Some Enchanted Evening in the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area

Follow the magic giant golf ball through the lava archway. . .

Why is this KC area tiki hunter diligently scouring the underbrush between putts? Does he have reason to believe something my be buried and forgotten in the ivy?

Stay tuned for more (and better) pictures taken last Saturday evening at the charming abode of Mr. & Mrs. 8ft. Tiki and Cool Crest Miniature Golf in Independence, MO, Gateway to the West...

I too was a witness to history at the first ever gathering of all KC-area Tiki-philes. Here are the local TC-ers in attendance, around the BIG GUY himself:

(Clockwise from center: Ace, TikiJackalope, SilverLine, KC Tiki, and 8ft Tiki.)

(Tiki Cat pictured separately.)

Part of the adventure included a trip to Cool Crest in search of the only known, VINTAGE Tikis in the KC area still in situ.

There WERE three a few years ago, but we could only find two. What happened to the other one??

Maybe Ace knows?

Ace does indeed know, my children. I'll see if I can dislodge him from the Wahini so you may hear...

The Cautionary Tale of the Missionary's Grandson

Once up on a time, a disrespectful lad blamed his poor performance at mini-golf on the many delightful obstacles that abounded in that pre Putt-Putt world. Frustrated, the lad (doubtless the grandson of a missionary) hit this tiki's companion with a golf club, pushing it to the ground.

Taunted by the boy's laughter at this misdeed, the tiki was left standing alone and sorrowful - his leaning posture a testament to the friend he'd lost to the encircling ivy below. Bereaved and brooding, he listened to the reverie of people around him and perceived a suitable curse for the missionary's grandson.

After many years (or awhile, at least), beyond all hope, an urban archaeologist noticed the fallen tiki and called a friend to help.

Upset by the indignity that had befallen the tiki, the two rescued it from the ground.

All was now right with the world.

But what of the rude little boy who upset the tiki lords of the course?

Thereby hangs a macabre tale of crime and punishment. Gather round the foot of the 8-foot tiki and stay close to those you love while Ace continues.

That tiki-cursed lad never left the course, though still alive...if "life" you can call it.

Frozen forever, he is. His one allowed motion a maddening torture of repetition: to swing and to miss.

To swing and to miss...and to glance over to the tikis and the wrong he had done.

To swing and to miss for all eternity, forced to witness the swirl of those who are still human and to endure the laughter that comes with companionship these warm summer nights....companionship that he tried to deny the tikis, and that he himself can never know again.

To swing and to miss...his body subject to the indignities of duck-tape and decay.

To swing and to miss...screaming his silent wooden screams, until one day the ivy takes him too.

Sleep well.

http://www.thelope.com

[ Edited by: tikijackalope 2007-08-23 18:43 ]

:lol: Greatness! The writing, the photography, everything.

An instant CLASSIC of Tiki lore! Ace (and Tiki Jackalope), you are masters of story-telling!

We are few and far between but we finally got together and had a fantastic time. THANKS to kctiki, silverline and tikijackalope and their mates and friends who honored us with their visit to the home of the 8FT.

Mugs, swizzles coasters and more were exchanged. We took lots of photos too. (Silverline AND Tikijackalope are both professional photographers).

We capped the evening by visiting the classic mini golf course Cool Crest in Independence, MO which is over 50 years old. Finding the fallen tiki and uncovering it again was a highlight. Silverline and I couldn't resist hamming it up in the photo where we discover the missing tiki. It is supposed to remind one of the picture on page 13 of THE BOOK OF TIKI. Did you notice that Sven?

For myself and Mrs. 8FT there was still one treasure to acquire: We are doing a little trade for this amazing carving that Silverline brought to share. It now resides in our little tiki temple. :) :)

Thanks again everyone for an awesome evening!!

8FT Tiki

Aloha,

Looks like you all had a great time! I want to throw out an open invitation for you all to come east down I-70 to Columbia. My wife and I are the keepers of the torch here in Mid-MO. We've got quite the backyard tiki garden and have verified the existance of tikis at a local resturant in downtown Columbia. They have 8 Wayne Combs tiki poles on their patio. It's not much, but we're researching the buliding and it seems that the tikis are left over from a former Polynesian resturant that closed. Even the exterior of the building with it's protruding beams shows signs of a former life.

So, if your heading east drop us a line.

B.D. Flowers "Mr. Lucy Diamond Tiki"
[email protected]

Nice to hear from you folks in Tiger country!
Next time we get together up here in the metro we will surely let you know so you can make plans to come.
Thanks for your invite too. Last time we were there was in July when we went to the Show-Me games. Well we go every year so next time we can drop by for a visit between games. Post some more pics of your tiki space if you get a chance. Take care, the 8FT's

On 2007-09-09 06:06, Lucy Diamond wrote:
Aloha,
I want to throw out an open invitation for you all to come east down I-70 to Columbia. My wife and I are the keepers of the torch here in Mid-MO. We've got quite the backyard tiki garden and have verified the existance of tikis at a local resturant in downtown Columbia. They have 8 Wayne Combs tiki poles on their patio. It's not much, but we're researching the buliding and it seems that the tikis are left over from a former Polynesian resturant that closed. Even the exterior of the building with it's protruding beams shows signs of a former life.

Hey, my husband and I are coming from NYC to visit my sister and nieces in Columbia, MO for Thanksgiving. What is the local restaurant? And is that tiki golf course anywhere near the drive from Kansas City to Columbia?

Wow, has it really been over 3 years since we filed this report? Today the Silverlines came over for a visit. We traded some mug doubles and then we went out to eat at a place called The Bamboo Hut. We've driven past it a hundred times but hadn't been inside for almost 30 years.

I couldn't remember the interior at all but somehow it really seemed different and not in a good way. I mean whatever tropical feel there used to be has now been removed. But since we didn't know that yet, we went on in. Right away we noticed the hanging lamps. There are 8 of these:

The Bamboo Hut opened in 1932 making it Pre-tiki and is now the second oldest restaurant in Kansas City. I was hopeful that some original decor remained but sadly this bar/restaurant is almost non-themed now. A pool table, big screen tv and a few sports posters are all you get to look at today. I expect this may be because it is located very close to the Sports complex where the Royals & Chiefs play. Were there any tikis here in the past? Who knows, I hope we find some old photos of the interior one day. Until then, this one will have to do. A toast to the way it used to be!

After we finished our dinners, we all headed back towards home but the 8FT's made a stop just down the road from the Bamboo Hut. Back to the Cool Crest mini golf course. I learned that it is now under "new ownership". Alarm bells...will they keep the courses (4) intact? Are the tikis still there? I had to know! Wandering around without actually playing the course I quickly found the first old tiki still standing guard.

Then I really expected the other two tikis to be gone because they were just leaning on each other for support when we left them in 2007. Today they are indeed still there but suffering so much from the elements. I sure would like to save them from the inevitable.

What will the new owners do next? I don't know but I hope the golf course will stay open. I think it may only still be there today because of the arcade and go cart track also on the property. If I lived a little closer I'd see if I could get hired as a part time landscaper. Well that's the latest from old KC.
8FT Tiki

We had a great time with the 8fts this afternoon! We'd never been in the Bamboo Hut but had heard it was originally south seas decorated place, so clearly pre-tiki. Today, good food, a pretty good Mai Tai, but no tiki at all. Only the floor mats give a hint of the former decor.

Glad to see the Cool Crest tikis are still there!

I really enjoyed looking at these photos. Thanks for posting! It's nice to know my husband and I aren't the only tikiphiles in the Kansas City area ;-D