Another card to add to the original post and now website of Mai Kai postcards.

This is the famous large Barney West at the south end of the Mai Kai. It stands there to this day. But today the highway has encroached to the point that this guy is right on the edge.

I spent most of the last week on the couch with a nasty cold. It gave me time to look around You Tube and find some videos I want to share. If you have some time to watch. The first video of Lani McIntyre I think might be shot at the Hawaiian Room in the Hotel Lexington and just maybe the lead dancer is none other than Pualani Avon who danced for us at the Mai Kai for Hukilau 2004. This is a playlist, so you can skip to other videos by mousing over the bottom of the screen.

Just when you think you know what’s out there, something else comes along. Until about a month ago, I had never seen this menu. It is the “missing link” in a way. Oddly missing from the Mai Kai drink menu that we all have seen that is dated 1957, is the Mystery Drink. That led to wondering if the Mystery Drink was around in 1956 when they opened. This is perhaps the answer. On this menu, dated 1959, is the Mystery Drink. There was a seperate menu for the Molokai and that’s where the drink was ordered. It is dated 1959 and not 1957. We had this dated menu from 1958, so, this menu doesn’t get us closer to 1957 for the Mystery Drink, just firms up the evidence. One interesting thing from the mini menu is the image of the Mystery Drink. It is the kneeling girl bowl that was common among many bars.

That bowl is seen in this image from the Mai Kai which is surely Annie Campbell:

So, perhaps the Mystery Drink started in 1956 when the Mai Kai opened, and the Mai Kai Mystery Bowl appeared a little later…

There’s always something new out there. This looks like a card that I already have, but it is not. I am anxiously awaiting a card I have never seen, and none of you have ever seen from Annie Campbell. Not sure exactly what it is. You’ll see soon.

I previously posted about the Okole Maluna Club at the Mai Kai. At Hukilau, Kern Mattei, GM of the Mai Kai blessed me with this bit of ephemera. The membership card for the Okole Maluna Society. Awesome! I just can’t decide if I should put my name on it and make myself a mixologist! I should have had Kern do it.

I built the Hideaway first in my rental house. Then I moved in with Ms Swanky and converted her dining room into the Hideaway. Now we are living the American Dream and I am living the Poly Pop dream and we are building a rather permanent Hideaway. This is a major undertaking. The sort of thing you’d only do if you own. We’ve hired contractors to rewire everything. That is, 4 outlets in the ceiling on a switch behind the bar. A wet bar. Just a serious bar build. We are now deep into the construction phase. We hope to get started on building the actual bar soon. And then we will get to the fun part where we start putting in decor. It has been a ton of work and there is a lot more to go. Been colecting specifically for th eproject now too. We are also doing a tropical lanai to go with the Tiki bar.

To see the step by step progress, look at this Tiki Central thread…

We started Coon Tiki a few years ago to teach and learn about carving tikis. Now we are moving the class to the beach and expanding it into an event for more people to enjoy.

So, for $49 a night per person or less, you get, a beachfront house for the week, carving class with Bosko and Basement Kahuna, A cocktail “Show and Taste” with Beachbum Berry, live surf band on the beach at our private “Beach Blanket Bingo“, Hapa Haole tunes new and old with Pablus of the Crazed Mugs, a Low Country boil of fresh seafood… Well, that’s just getting started! You can’t stay on Folly Beach for that price, let alone enjoy all those extras!

Ms Swanky and I love Folly. Vacation there yearly. A sleepy surf community. In September, the tourists have gone and the water is still warm and the weather fantastic. Charleston is just 10 miutes away. WIth your reservation you have the place from September 8-15th. Arrive when you like. Brad Howland is a local and he is putting this together with me. The Thursday Meet and Greet will be at his Jungalero Lounge which is amazing.

Click here and book now while you can!

More Mai Kai goodness pre-Hukilau

Just got this card to add to the Vintage Server Girls thread on Tiki Central.

This gal is clearly none too happy to see her man getting lei’d…

In the UK they broke the rules and had blonde servers!

And the freaks have tikis with boobs!

Ms Swanky gave me a few nice birthday presents. First, a stainless steel mini fridge to keep all the assorted juices and syrups needed to make great drinks in the bar. Second, a stainless steel bar sink for the bar. We bought a house about a year ago and have been renovating and now we’re coming to some new places. The 3rd edition of the Hapa Haole Hideaway will be very grand, but, it will require a LOT of work and money. Not just a decorating job like times past, but a construction job with contractors and electrical, plumbing and carpentry work. I really miss the Hideaway, and so does she. But we also have work to do on the kitchen and bath, etc. So, those gifts really meant more to me. They show she’s behind this project.

As if I didn’t already know, my male friends are reinforcing it. She’s a keeper.

We still can’t afford to get married, but we’re setting a date anyway. It’ll be in April or May 2009. We’ll settle on an exact date soon. I did Hukilau year after year starting with nothing in the bank. We’ve managed a lot of goals that were difficult and we made them happen. So, we set a date and we’ll make the wedding happen too.

And in August or so, we’ll have the grand reopening party for the the bigger and bestest Hapa Haole Hideaway!

I was talking to an old friend today about Hukilau and the Mai Kai and suggested that if he had the chance, he should visit Trader Vic’s Atlanta. His response surprised me. He told me he had been there, with me! We took a road trip to Atlanta in 1996 which I recall. We had a heckuva good time. I recall stumbling upon the Clairmont Lounge, etc. But he tells me our first stop was Trader Vic’s. I have no memory. First I recall being there was around 2001. Weird.

The one great thing I credit myself with in the whole Hukilau event, is being able to promote and in some ways really help make the Mai Kai more well known and popular. We all love the place, but I love the people that run it. They are the best. The staff as well. Mai Kai.

I noticed there was not a good set of images of this magazine article on the web, so I thought I’d scan it and put it out there for everyone.

Considering all the images of this Barrel of Rum mug, you’d think they would be around, but I have seen this mug on Ebay once in maybe 5 years.
 

Is that me in that aloha shirt? Maybe at Hukilau?

Bob and Jack Thornton

Bob pours the Coffee Grog.

I have been corresponding with former Mai Kai Mystery Lady Anne Campbell lately. Once again I cannot stress enough the importance of getting everything we can on the Internet so the generation who remembers can find it and share with us. It was thanks to my Mai Kai calendar posts that she found me.

Unfortunately, a lot of her photos and memorabilia from that time was destroyed by a varmit infestation while they were in storage. One piece she sent me really stood out to me. I had read and was told that Bob Thornton inspected the Mai Kai gals on a regular basis and even the future Mrs. Thornton was kicked off the squad for being a bit pudgy. Well, here is a bit of proof. A letter from 1965 from Bob congratulating her for being top gal, and reminding her to keep her weigh under 125…

 More to come!

Sven and Sabu give us a nerdrific lesson in the history of two tikis at the Caliente Tropics.

What can you say? Buck naked gals in front of something vaguely tiki-ish and some matting and maybe a grass skirt on the wall. Gotta love it. (NSFW)