a few carved tikis near the underpass at the end of Main in Ventura.

I have a few pics over at Barefoot Bloggin' for anybody interested in peekin'.

Chongolio

I just sent out this field report in my Thrillville newsletter. It is pretty long but it sums up our trip if anyone cares. In short: a perfect summer vacation weekend. Here are a few shots for the word weary:
http://www.thrillville.net/scenes/scenes50.html
Aloha, Will

Hey Thrill Seeker...

The Tiki Goddess and I just returned from TIKI INVASION at the Mission Tiki
Drive-In http://www.missiontiki.com/, celebrating its 50th anniversary (as a
drive-in, it was only recently tiki-fied.) It was an all day bash of retro
music, classic cars and cheesey flicks. Tikis + B Movies = Will the Thrill is
so there, so we headed south in our purple PT Cruiser and had a blast. Here's
the retro rundown:

The Mission Tiki Drive-in is located in Montclair, a dusty oasis of strip
clubs (one called the "Tropical Lei"!), fast food joints, liqour stores,
pick-up trucks, churches and pawn shops. It's in the middle of what's known
as the Inland Empire (which happens to be the name/location of David Lynch's
latest film in progress, perfect choice). It's not a place I ever thought I'd
wind up, but we enjoyed a very relaxing visit. On the way we stopped in
nearby Rosemead to check out the BAHOOKA restaurant
http://www.geocities.com/bahookarestaurant/, an incredibly lush tiki time
capsule loaded with marine/nautical artifacts, fish tanks, blowfish, tikis,
sunken booths, and a distinctly dark '50s vintage atmosphere. I was totally
absorbed by the ambience. We were warned to steer clear of the food but the
drinks were pretty damn good. And the food looks like typical diner fare.
Definitely worth a stop if you're on the 10 towards Paml Springs or
something. And a cruise down Rosemead Blvd. will reveal Googie leftovers of a
bygone era like the Starlite Drive-In sign. Coolsville.

The biggest surprise of the entire trip was the Best Western PINE TREE MOTEL
in neighor burg Chino,
http://anaheim-california.onetravelsource.com/10193068.html.
At $60 a night I was expecting a redneck crack whorehouse but instead was
treated to comfy, cozy, spacious accommodations inside a 60s Modern A-frame
Flinstone-rock piece of classic architecture. I definitely recommend staying
there next time you have to stop over in Chino. And right up the street is
HONOLULU HARRY'S, a new restaurant owned by real Hawaiians who really bring
an aloha spirit to what is basically a tiki Applebees. Very good food and
tropical drinks, lots of tiki statues and hula girl lamps, a glass waterfall
wall, island-inspired decor, and friendly service add up to a very nice
kick-back experience, surprisingly cool given the seemingly random location.
They also have live Hawaiian music on the weekends, and only play authentic
Hawaiian music over the sound system. Loved it - it really made our trip
even more special, while sticking to the whole tiki road trip theme.

The Mission Tiki itself is a marvel. Giant Easter Island heads, one of them
sunk in the earth, sculpted by famed tiki specialist TikiDiablo,
magnificently greet you at the entrance. The ticket booths are decked out
like bamboo huts. The concessions stand is likewise tiki-fyed though in a
more home-made way that is nonetheless charming. The food is good and cheap,
and the employees wear aloha shirts. Tiki torches light your way beginning at
dusk. The first night we saw "Miami Vice" (my third time, I love it as much
as the show, shoot me). It was my first drive-in experience since we went to
the final night of the Union City Drive-In in Monica's hometown and saw "I
Was a Teenage Frankenstein." The weather was just right - very Hawaiian, warm
with a cool breeze - and I really dug watching the other movies (like "Nacho
Libre") suspended in midair. These days you can hear all the movies (they
have four screens) since people set up outside their vehicles with boom
boxes. I can't imagine why this classic American tradition faded from the
mainstream into cult oblivion (along with jazz clubs, tiki bars, bowling
alleys and Democracy). The only explanation is the old simplistic standby:
people suck. But not these people. Tiki people. Good people.

The Tiki Invasion celebration was a very fun daylong social whirlwind and pop
cultural blowout. Lots of lounge/rockabilly/surf/garage pink bands, including
ever-popular MC King Kukulele, one of my favorite bands the Martini Kings,
fuzz guitar legends Davie Allan and the Arrows, and a troupe of real hula
dancers, plus lots of tiki vendors including the famous Bosko (from whom we
bought a carved hanging wall tiki), Fez-O-Rama, Crazy Al, Tiki Tony, Untamed
Highway and many more. Saw and made lots of friends. Again - tiki people=cool
people.

My one gripe is they had about three bands too many, since the first movie on
the "VIP" screen, "Cobra Woman," a 40s Technicolor tropical pulp potboiler
starring lovely Latina B movie starlet Maria Montez, didn't get going till
around 10:30. And it was the first of a triple feature which also included
William Castle's last gimmick flick "Bug" and something from the 80s called
"Hard Ticket To Hawaii." Throw in a classic Tom & Jerry cartoon, old snack
ads and some ginchy vintage trailers for "Teenagers from Outer Space," "Yog,"
Destroy All Monsters," "Kid Galahad" and more and you got yourself the total
drive-in trip. Initially I was determined to do the full ride, since I drove
almost 400 miles for it. But there were projection issues - to be expected,
not a big deal, part of the deal - and an interminable 45 minute lull between
features with nothing on the screen, not even the old animated "Intermission"
clips. This painful process stretched out the projected time frame beyond
reasonable endurance (it was supposed to be all over by 3AM, which was
doable, even for a geezer like me.) I just sat there playing exotica on my
car stereo, waiting for the pictures to resume. By the time movie #2 finally
flickered onscreen (after one of the trailers burned up which was kinda cool)
it was around 2AM and I was beat. Monica was already asleep, just like in
Thrillville, only this time she came prepared and wore her PJs. I felt a
little cheated at the time since the movies were the main attraction for me,
but in retrospect, it was full, rich experience, no regrets, no major
complaints. I was just happy to be there. Mahalo for the memories.

