Tiki Oasis 2009 road trip day 3

Welcome to the home stretch of our road trip to Tiki Oasis. Today's leg takes us through Bakersfield and then on down to San Diego for the opening party at the Bali Hai.

Coconut Joe's was our destination in Bakersfield at 4158 California Ave. Although not a vintage location, there are plenty of great things to see inside. We also tried a sampling of both their chicken and tri-tip. Smoky, juicy, tangy, and delicious - we highly recommend Coconut Joe's for a great meal!


We were lucky to meet managing partner Jeff Salters whose enthusiasm for the restaurant and the food were definitely contagious (he's responsible for the tri-tip recipe). Jeff let us know that the owner is quite a serious tiki collector and has also stocked his banquet facility with vintage tiki artwork.


We were told numerous people have made offers for the vintage lighted Primo Beer clock. You can see why from the picture below - very cool!




Once we arrived in San Diego we met up with our friends Austin and Marci for dinner at the Turf Supper Club. The restaurant is an incredible time-capsule from the 1950s. Original wallpaper and artwork along with the circular booths create an atmosphere that is 100% authentic. Another unique feature of the Turf Supper Club is the fact that you grill your own meal. Great quality meats complemented with your choice of sauces made for a delicious dinner.


Mr. & Mrs. Roadside make a rare appearance in the photo section of the blog:-)


After dinner we headed over to the Tiki Oasis opening night party at the Bali Hai. The party was a blast with cocktails, music, Tahitian dancers, and a crowd decked out in their vintage finest. Did we mention cocktails?

The Goof high atop the Bali Hai.

We're making this post short today as we have a couple of seats reserved for us by the pool. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it!

Tomorrow will be a full day with vending on the patio next to a 15 foot tall tiki bar made of spray foam followed by music and entertainment in the evening. We'll continue to post photos over the weekend as time allows!

Tiki Oasis 2009 road trip day 2

We're wrapping up Day 2 of our road trip to Tiki Oasis in Delano, CA, having logged another 379 miles and checked off three more of our planned tiki road stops. We also have a surprise for you with one unexpected tiki discovery.

Although our route to Los Angeles traces old Highway 99, we detoured south of Red Bluff to follow a scenic route through fruit and nut orchards and acres of sunflowers.

In addition to the great scenery, we were really happy to have taken the detour when we came across this sign. Rather than tell you where it is, we decided it would be more fun to throw down a challenge: can you idenify the mystery location?


We haven't come across a reference to this location in our road trip resources and would love to hear from anyone who can identify it and can share any history. It appears that the only thing tiki about it is the sign, but what a sign!

The next three stops on our road trip were all in Modesto and chock full of tikis.

Starting off the trio is Minnie's Restaurant located at 107 McHenry Ave. Parking is limited in the front so be sure to take advantage of the ample parking lot around back. If you're traveling south on McHenry, take the first right past the restaurant onto Needham St. The parking lot is on your right.

We struck gold at the back entrance with three fantastic tikis.

Back entrance

Front entrance

Back entrance

If you enter Minnie's from the back, you'll walk directly into the tiki bar. The lighting was murky, but the bar was well stocked with tiki decor. Our favorite pieces were the velvet paintings of tropical beauties. If you're hungry - for both food and more tiki decor - just walk through the bar into restaurant seating at the front. We can't vouch for the food, but there was a small group of people waiting to get in when the restaurant opened at 5:00 pm.

Just north of Minnie's you'll find the Tropics Motel at 936 McHenry Ave, now a Rodeway Inn. We didn't explore the hotel much, but did take some fun photos of the strangely headbanded tikis that populate the grounds.

On a side note, James Teitelbaum writes in his book Tiki Road Trip, 2nd Edition, that the Tropics Motel was opened by Ken Kimes who was also responsible for the Tropics Motel in Palm Springs, now named Caliente Tropics. We stayed at the Caliente this past spring and highly recommend it.

Our favorite stop of the day was the Tiki Lounge at 932 McHenry Ave. It was closed the first time we drove by, but we swung by later and were glad that we did because we got to meet Cliff, the Tiki Lounge's friendly bartender.

According to Cliff, the Tiki Lounge shifted focus about two years ago and has become a popular night spot for a young gay crowd. That shift brought new energy to the place and improved its reputation tremendously. Cliff also mentioned that the owner is very protective of the tiki decor, but recently approved a small expansion of the dance floor to meet the demands of his customers. The change is minimal with booths shifted closer to the back wall and black tiles replacing some of the carpeting.





