Found old tiki bar in Lake Elsinore?

Anybody heard of an old tiki bar in Lake Elsinore? I found a place earlier today while on a wild goose chase for a some hotrod tin. The place has old tapa, bamboo and a nautical tiki vibe to it. Some filipino tiki masks and a cool patina to the whole place. Anybody been or heard of this relic? It is called the Oasis.

I remembered this thread from a few years back. Lake Elsinor, CA Tiki Bar

It gives the address in the first post. Same place?

Kate, your memory is amazing!

The Oasis? I know The Wreck is there, but I don't remember Oasis. I work in SW Riverside County, I'm curious about this now. Do you have the address? I want to drive past this thing!

Oop's sorry, it is the Wreck!

So the oasis is really a wreck!? Awww! :)

How in the world did you get Oasis and Wreck mixed up? haha.. oh well.

I guess I should stop by the Wreck on of these days and take pics. From the previous posts it sounds pretty bad, but some pics should be taken...

Well the early link's description from 2003 sounds perfectly enticing! :D
Maybe they took over some stuff from the Tikis?

do they still run the 'ELSINOR 500'?

No.... in fact some people wont even put their boats in that water (might hit a car... or a body... or some other tossed debris). That lake is about half the size of what it use to be and not very deep. It's a crazy place to drive around. You can see hints of what once was. 20s-40s Hollywood loved that place, then the lake started drying up. You can see the remnants of old bath houses, resorts and that "old town" is a strange little place.

Outside of the old/downtown area, Elsinore boomed in the last decade. It's a poster child for the boom/bust the real estate market took the past decade. Believe it or not, but bigger tract homes were selling for up to 600k-700k. Now those homes sell for 200k-250k.

As for the area around the lake; part of the dried lake is a little airport (lots of sky diving) and other areas of it are covered with Motocross tracks. That entire area of SW Riverside County is filled with Bro's.. those in big trucks, dirt bikes and paint guns (i.e. The Tikis). The entire place is one big X-Games.

A little Google search led me to a message board where a description of the place added a little of the history: Apparently the bar was originally called the Ship Wreck, but the "Ship" part of the sign fell off. Instead of fixing the sign, they just adjusted the bar's name.

http://www.topix.com/album/detail/lake-elsinore-ca/K7GRUJ302VOKS8JM

Well, I finally went into this place. I was able to talk to the owner. Not as much info as I was hoping for, but better than nothing. He said he thinks it was built in the 20s (from the look of the outside, it had an art deco look, so it sounds fitting. It was originally a Recreation Center, with a 5 lane bowling ally. His parents bought it in the 50s and turned it into a polynesian bar. He said he never saw the place until he came back in the 80s, thats when he inherited it. And from the looks of it, the only thing that has changed since the 80s is the addition of beer advertisements. Even most of those look kind of old. Earlier it was described that this place had "patina". That is an understatement! I seriously doubt this place has been cleaned in last few decades.

He has no photos or memorabilia from the place. Well actually there is one photo of the outside, but it is from before it became polynesian.

This is an empty fish tank with fake fish.

When you first walk in, there are these neon circle lights on the ceiling. These are from when it was a bowling alley.

Here's an old photo of it. It was hard to get a good pic. It was dark in the place, it was under glass and the original photo was blurry.

Thanks for checking it out Tiki Shaker, I did a very lazy look for it once when I was out there and didn't find it.

Um... I'm sure the sign was nice when it was new.

Wow, very cool. It's very....sparse. Sort of the other end of the spectrum of "The Tikis". Did ya ask him if Danny Balsz ever hung out there?

Nah... didn't ask him about that. Probably should have.. though I doubt he knew him.

He used the term "redecorate" when referring to when his parents changed it into polynesian/nautical. Plus I had the impression that he inherited it in the late 80s. He was sitting at the corner of the bar drinking a beer wrapped in a Bud Lite Beer cozy. It was funny.. I talked to the bartender first and asked if I could take pictures. She said go ahead. I didn't realize the owner was even there until after taking pictures, I asked if they had any old photos. She gave me the photo of the outside and mentioned the owner may have more. I asked when the the owner would be around, and she pointed at him.. he was 2 stools away from me. He didn't even acknowledge I was taking pictures or anything. Unfortunately that was the only picture he had. He wasn't too talkative. I told him about the Bahooka though.. he seemed "amused".

