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Waitoma Grotto - Holly, MI |
bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10605
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
|  Posted: 2009-03-17 10:02 am Permalink
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On 2009-03-17 03:07, Bongo Bungalow wrote:
You know the buttons to nudge people, don't you Sven? I agree that knowledge of your book might help loosen some people up. The residents of Holly are quite proud of their little burg.
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It is not so much about buttons, but about giving the request for material some legitimacy in a town that, I would assume, has not become aware of any form of the Tiki revival yet. The fact that Jan is a member of the city council will certainly help, but you have no idea how folks involved in the mid-century Tiki culture reacted to my inquiries when I started researching it in the early 90s. They had experienced the "fall from grace" of their businesses, and gone on with their lives, onto something completely different most of the time. So for somebody to probe their Tiki past was just plain weird, or even suspicious to them. The be able to prove to them that this period is book-worthy now often changes that attitude.
Nice air archeology, Trav, those are the sad facts of Tiki devolution.
[ This Message was edited by: bigbrotiki 2009-03-17 10:06 ]
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3951
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2009-03-17 12:28 pm Permalink
This has turned out to be a very informative and in depth thread. Very nice research from Bongo, Bigbro and Trav.
Here are a couple of postcards I have of the interior hotel rooms at the Hawaiian Gardens. You can see the custom bamboo furniture that was referenced by Bongo's sister earlier. Same kind of home made Hawaiian look to the rooms.
Here is the back of the card with a reference to the views of "Lake Oahu".
Fun stuff.
DC
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uncle trav
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 27, 2005
Posts: 1543
From: Kalamazoo
| Posted: 2009-03-18 12:38 pm Permalink
Great cards Dusty. I was hoping you would have something out of your treasure stash. Thanks for posting those. I was looking back at all of the images in the post a noticed some thing curious ( to me anyway ).The first image is a photo that Chub came up with which shows a canoe on what looks to be the roof of one of the buildings.
Then in Sabu's post I noticed that the canoe is over the entry way attached to an outrigger feature. Looks to be either another canoe or it was moved at some point. Sabu's card of the exterior may not show the whole complex as I think this maybe a building out of frame from that card. Just got curious. Thanks.
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"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann
[ This Message was edited by: uncle trav 2009-03-18 17:30 ]
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uncle trav
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 27, 2005
Posts: 1543
From: Kalamazoo
| Posted: 2009-03-18 12:45 pm Permalink
Bigbro is that a drawing of the Hawaiian Gardens complex on the back of the menu? If so could you post a blown up image we could take a look at? Thanks.
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Bongo Bungalow
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 20, 2007
Posts: 1230
From: Indiana
| Posted: 2009-03-19 08:03 am Permalink
Jan say's she found out that after changing hands, the Hawaiian Gardens became Vladimir's. Just a little looking around and I see there's a banquet hall in Farmington Hills, same part of the state, called Vladimir's, so perhaps they were conected? edit: yep, the very same
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[ This Message was edited by: Bongo Bungalow 2009-03-20 13:11 ]
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Bongo Bungalow
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 20, 2007
Posts: 1230
From: Indiana
| Posted: 2009-03-20 1:15 pm Permalink
Jan's prodding (instigated by TC's prodding)has got something started:
"Well, you have made one newspaper reporter and one newspaper editor very excited by your inquiry. They are going to do a story on Hawaiian Gardens. This means I can sit back and let them do all the research. They've already found an exact time line of when it was built, when it changed hands, etc. They are trying to locate the daughter, Ms Soloko, as we speak. I will, of course, send you a link to the article once it is published. It will be online with a service called "MLive", and will appear in the Fenton Press, a local paper owned by the Flint Journal."
I've told Jan we want pictures... let's see what developes.
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uncle trav
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 27, 2005
Posts: 1543
From: Kalamazoo
| Posted: 2009-03-20 1:25 pm Permalink
OUTSTANDING !!!!!!!!!!! Tell Jan she is doing an amazing job Bongo. Great to have an agent in the field. Good to hear the local paper is doing the story. Maybe some folks will come forward with some stories. Damn I sure love this stuff.
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"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10605
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2009-03-20 2:02 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2009-03-18 12:45, uncle trav wrote:
Bigbro is that a drawing of the Hawaiian Gardens complex on the back of the menu? If so could you post a blown up image we could take a look at? Thanks.
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Trav, I was talking about this matchbook cover:
....which is owned by ukutiki.
Yes, Bongo, tell Jan thanks, and we will see what those newsboys come up with. Hopefully they will use some of my Book(s) to approach the subject with the basic knowledge of its pervasiveness.
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Bongo Bungalow
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 20, 2007
Posts: 1230
From: Indiana
| Posted: 2009-03-20 3:04 pm Permalink
Yes, Sven, I have referred Jan to your work. And I will see her next weekend and wow her with copies of Tiki Modern, Beachbum Berry's books and Jay's Tiki Mug book.
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10605
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2009-03-20 4:51 pm Permalink
Wow! That's a concentrated Tiki package! --She will become one of OURS, har har! And then influence the City Council! And they will all become Tikiphiles and resurrect HAWAIIAN GARDENS!
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uncle trav
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 27, 2005
Posts: 1543
From: Kalamazoo
| Posted: 2009-03-21 07:28 am Permalink
Thought I'd blow up ukutiki's matchbook rendering a little. The canoe above the entrance can be seen in the rendering. Bongo ask Jan if the newspaper boys will have extra photos. Normally they find a few but only add one or two to the article. She maybe able to get some copies you can post on the thread. And watch out she may get the Tiki bug. I gave a friend of mine a mug a couple of years ago and told him I was not responsible for what may happen. He now has a boat load of mugs and a home bar. 
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"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann
[ This Message was edited by: uncle trav 2009-03-21 07:30 ]
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3951
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2009-03-21 08:46 am Permalink
Trav,
Hope your sister comes up with some good stuff. Here is a blow-up of the rendering on the brochure.
DC
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uncle trav
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 27, 2005
Posts: 1543
From: Kalamazoo
| Posted: 2009-03-21 10:43 am Permalink
Great image Dusty. Jan is Bongo's sister. But then again everyone is family here on TC.
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uncle trav
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 27, 2005
Posts: 1543
From: Kalamazoo
| Posted: 2009-03-28 05:37 am Permalink
Any news from the front?
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jpalarchio
Member
Joined: Mar 29, 2009
Posts: 1
From: Holly, MI
| Posted: 2009-03-29 05:38 am Permalink
Having moved to Holly about 9 years ago, I've been following this thread for a while.
Here's the newspaper article: http://www.mlive.com/fenton/index.ssf/2009/03/hawaiin_gardens_resort_put_hol.html
The print version had a couple pictures, looked like postcards possibly.
Pretty nice article by the author.
[ This Message was edited by: jpalarchio 2009-03-29 05:44 ]
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