TIKI KON 2023 Part 2: The Kon-clusion To A 20-Year Tradition

(Continued from Part 1):

Saturday morning at 10 (10!?!) was the event I was looking forward to most at Tiki Kon, the Island Marketplace. This was where tiki artisans and vendors sold their wares. There were all manner of things up for grabs; aloha wear, tiki mugs (vintage and new), t-shirts, lapel pins, artworks, etc. At 10 a.m., believe it or not, I was ready to go. Except…I couldn’t find it. (It turned out to be located in a building across the driveway from the main hotel. Duh.)

I am building out a home tiki bar and was hoping to find a special lamp for it; one that would always remind me of Tiki Kon (and be in my price range…of about $1.95 or so). Nothing really struck my fancy (or my budget), though. The place was just mobbed. Everyone there was on their own tiki treasure hunt. I left and decided to return later in the day. (I had also stupidly thought it would be running through the next day. That was wrong.)

I got a drink and wandered around a bit.  I ran into Gillian and we had a brief chat. Eventually I moseyed back to the marketplace. It had thinned out considerably, but it was also very picked over.

David Gambale had a space—and it was evident he had sold a lot of his work. Very few things remained and several that were had been marked “sold.” Among the items he had for sale were some of the same subtly lit mask-like things on black velvet, similar to the piece at Stephen Curran’s place, the Rockin’ Jellyfish Lounge. Of course, although they were far less ($350-$375) than the piece ($675) in the art gallery, they were still too rich for my meager wallet. However, now that things had quieted down, I wanted to say hello and compliment him on his work.

To my utter surprise, he recognized me and remembered me from our first meeting at the Rockin’ Jellyfish Lounge months earlier.  He even asked if I was going to his party the next day, and handed me an invitation. Wow!

Following my encounter with David, I tried to get into the talk about the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland by one of the ride’s former “skippers.” However, it was jam-packed, so I decided to get in line—early—for the next room party. This one was sponsored by Passionola, a recreated mixer (which I believe was originally called fassionola) that will soon be on the market. This room party was held in a smaller space, but the organizers handled it well. Ten people at a time were invited in and given a cocktail. Then, the organizers would give the pitch for their new product and hand out samples. Simple. Easy. There were no thrills or frills like the other parties—but it was still worth checking out.

I was standing in line at the Kon’s cocktail bar, when I heard this voice ask “Is that the Tiki Tourist?” I turned to find Kathryn N., aka a_vintage_modern on Instagram. She had seen some of my posts while at the Kon and messaged me. We decided to look for each other. She spotted me first. (It wasn’t hard. Aside from my tale-tell cane, I was in line at the bar. Hello!? That’s the first place I’d look for me, too.) I bought her a drink and we had a few minutes to chat. It was really swell to meet her and I’m glad she went to the trouble of seeking me out.

After Kathryn left for a symposium, it was off to another room party for me. This one was the Burnt Bridge Cellars Wine Tai Bar. I couldn’t find it. I’d bumped into Stephen Curran and he was looking for it too. He disappeared down a hall, but then I ran into Ray’s friend Travis Bay again. He was with his cool wife Amber and their kids near the pool. Amber directed me to where the room party was. Wow! There had been no line at all. No wonder I couldn’t find it. I just waltzed in, grabbed a drink, and split.

From there, it was off to the top of the hotel, where room 1560 was the sight of yet another room party. This one was the Davis Graveyard’s Haunted Tiki Room! Zowie! I needed to see that one.  I was early and waited. I let Erich know where I was. He was possibly going to come up and find me closer to the time when the room would be opening. (Gillian was at the Mug & Swizzle Swap.)

I was fairly close to the front of the line and got in quickly. It was very spooky cool inside. Bones and skeletons, creepy lighting, etc. –and a free cocktail, of course. It was all so wonderfully done.

As I was leaving, I ran into a fellow named Jim, who I had met a few months earlier at the Devil’s Reef in Tacoma during one of Tiki With Ray’s live tapings.  It was nice seeing another familiar face.

I went back down to the hotel room. Where was Erich? He’d gone up looking for me—after I had already walked through the room party and left! Ha! We met up, but instead of hitting the Graveyard party, we ventured down to the Just Rum room party in room 1460 instead. We had somehow missed the Just Rum room party the day before, but were glad to make it to the encore. There wasn’t much of a line at all.