So, there you have it, the end of Tiki Oasis Road Trip Day 2! Tomorrow should see us in San Diego just in time to meet up with friends for the opening party at the Bali Hai.

We'll continue to blog throughout the weekend and update you on the launch of our three new voodoo and tiki-themed t-shirts at Tiki Oasis.

We're also looking forward to your comments on our mystery tiki sign!

Tiki Oasis 2009 road trip day 1

Leaving Portland this morning on Day 1 of our road trip to Tiki Oasis 9, we had hoped to wrap up the day in Modesto. Instead, distracted as usual by great roadside sights and occasional circling to make sure we hadn't missed anything, we've called it a day in Red Bluff, CA.

Although guilty of meandering, we managed to visit four of the tiki-themed locations on the map we created to commemorate our first road trip down to Tiki Oasis.

Note: a number of people have emailed to ask how we chose our route and narrowed down our list of tiki road stops. As luck would have it, we recently found a pre-Interstate road map of the West Coast and, as fans of old highways, decided to trace old Hwy 99 from Portland to Los Angeles then Hwy 101 to San Diego.

With the help of some great resources including www.critiki.com, Tiki Road Trip, 2nd Edition, and Tiki Central, we picked twelve locations along our route with distinct tiki flavor, either past or present.

We're happy to say that the first three of our twelve tiki road stops can be found in Portland: the Alibi, Thatch, and Velveteria.

One of the most striking features of the Alibi (4024 N Interstate Ave) is the enormous sign planted on the roof - a sight impossible to miss if you're driving along Interstate at night. We can also attest to the friendly staff, huge food portions, great mood lighting, and tasty cocktails.


Transformed into a Polynesian paradise in 1947 by owner Roy Ell, you can still enjoy an abundance of tiki decor including masks and shields by Oceanic Arts, carved wood tikis, and a mural of dancing hula girls.


Our second Portland stop is the Velveteria, a velvet painting museum where we've spent a number of memorable hours talking with owners Carl and Caren about subjects ranging from the history of velvet painting to the merits of unicorns versus Chihuahuas on velvet. Although not strictly tiki, the Velveteria does have a fantastic collection of Polynesian art by artists such as Edgar Leeteg and Tyree and is well worth a visit at 2448 E Burnside.



Thatch, the second Portland tiki bar on our list, is much newer than the Alibi but has a great connection with Portland's tiki past through its decor, some of which once decorated the Jasmine Tree and Portland's Kon-Tiki. You'll find Thatch at 2733 NE Broadway St.

Thatch's new tiki mug!

The last tiki stop of the day is more about the remains of tiki. A Chinese restaurant with an attached but closed tiki bar, Ming's in Yreka, CA is worth a quick look as they still have some of their original tiki mugs on display behind Plexiglas.

A little puzzled by our request to take photographs, the restaurant's host couldn't have been friendlier. We didn't stay for dinner this time, but promised to swing by on our way back.



Along with our tiki road stops, here are two more sights from the day.

Weed, CA

Shasta Lake, CA

It's going on 2:00 am now so we'll wrap it up for the day and look forward to another great batch of tiki sights on Day 2 of our road trip to Tiki Oasis 9!

Jake the Alligator Man Party 2009

We had a fantastic time at Jake the Alligator Man's 2009 Birthday Party! We wanted to say thanks again to Wendy Murry for all her hard work putting together the 2009 version of Jake's party! We hope to see some of you again next year for Jake's Fourth Annual 75th Birthday.

We also wanted to say thank you to the Mermaid Inn. It was our first stay at the motel and we could not have been happier. Clean, quiet, and an incredibly friendly owner. Next time you're in Long Beach and need a place to stay check out the Mermaid Inn at the north end of Long Beach.


"Stunt Double" Jake enjoying his very own queen bed the night before his big day.


The artist who created the amazing Jake stunt double also created one of the best hot rod show awards we've seen. Congratulations again to Mike for winning the award with his Desoto-powered 1942 Ford pickup.


Mrs. Roadside taking stunt double Jake for a bit of exercise.


Each year they hold a contest to crown the annual Bride of Jake. Here's a shot of the newest Mrs. Jake. They look like they'll be very happy together:-)


The one and only Jake the Alligator Man enjoying a moment of fresh air on his big day. As Jake ages his trips outside of his controlled environment become fewer and fewer so it's always fun to see him basking outside.

Tiki Oasis Road Trip countdown!

Hey everyone!