It was a strange place. I looked it up online, and the reviews are pretty amusing. Seems to be a favorite dive bar for people as far as LA.

It would be interesting to see, or know what signage was hanging below the "Cocktails" sign...It looks like something else was there, but was either removed, or fell off.

I think those might have ben classic Googie dingbats, like starbursts or different colored bubbles/balls like on this sign, where one is missing.

That would fit the style of the lettering. At least on the bottom. The top might have been something more theme-related that fit the palm tree better. Or not.
This place would have been perfect to go and knock back a cold one after my Tikis expeditions, would I have known about it.

That's a fine job of Urban Archeology.

Interesting place. I could drink there although I wish it would lose the NASCAR stuff.

You should go by there and suggest that :D

A good buddy used to own a house out in Elsinore and one day while returning from Riverside we stopped and had a few beers here. I remember biker types at the bar but not much else.

THAT's it, the place really has a Sons of Anarchy feel to it. What a perfect Californian history metaphor: an old, weathered Tiki dive taken over by bikers.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2010-11-04 12:14 ]

BigBro -

The Lake Elsinore biker types I recall were mostly "Hessions" - I believe that biker club is now 40+ years old...

Oh, from the fatherland, eh? I'd be right at home then, I bet they speak German!

http://www.hessiansmc.com/

Well, maybe not.

Not to go off on a tangent here (and since I don't think this place will reveal much more Poly pop history), but I was marveling at the fact of how the popularity of "Sons of Anarchy" must be giving biker culture (which has been pretty dead since the 80s and 90s) a tremendous shot in the arm, with thousands of young minds being warped into falling for the romance of it all.

Now I think that is exactly what Tiki culture needs! A successful TV series! I can see it now: "Sons of Tiki"!
Granted, one would need to embellish the drama a little, but that could be done easily:

Rival Tiki bars poaching away each others bar tenders and secret cocktail recipes!---Politicians being bribed or blackmailed so that they re-instate prohibition in order for the Tiki bar kingpin to make a killing on the cheap Puerto Rican rum stash he smuggled in!--- Local carvers fighting each other with power tools for the next construction job!--- Jealous wives putting a voodoo curse on the husbands native mistresses!---The "Bakersfield Beachcombers" ride against the "Temecula Traders"! It'll be a rum bath!

The possibilities are endless! :D Let's write a treatment!

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2010-11-04 15:24 ]

ok, hum...........

I've got inspiration for a painting, Thanks Bigbro!!

PS: I love the script idea. Count me in to help when it goes into production :wink:

On 2010-11-04 14:10, bigbrotiki wrote:

Not to go off on a tangent here (and since I don't think this place will reveal much more Poly pop history), but I was marveling at the fact of how the popularity of "Sons of Anarchy" must be giving biker culture (which has been pretty dead since the 80s and 90s) a tremendous shot in the arm, with thousands of young minds being warped into falling for the romance of it all.

Now I think that is exactly what Tiki culture needs! A successful TV series! I can see it now: "Sons of Tiki"!

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2010-11-04 15:24 ]

Hey Bigbro, you brought to mind this motorcycle club:

I keep running into these guys whenever I am in Hayward, CA. I have always been intrigued.

I have some personal history with this place, My Father was a record holding Skydiving Instructor & competition jumper in the 1950s & 1960s, we moved to Lake Elsinore in the early 60,s where my father was an Instructor at the Elsinore Para Center/Airport.

My Mom worked a lot, so my dad would take me to work, I would play all day with the other Skydiver Brats, running around the Airport, In those day’s it was not uncommon to drag your kid into a bar, get him a coke and have a drink or two.

It was very much a time where kids were seen & not heard.
The “Wreck/Ship Wreck” was in the old downtown area near Mainstreet, we ate at a Mexican restaurant called “Pedro’s” just up the street all the time.

I have a few very clear memories of the place back in the 60s; it was a local bar and drew an older clientele, the décor was mostly Nautical at that time, I don’t member seeing any Tikis.

The “Elsinore 500” was a famous motorcycle race which drew the likes of Steve McQueen who raced in it and who I was very lucky to meet a couple of times, he had some friends who skydived.

During the 1966 Elsinore 500 which drew a huge crowd & a few Outlaw Motorcycle clubs
We were in the downtown area, when we drove by the Wreck there was a gang of Hells Angels fighting with chains with another MC, right outside the bar.