From there, we went back to the Davis Graveyard Haunted Tiki Room party. Erich hadn’t seen it and I certainly didn’t mind a return experience. The crowd had totally died off since the time I’d first gone through. The return visit really gave me a chance to take a closer look at all of the macabre set pieces and props.

At one point, we had run into Ray’s friends Geneen and Kevin again. They told us that the Devil’s Reef room party had re-oped—although (Shh!) it wasn’t being publicized as such. They told us they were sampling rums and we should make a point of trying this one rare rum that had been brought over from one of the Caribbean Islands (Jamaica?). Wowzer!

We did go back the Devil’s Reef room—and tried the rum. Wowzer, indeed! It was fantastic.

Finally that day, while the rest of Tiki Kon luau-ed the night away, Erich and I had our return engagement at Raven’s Manor—and I am sure we had just as much fun, if not more, than anyone at the Kon that night.

As Sunday dawned, there was a decidedly somber tone to the day. Tiki Kon, the very last one, was coming to a close. People were saying their alohas and leaving the hotel. I met Gillian downstairs in the lobby and got a shot of her in the Tiki Kon photo op.

Everything else that was set up for the Kon, however, was closed or had already been removed. Tiki Kon may have been closing up—but the day was young and there was still much tiki-ing to do.

We had been looking for a place to have brunch, but everything we wanted to try was already booked up. We had heard The Alibi did brunch. Why not go there?

Established in 1947, The Alibi is a jewel in its own, old school way. Part classic tiki bar, part dive, The Alibi has its own laissez-faire vibe that you won’t find at Hale Pale, Coral Club, or Wahi Hana. But a classic is a classic—and I truly do like the Alibi. I had already written off visits to the Portland bars ( Hale Pale and The Alibi), so I was thrilled that at least The Alibi came back into the game for me that visit.

The Alibi used to do a brunch, but not any longer. There was food on the menu, though. I don’t recall everyone’s orders, but Erich and I each had the Loco Moco—the closest thing to a brunch-like meal (It has a fried egg on it.) on the menu. We all shared this amazing (OMG!!! I need MORE!) crab dip. I also had a Shark Attack to drink. There may have also been some mug shopping—but I don’t remember. I think I had The Alibi’s mug already, but Gillian bought one I believe.

It was a bittersweet time. Sure, we were having a swell time together—but when it came to a close, we had to take Gillian back to the airport for her flight home. It had been so wonderful to have spent time with her—but, between symposiums and room parties., we really had seen so little of her.

After leaving the airport, though—there was one last tiki treat left, David Gambale’s Kon-clusion party!

We found his house and went to the door. A nice lady (Mrs. Gambale?) opened the door for us and bade us come in. The living room was right off of the entryway and… Wow! Wow! Wow! It was a mid-century modern fantasy come true.

A short hall led to the kitchen and dining room. David was there and got us set up with cocktails. Then he led us down a dark hallway to The Lanai—his own, personal home tiki bar.

What amazing sights awaited us in there?, I wondered…

The place is gorgeous. I have only been in a handful of home bars, yet this one is far exceeded my expectations. But then, with an artist like David at the helm, how could I have expected anything less?

The detail was incredible. Everything from the lamps, wall décor, mug collection and tapa cloth were done up so fantastically.

There was even a water feature.

It is beautiful. I only wish there had been fewer people there and we’d had more time so I could have explored the place fully.

The charms of David’s home bar were not confined to the four walls of the former garage. Through a doorway, you emerged onto a tiki patio area. Yes, The Lanai has its own lanai! It is just amazing.

Although we hadn’t been there long, Erich and I had a l-o-n-g drive home facing us. We needed to cut our visit short and head out.

While Erich was returning our glasses to the kitchen, I was marveling at the fab living room once again. When he approached, I turned…and something caught my eye. There, hanging on the hall wall opposite the door, was one of David’s art pieces. It was left over from the Tiki Kon marketplace—and the price had been dramatically slashed down. What?

It was still more than my meager budget could afford (especially after the expenses of Tiki Kon overall), but here the tiki gods were smiling down at me—and giving me a 3^rd or 4^th chance (at a hugely discounted price) for one of David’s pieces. How could I not get it?

SOLD!

With my new piece of art packed in the car, we headed home. The 20th and final Tiki Kon — my first-ever tiki event — had come to an end. It was a fun experience that will live on in memory and (through David’s art piece) on my own home tiki bar walls, for years to come.

CHEERS!