We've been cranking away here at the Vintage Roadside workshop getting ready for our road trip to Tiki Oasis 2009 in San Diego. The wagon leaves the starting line on Tuesday morning. We'll have the first tiki-themed update for you to browse Tuesday evening. Here's a map showing some of our stops along the way:

We've based our route on a pre-interstate Shell road map so our trip will be along Highway 99 and Highway 101.

We hope to see you in our virtual passenger seat!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Jake the Alligator Man Birthday Party t-shirt update

Howdy all,

We hope you're all having a great Summer so far. We've been working the past couple of weeks on new t-shirts and thought you might enjoy getting a look at the shirt we designed for Jake the Alligator Man's upcoming "Third Annual 75th Birthday Party". The shirt features the always stylish Jake in a monster movie/vintage sideshow themed-design. The shirt will be available at Jake's party in Long Beach, Washington on August 8th.


We'll have further details about the party next week along with a sneak peek at the first of three new tiki designs we're debuting at Tiki Oasis 2009 down in San Diego.

Happy Friday,

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside Visits: The Frostop in LaPlace, Louisiana

As we celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, we thought this would be the perfect time to share some history behind a classic roadside drive in. Nothing says summer like a meal at a mom and pop place with some history behind it!

We were thrilled to recently talk with Terry Toler of the LaPlace Frostop and here’s some history she was kind enough to share with us.

Vintage Roadside: What year was the LaPlace Frostop built?

Terry: 1958.

Vintage Roadside: Who built the restaurant?

Terry: My grandfather, Morris Terry built the LaPlace Frostop as an investment. He, my grandmother, and mom would take rides to one in Kenner, LA and he decided to build one in LaPlace. He never ran it - he leased it out.

Vintage Roadside: So the original restaurant was built as a franchise location?

Terry: Yes, this restaurant was built to be a Frostop.

Vintage Roadside: Did your grandfather have prior restaurant experience?

Terry: My grandfather and grandmother May Terry actually had a restaurant near where Frostop is today named Terry’s Restaurant. It burned down in the late 1930’s or early 1940’s.

Vintage Roadside: Has the restaurant always been owned by your family?

Terry: Starting with my grandfather it has been in our family the entire 51 years. The first man to lease it, not sure of his name, ran it for about 6 months. He was followed by Sonny Kendrick and then his brother Wayne Kendrick who ran it until 1966. The Frostop was run from 1966 - 1973 by Bill Gooding, Dave Millet, and Roland Millet.

Vintage Roadside: How long has your family been actively operating the restaurant?

Terry: My parents, Jimmie and Evelyn Toler, took over operation of the Frostop June 1, 1973. I joined my parents after graduating from LSU in 1993. I actually started back in 1979 cleaning tables and washing dishes and progressed from there on!

Vintage Roadside: When did the Frostop chain cease operation?

Terry: The best we can tell it was around 1981. My Dad called in an order for Frostop merchandise - cups, napkins, etc. The company handling that said they were no longer handling those items. Apparently we were the only Frostop buying the items. We never received any formal notification.

Vintage Roadside: How many Frostop restaurants are left?

Terry: There are several left scattered throughout the United States. There are more in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas than anywhere else in the country. The one in Thibodaux moved to a new location, as did one that was in Jefferson - it moved to Destrehan, so they no longer have the original look. Several “new” Frostop’s have opened and closed in the area in the past few years. There is no franchise so everyone does their own thing. Outside of Louisiana, there are Frostop’s in Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, Illinois, Utah, and Idaho. Many of these are no longer operating in their original buildings. The Frostop in Huntington, West Virginia seems to be the one that has most maintained its original look. It was built in 1959. The internet has really allowed us to see the other Frostop’s across the country.

Here is a great website detailing some of them.

Vintage Roadside: Your building still has that classic, original look to it. What changes have you made since 1958?

Terry: The building has changed some through the years. The original building was much smaller. The mug was on the roof and there was no neon on the building or mug. Below is the original look:


The mug was moved to a pole sometime in the 1960’s and neon was put on the building and mug. No one seems to remember the details of mug move and neon. The dining room was added in 1962. At some point an office, back area, and storage room were added. In 1981, my Dad Jimmie, decided to do a renovation and changed the layout of the kitchen and serving area. The cooking and serving were all done in a small area. We had the room so they changed it up making things much better. The only change to the outside of the building was covering the original tile with wood. That was a decision that would come back to haunt us!