My Dad partnered with some friends and opened up their own bar called the “Rumble seat” a couple of miles away, which catered to the Skydiving scene, I spent a lot of time there as a kid.

On 2010-11-04 14:10, bigbrotiki wrote:

Now I think that is exactly what Tiki culture needs! A successful TV series! I can see it now: "Sons of Tiki"!
Granted, one would need to embellish the drama a little, but that could be done easily:

Drama! where?

jumped more than 15 times at the paracenter in the late 80's...great staff and location..passed the Wreck several times but it seemed to be biker oriented. i wouldn't have minded ,but the folks i was with at the time were somewhat put off by the outward appearances....lol....

A bit of a crazy place to spend a childhood, though. :lol:
In those days Skydivers were pretty crazy, they just looked cleancut!

actually, i found the paracenter to be the one safest and most proffesional operations that i've jumped at...
the bar is what i'd love for my basement to look like..lol..well, minus all that nascar crap...

On 2010-11-06 17:02, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:

On 2010-11-04 14:10, bigbrotiki wrote:

Now I think that is exactly what Tiki culture needs! A successful TV series! I can see it now: "Sons of Tiki"!
Granted, one would need to embellish the drama a little, but that could be done easily:

Drama! where?

:lol:

ATP, that is some cool personal California history you shared earlier! I might have to amend my Tiki Biker script a little to include a rival skydiver gang. Now there would be some interesting action!

Dang, you have an idea, and there's always someone who had it before you! :wink: :

On 2010-11-04 22:49, SuperEight wrote:
Hey Bigbro, you brought to mind this motorcycle club:

I keep running into these guys whenever I am in Hayward, CA. I have always been intrigued.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2010-11-07 09:21 ]

On 2010-11-04 14:10, bigbrotiki wrote:

Now I think that is exactly what Tiki culture needs! A successful TV series!...

Not to derail this thread any further (but the Bigbro did start it !! :D)...

How about a late mid-century period situation comedy a la the "Brady Bunch" or the "Partridge Family" ??

We can base it on ATP's "skydiving brat" Tiki childhood and call it the "Atomic Tiki Family".

That was my thought when I first saw this family photo of Lance's.

At the end of each episode Lance would be taught a important lesson in life just like the Beaver got.

"Never trust the MAN, my son !!"

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-11-07 11:01 ]

Wow, I didn't mean to make this all about me?
in the picture you posted of my family John-O, That is my step-dad who was a Skydiver also, but was also one of the pioneers
of Hang Gliding in the late 60's & 70s, we moved to Orange County not long after this picture was taken.

I did not have a typical childhood for sure!

On 2010-11-07 10:57, JOHN-O wrote:
...At the end of each episode Lance would be taught a important lesson in life just like the Beaver got...

"Ward, don't you think you were a little hard on the Beaver last night?"
:lol: :D :lol:

Your a Bad Man! Mike :lol:

On 2010-11-06 16:59, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
I have some personal history with this place, My Father was a record holding Skydiving Instructor & competition jumper in the 1950s & 1960s, we moved to Lake Elsinore in the early 60,s where my father was an Instructor at the Elsinore Para Center/Airport.

My Mom worked a lot, so my dad would take me to work, I would play all day with the other Skydiver Brats, running around the Airport, In those day’s it was not uncommon to drag your kid into a bar, get him a coke and have a drink or two.

It was very much a time where kids were seen & not heard.
The “Wreck/Ship Wreck” was in the old downtown area near Mainstreet, we ate at a Mexican restaurant called “Pedro’s” just up the street all the time.

I have a few very clear memories of the place back in the 60s; it was a local bar and drew an older clientele, the décor was mostly Nautical at that time, I don’t member seeing any Tikis.

The “Elsinore 500” was a famous motorcycle race which drew the likes of Steve McQueen who raced in it and who I was very lucky to meet a couple of times, he had some friends who skydived.

During the 1966 Elsinore 500 which drew a huge crowd & a few Outlaw Motorcycle clubs
We were in the downtown area, when we drove by the Wreck there was a gang of Hells Angels fighting with chains with another MC, right outside the bar.

My Dad partnered with some friends and opened up their own bar called the “Rumble seat” a couple of miles away, which catered to the Skydiving scene, I spent a lot of time there as a kid.

My Sister dug up an old photo from around 1963 or 64 of my Dad getting ready for a jump
The blond kid is me.