Swanky’s Tiki Pecha Kucha
Pecha Kucha is a worldwide series of presentation all with the same format: 20 images which each displaying for 20 seconds. I decided to apply to do a presentation thinking Read More …
Category: Events
West Coast Tour 2017
It’s happening again… I’ll be touring the west coast starting August 5th in Tacoma and ending August 13th in Palm Springs. Celebrating a year after the release of the Mai-Kai Read More …
Hukilau Mai-Kai History Presentation
June 9th, in support of my recently released book on the history of the greatest Tiki bar on earth, the Mai-Kai, I will once again be giving a presentation at Read More …
Mai-Kai: History, Mystery and Adventure – The Book
I have been researching the Mai-Kai in one form or another for over 12 years. I have been seriously looking into its history and people for a long time to Read More …
Hukilau 2003 Video
This goes back to when the Tiki scene was young. At the request of the Florida Ohana who came to Hukilau 2002 in Atlanta, and with the huge efforts of Read More …
PBS Documentary Plastic Paradise Airs nationwide
I helped these guys quite a bit on this documentary. Sven Kirsten endorsed them heartily, so I threw my support their way as well. I appear in the documentary along Read More …
Mai-Kai Black Velvet Rescue
From the early days after we moved Hukilau to the Mai-Kai, I had heard about a black velvet painting of Mireille Thornton. The painting had been vandalized and the description Read More …
Mai-Kai Reunion 2013 and History Presentation
Mai-Kai: History, Mystery and Adventure In 1933, Don Beach’s place was one of many thousands of bars that opened the day after Prohibition ended. No one knew then that Read More …
Mod Weekend in Fort Lauderdale March 15-17th
The event will be March 15 – 17th and is centered around the Modern design of the Fort Lauderdale area. One of the architects celebrated will be Charles McKirahan. Besides Read More …
2013 is 1963 All Over Again…
 As a public service, let me bring to your attention the fact that the year 2013 is exactly the same as the year 1963. So you can re-use that Read More …
Swanky – Knoxville’s “Tiki King” in Metropulse
 We were a bit shocked to find that Knoxville weekly indepenant paper Metropulse had made me the cover story this week. And I was very pleasantly surprised to find they Read More …
NPR Does Hukilau and the Mai-Kai!
I was proud to share some of my Mai-Kai research at the Mai-Kai during Hukilau this year. My presentation went over well and several said it brought tears to their Read More …
Mai-Kai History presentation at the Mai-Kai!
 On April 20th, I will give a much updated version of my Mai-Kai history presentation as part of Hukilau. I have many more stories and images and long lost videos Read More …
Swanky presents: “Mai-Kai – History, Mystery and Adventure” Symposium at Tiki Oasis
I have been a huge fan of the Mai-Kai since I saw it for the first time when organizing Hukilau 2003. Since then I have collected all the mugs, stories, Read More …
Charles McKirahan – Fort Lauderdale Mid-Century Architect
If you are heading to Fort Lauderdale for Hukilau next week, you might want to take a little side trip as you drive to the Mai-Kai and see other places Read More …