attention Tiki Think Tank

I'm hoping to pick the collective tiki brain but first, a little background.

I live in Dunedin, Florida, on the west coast, in the Tampa Bay area, on the Gulf of Mexico. Dunedin is, for Florida anyhow, a pretty cool arts-supporting community with its own brewery, two nice martini bars plus lots of restaurants and neat-o shops 'n' boutiques. Did I mention we're on the Gulf of Mexico? No surf to speak of but some very nice beaches.

Several times a year, the powers that be in Dunedin put on themed street festivals where the whole of downtown is blocked to vehicular traffic, vendors set up to hawks their wares/food, there's live music and thousands of people milling about, having a grand old time.

The biggest of these events is the Mardi Gras bacchanalia complete with floats and a parade and the aforementioned live music. Yeah, I know - a Mardi Gras celebration in a Florida city with the old Celtic name for Edinburgh is a helluva cultural juxtaposition but cut us some slack, we're Floridians - pretty much everything's from somewhere else (except me, I'm a native.)

For the past couple of years, they've done some lame-ass disco themed BS. Ho, hum, snore. But this year one of the primary organizers has come to me, asking for my ideas and help in coming up with a theme ... and they wanna go tiki! My surf/lounge band The Vodkanauts will perform along with several others.

So I come to y'all, seeking ideas.

1. Name - gotta have a cool name for it. Puns are a beautiful thing, in my book.

2. Carvers, tiki artisans & vendors - would some of y'all from around Florida or points beyond be interesting in traveling this a-way to display, sell, put on a demo? I can certainly give y'all intros to the various galleries and boutiques in town for post-event selling purposes as well.

3. How many Florida tikiphiles would be interested in coming for such an event?

4. Any other ideas I can pitch to the organizers? They're very cool, hip, artsy types so don't be bashful.

Lacking anthing here nearly as cool as, say, the Mai Kai, I'm trying to make tiki happen anyway I can. Carpe tiki!

Totally tiki un-related but still pretty cool:

The Punisher movie is currently being filmed around Tampa Bay; John Travolta, who's playing the lead villian I'm told, has been spotted tooling around town.

Try and have the event and celebration date coincide with International Tiki Day festives? I think this would have huge potential for a great time...like an East Coast Tiki Oasis or a Baxdog Tiki Day Party! only bigger. Carving demos, music, drinks, entertainment.

On 2003-08-15 11:07, Tiki Rider Five-O wrote:
Try and have the event and celebration date coincide with International Tiki Day festives?

Well, unfortunately, I'm stuck with the actual date of Fat Tuesday in early March.

But good idea, nonetheless. And if the tiki-themed Mardi Gras goes over like I think it will, I may be able to make a special all-tiki event happen.