Serving cooking area before remodeling:


The mug received its first minor renovation in 1987, scaffolding was erected and the neon was taken off. Mugs Coleman, a local man, did some minor repairs to the metal and then repainted it. We had the rotation repaired by Brightway Signs and then put the mugs rotation and neon maintenance under contract with them.


In the early 1990’s a cream colored siding went on top of the wood and original tile.


Then in 1996, we found out that the building had Formosan termites! The wood under the siding was NOT a good idea, so off came the siding and the wood underneath it. We put cream colored tiles over the original tiles. The decision was made to change out our floor and put a slanted metal roof instead of the original flat roof. One week into the project with the roof off it stormed and our ceiling and walls buckled. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We found out we had termites in every wall! That started the process of almost 2 months of being closed and having every wall redone. The roof now has a different look thanks to that! The neon on the face of the building was changed a bit. Hamburgers - Hotdogs -BBQ now reads Burgers - Poboys - Hotdogs.


We were very conscious by 1996 that we wanted things to go back as they had been. I think had we bulldozed and started over it would have greatly changed people’s perception of the LaPlace Frostop.

The next change was the 2007 complete restoration of the mug. The original mug was sheet metal but it was redone in aluminum. The original frame, handle, and fiberglass frame were kept. Brightway/American Sign did the work. They still had the maintenance contract and completely reworked the transformers for the neon and rotation while it was in their shop.


I feel the building has stayed true to its roots while keeping it looking as original as possible. The only thing we would like to do is remove the siding under the canopy - under the siding is the original checkerboard pattern on the canopy.


Vintage Roadside: You mentioned the restoration of the mug – while being such an important piece of your history, it must have been one of those things that can really affect a budget.

Terry: I didn’t change the neon in the renovation - they took it off and put it back on. The rebuilding of the mug was just under $19,000 - to do the neon all new would have been at least another $10,000.

Vintage Roadside: Was there ever a thought to not restore the mug and replace it with a less-expensive plastic sign?

Terry: That was NEVER even considered!!

Vintage Roadside: The rest of the neon on your building also looks amazing. How tough is it to maintain those signs?

Terry: That is what we’ve had the contract since 1987 for! It currently runs us $106.58 a month for neon and mug rotation - VERY worth it. Insurance also covered the neon damage after Hurricane Katrina.

Vintage Roadside: Do you have vintage memorabilia from the restaurant?

Terry: Some - wish we had kept more! Now we have to buy it back on eBay! I am currently restoring on old rootbeer barrel for display in our dining room. We still have some mugs with the logo. We were having them printed with the logo until 2004. The last batch had a problem and the mugs broke very easily. We think there was a problem in the firing process putting the logo on…that ended the logo on the mugs. One of the coolest items to me is the metal sign that shows the original patent.


Vintage Roadside: Do you offer inside and outside dining?

Terry: Yes, inside and outside dining as well as phone orders

Vintage Roadside: What are some of the items we might have the pleasure of ordering at the Frostop we might not find at another drive in?

Terry: We have expanded way beyond the original Frostop menu. We have a golden grilled chicken sandwich and salad that are excellent. We actually have a huge menu. We also cook everything when it is ordered - so everything is fresh and hot.

Vintage Roadside: We've heard you've got your own onion ring breading. Is it as amazing as we hear?

Terry: People seem to love them. We didn’t have them for months after Hurricane Katrina due to our supplier going under water in New Orleans. We found out how much our customers missed them. We now sell our onion ring breading in 3lb bags for home use.

Vintage Roadside: You offer frosted mugs of root beer. Any guesses on how many of those mugs have been "accidentally" taken home over the years?

Terry: More that I would care to count. I went to someone’s house once and they showed me a cabinet full!!

Vintage Roadside: How long have some of your regulars been eating at the Frostop?

Terry: Some since the beginning….we have even had people tell us they got engaged here!

Vintage Roadside: When/where can we stop by for a meal?

Terry: We are open Monday - Saturday 11am - 6pm. We are located at 411 E. Airline Hwy. LaPlace, LA stop by and see us!

Vintage Roadside: Thanks Terry for sharing your history, and also thanks to your family for keeping the Frostop going for over 50 years.

Terry: You’re welcome!

So, if you find yourself down in Louisiana and are looking for a great meal we’d highly recommend a stop by the Frostop! We’ve got our eye on the Lot-O-Cheese Burger, the Golden Grilled Chicken Sandwich, two orders of onion rings, a rootbeer and a banana milkshake!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

All images courtesy of the LaPlace Frostop.