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Bali Hai, Massillon, OH (restaurant) |
Bali O Hai O
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 04, 2010
Posts: 38 |  Posted: 2010-05-06 8:00 pm Permalink
Name:Bali Hai
Type:restaurant
Street:4508 Lincoln Way East
City:Massillon
State:OH
Zip:44646
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct
Description:
Opened in 1960 by Emil Chapanar, the Bali Hai was Northeast Ohio's premier Tiki / Polynesian Lounge. Located midway between Pittsburgh and Chicago on the Historic Lincoln Highway. A popular stop off for hungry travelers of that era traveling between NYC and San Francisco. One of the first restaurants in Stark county to feature Chinese food.
The Famous Moonlight Ballroom and the Casablanca nightclub were both within 5 miles of the Bali Hai and thus plenty of locals have many stories of celebrity sightings.
With it's Polynesian architecture the building was designed as a Polynesian Temple. From the gas lit open flame Torches to the Giant Easter Island Moai standing guard outside, the place was truly a palace to Polynesian living.
It was revamped in 1971, but sadly closed in 1984.
[ This Message was edited by: Bali O hai O 2010-05-13 21:17 ]
[ This Message was edited by: Bali O hai O 2010-05-21 18:01 ]
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Bali O Hai O
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 04, 2010
Posts: 38 | Posted: 2010-05-06 8:03 pm Permalink
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Bali O Hai O
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 04, 2010
Posts: 38 | Posted: 2010-05-06 8:06 pm Permalink
FREE SOUVENIR TIKI MUGS. (There has to be some of those around Canton, I need to get to more garage sales this summer)
[ This Message was edited by: Bali O Hai O 2010-05-06 20:09 ]
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Bali O Hai O
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 04, 2010
Posts: 38 | Posted: 2010-05-06 8:39 pm Permalink
WOW! I got goose bumps when I visited the old Bali Hai. I forgot just how huge the place really was. All the original 1959 stone work was still intact, I could just imagine Emil overseeing the masons and supplying all the P.O.C. beer as they built his masterpiece. The original shake siding can still be seen at the peak of the roof, the original entrance area is unchanged and some of the tropical plants still grow. The Welcome/Aloha sign is long gone but the old light box that housed it near the entrance still hangs empty overhead. I peeked inside the big porthole window and was amazed at all the old office equipment and even the old steel desk that was there when I worked there. I can't believe there is not a box somewhere in a closet or storage room filled with mugs, menus or more, there has to be something still in there, it was calling out to me. Oh my god how this would be so easy to convert back to it's original splendor, unfortunately I am too old and too poor to take on that venture, maybe the Tiki gods will bring a young fellow with a dream like Emil had and a gleam in his eye to breathe life back into it. I wish there was a way to preserve these places or turn it into a Tiki Museum and hold Tiki Conventions. The history is there the Lincoln Highway is outside the front door, please god please don't let this become another casualty like the structures on Rt.66 If someone from the Lincoln Highway Preservation Society reads this please please add this building to your list, they knocked down the Lincoln Motel, the Lincoln Diner and the Casablanca, lets save this one for future generations!
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abstractiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 29, 2009
Posts: 582
From: Lodi, CA
| Posted: 2010-05-06 8:50 pm Permalink
Good work Bali O Hai O, now try to make friends with a real-estate salesman and get him to let you inside to take some pictures of the interior. Try to find some treasure or artifacts still hidden away in there. Keep up the good work.
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Bali O Hai O
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 04, 2010
Posts: 38 | Posted: 2010-05-06 9:02 pm Permalink
It says for sale on the sign but no phone number?
I would love to scour the place, even for a crumb of history.
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Beachbumz
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Jan 09, 2008
Posts: 991
From: 21°/156° MAUI
| Posted: 2010-05-06 9:03 pm Permalink
Great pictures! I like the ol' porthole windows... I bet that place was super cool back in the day all done up..
Wonder why they did not photograph the Bali Hai face or head in the shots for the ads?
_________________
Beach Bumz Maui
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Beachbumz
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Jan 09, 2008
Posts: 991
From: 21°/156° MAUI
| Posted: 2010-05-06 9:07 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-05-06 21:02, Bali O Hai O wrote:
It says for sale on the sign but no phone number?
I would love to scour the place, even for a crumb of history.
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Looks like there having an auction in the basement of Ashley's restaurant on May 11th @ 9:00pm..
http://www.fasttrackauction.com/
scroll down the page...
Might be worth checking out... could be a HUGE stash of Bali Hai Mugs and Lamps down there.. How cool would that be...
Aloha
_________________
www.beachbumz.com
[ This Message was edited by: Beachbumz 2010-05-06 21:07 ]
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Beachbumz
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Jan 09, 2008
Posts: 991
From: 21°/156° MAUI
| Posted: 2010-05-06 9:15 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-05-06 21:07, Beachbumz wrote:
Quote:
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On 2010-05-06 21:02, Bali O Hai O wrote:
It says for sale on the sign but no phone number?