I'll definitely be back to the Tiki Drive-In, and stay at the Pine Tree Motel
and have dinner at Honolulu Harry's. It's the perfect stopover for Northern
Californians on their way to Palm Springs or LA. Or it's a worth a trip just
in itself if you want some peace, quiet and old fashioned fun.
Dig it.

First off my wife and I had a great time! The Pink Pirates were excellent as well! But I also must agree the extra for VIP really didn't get you anything, and the bands running late was a bummer but truly enjoyed the music! Loved the Ghastly Ones!Cobra Woman was excellent, but sad to say we left when Bug melted (those in theater 1 know what I mean). But as I said great time and hope its an annual event! Here are some of our pics for those who missed it.

Ticket Booths


Guardians of the Mission Tiki




Have Shade Will Travel

Our New Bosko Piece

Name That Profile

And the Amazing Martini Kings

D

The place looked fabulous, Danny leaves his own undeniable mark on everything he touches! Quality, Quality, Quality! I can't pick out just one thing that was my favorite feature of the work done so far. But I "REALLY" loved the ticket booths though! I can't wait to see it all when it's completely finsihed! Great job Danny!

THanks everyone for coming out to the event. We had a blast there and seeing everyone have a good time made my long hours worthwhile. We are not done jsut yet with the decor and have some nice plans laid out for the theatre. Thanks Dawn and gand.

Oh , I decorated the inside of the snack bar in three days just to give it a tiki look, but should be redoing it in an old-school tiki bar style .

Hey Diablo, we met that Friday night when you were setting up, I didn't realize at the time this was your design baby. Major kudos. We'll definitely be back down, probably sometime next Spring, hopefully your fine work will be done by then. Meantime keep rockin'.

we had a ZAZZ time and enjoyed checking out the place and having everyone hang out in "yard". Glad we went!

MT

On 2006-08-08 21:38, Hinano_Paul wrote:
Name That Profile

According to The Muffs, that's none other than our very own Pineapple Larry!!!

AT

Hello,

Just back at home the last week i'm happy to post my pics
on the forum and i want to thank all the person presents
with whom I could discuss and i am sorry for my bad english...

http://www.als-tikis.com/galerie/thumbnails.php?album=44

see you.

Al's

'
'Vid posted on Mon, Oct 16, 2006 4:27 PM

Looks like Tiki-Invasion will be moving to late April or May. Still checking to see if any other events conflict with that time frame. Good news is that it should be a bit cooler and we won't have to wait a whole year for it to get here, LOL.

Learned a lot at the last one, we know what to keep and what to change. Can't wait to get Tiki-Invasion II up and rolling!

Hope one of the things you keep is the GHASTLY ONES - they really ROCKED! I'm a totally Goth-a-billy nut after seeing them! That, and maybe show one of the thar cool Godzilla movies we saw trailers to!

G
GROG posted on Mon, Oct 16, 2006 10:35 PM

GROG look forward to Tiki Invasion II. The music was outstanding the first go round. The 88. GROG didn't get their CD the first time. GROG hope they play again, so GROG can enjoy them live and get a CD this time.

'
'Vid posted on Tue, Oct 17, 2006 12:16 AM

Thank you for the compliments on the lineup. I try to choose the bands very carefully, and it's nice to see my efforts are appreciated.

The Ghastly Ones will certainly be back. They also played our Drive-Invasion in Atlanta on 9/2 and blew us all away again out there. Awesome!

Speaking of awesome, if you haven't been out to the MTDI lately, hang onto your hats! Tiki Diablo has gone way, way, waaaay beyond the call with the tiki decor! His work is just incredible. Wish I had my camera with me for the Huell Howser event (10/14/06), the place was looking incredible. I would love to post some recent pictures here at Tiki Central. Gigantic improvements have been made, especially to the snack bar exterior. I can hardly imagine how good it'll be looking by the next Tiki-Invasion.

'Vid

T

Three events that may conflict are:

  1. Viva Las Vegas #10! - April 5-8
  2. Ponderosa Stomp #6 in New Orleans - May 2
  3. Rockin' 50s Fest III in Green Bay - May 16-20

I'm going to #1 and #3 for sure, so I hope I can make it to the Tiki Invasion again.

[ Edited by: thejab 2006-10-17 15:26 ]

'
'Vid posted on Fri, Dec 29, 2006 2:24 PM

Tiki-Invasion update:

Alas, it looks like Tiki-Invasion II at the Mission Tiki Drive-In will have to wait until spring of '08 until we can blow the roof off the place again. That is, if Drive-Ins HAD roofs.

It will be worth the wait, and it will be better than ever!

Other Tiki events, car shows and film festivals will be taking place at the Mission Tiki all year long, so check our website often. And yes we do show first run movies every day, all year long. Visit http://www.missiontiki.com for movie schedules and showtimes.

Meanwhile, Drive-Invasion '07 (at Atlanta's Starlight Drive-In) is full steam ahead for labor day weekend (Sept 1&2, '07) and I've already signed several major label bands for that event. Visit http://www.starlightdrivein.com for the latest info on that wild event.

Cheers and mahalo!
'Vid

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