I would love to scour the place, even for a crumb of history.
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|
Looks like there having an auction in the basement of Ashley's restaurant on May 11th @ 9:00pm..
http://www.fasttrackauction.com/
scroll down the page...
Might be worth checking out... could be a HUGE stash of Bali Hai Mugs and Lamps down there.. How cool would that be...
Aloha
_________________
www.beachbumz.com
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Sorry, actually it's an online auction that ends then... but maybe it would get you in the restaurant??!!
_________________
Beach Bumz Maui
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Bali O Hai O
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 04, 2010
Posts: 38 | Posted: 2010-05-06 10:52 pm Permalink
Thanks Beachbumz, how did you find that out? Thats awesome, but I got an email from Ashleys owner and he assures me everything tiki related is long long gone, they never saw anything in their time there and they have had several owners since, so it's a dead deal.
I am off to the hideaway bar in massilon this weekend on a lead that they have some Bali Hai stuff and a local antique dealer who might have several items.
I feel like a kid!
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3935
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-05-06 11:14 pm Permalink
Bali O Hai O,
Nice work getting to the library for some phone book ads, I learned that trick from Bora Boris and Tiki Kate. And, you started this thread, which really did need your name attached to it.
Here are the matchbook photos from Bali Hai.
Look forward to more of your research.
DC
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hombre
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Apr 03, 2009
Posts: 66
From: The Cannibal Lounge (Avon, Ohio)
| Posted: 2010-05-07 07:29 am Permalink
I have been glued to this thread, and the other with the Witco Bar. Great finds and great fun! I am not far from there and might ride down and see the old place this weekend!
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10566
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-05-07 08:01 am Permalink
Yes, thanks for opening this thread Bali Ohio, we are looking forward to more findings. You have a good eye for architectural detail, regular folks would think there is nothing left of the place worth documenting. One thing: We are still missing a good wide shot of the building from the sign, like the Google street view in the Witco bar thread.
If you find a vintage shot of the whole place at Emil's son's house, it would be fun to shoot it from the same angle, for a "Then" and "Now".
Oh, P.S.: Where is Pablus in all this, someone ought to let him know there is a thread on his uncle's place up on T.C. (assuming that what he called the Bali Hai in Canton is the same as the Bali Hai in Massilon)
[ This Message was edited by: bigbrotiki 2010-05-07 08:04 ]
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pablus
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 23, 2003
Posts: 2146
From: www.crazedmugs.com
| Posted: 2010-05-07 4:04 pm Permalink
<<I am off to the hideaway bar in massilon this weekend on a lead that they have some Bali Hai stuff and a local antique dealer who might have several items. >>
There are a few kind of beat-up Witco pieces in the basement of the Hideaway but they're not from the Bali Hai, as far as I know - heck if they are - that's awesome because I've got a couple from there.
My Uncle, "Sarge" was the bartender at Bali Hai for years and then opened a Polynesian/Asian lounge where the Hideaway is now.
The owner of the Hideaway thinks the Witco stuff is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, so you're not likely to buy any off of him. Unless there's a new owner from 5 years ago or so.
I've scoured the thrift shops and antique shops looking for stuff. I've never even seen a match pack or anything from there. If you find anything, I'm certain my family would be willing to pay you top dollar for it.
Here's a lead you can explore as well. The older guy who originally owned or maybe bought the Bali Hai turned everything over to his son. The son seemed willing to go up into his attic to see if there were any mugs or things like that from the Bali Hai. We lost touch when he stopped returning our calls.
That's the Ohio I know and love - paranoid and ill-equipped to deal with tough questions like "Will you sell me that?" and "Would you let us come over and check it out?"
Anyway - we dove into the basement of Ashleys or whatever it was 5 years ago and even went through their filing cabinets and old offices. There was nothing they wouldn't let us tear into and I was with the supreme antique collector of all time who makes even Basement Kahuna pale in comparison. We got bupkis.
I may sound kind of nonplussed about this but I'm really really really jazzed to see some photos and a matchpack and stuff like that. I'm super hopeful that you'll find some stuff and even if I can't own it - even to see it would be awesome. You've got an invite to the Rusty Key anytime where I've got the Witco I got from there on display.
Here's a story about it.
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=13461&forum=1
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10566
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-05-07 5:49 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-05-07 16:04, pablus wrote:
We got bupkis.
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Is that the name of a Witco piece I don't know of? 
You tell a great tale, ol' Pablus! I now fondly remember our gathering at Julian's, and the Balinese Lady carving. Aaaah, Julian's, what a great place!
Let's wish our intrepid new old member Bali Ohio more luck, if not Witco, perhaps he can come up with Photo!
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