Ahoy!!!
More news for you from the Barg-Cave on ice-planet Hoth:
#1) We have back up hotels in place for those who didn’t get rooms at the Tiki. As mentioned before, we’ve got the Ft William Henry, but now we’ve got the Holiday Inn Turf (right across the street) on board as well! All the info is on the webpage: HERE Do NOT wait to book one of these hotels. Rooms are VERY limited, as we are there for the start of the summer season this year. I can’t stress it enough. Book a room as soon as you can.
#2) If you haven’t bought your Ohana tickets yet, you may want to think about getting that done too. Soon. The event is over half way sold out, and the Kick-Off Boat trip is already over ¾ full!! Don’t delay, buy today! TICKETS Seriously, once we’re full, that’s it. Tickets will be cut off once we’re at capacity, so don’t get left out of the fun, or left standing on the dock!
#3) We need you (and some of your closest friends) to host a room for the room crawl!! Mix your drink, put out the tip jar, and wow the crowd with your host/hostess skills!! Contact Rev. Thumper at geoffb91@gmail.com to get in on the action!!. (More info on this below)
#4) Because more than a few of you have asked, YES, our old pal Squid is once again designing an event mug for us, and YES, once again its absolutely amazing. And to continue the yesing, YES, it will only be available to Ohana attendees (until after the event), and YES, if you have purchased tickets you will be able to pre-order the mug. More on the mug front (and maybe a little sneak preview) coming really soon.
And there’s much more to come on everything!!! Sooooon.
Mahalos to those who have already purchased tickets, and as always, we’ll see ya at the Lake!!
-Bargoyle
www.LuauAtTheLake.com
<Deploy Babble in 3….2…..1…..>
Ok, much to discuss, but I’ll break it down over the next few emails. I don’t want these things to get overwhelming, and we certainly don’t want to email you to the point of annoyance. Close, but juuuust shy of annoyance. Too late? Ok, I’ll hold em back from now on. I promise. Really. Pinky swear. No more than 3 a week. No? ok, tw- no huh? Ok, fine. Once a week. Probably less. A lot less. All this rambling takes a lot out of me!
Ok, for this one I want to talk about the Room Crawl (hosts in particular…we’ll get into crawler’s etiquette in a later email).
Sooooo, what has two thumbs and freaking LOVES the room crawl? Oh yeah, this guy right here!!
And I know you do too! Well, I’m assuming about the thumbs, but I KNOW you love the crawl too!
If you’ve joined us before, you already know that the crawl is one of the best parts of Ohana. If you haven’t joined us in the past, basically it’s a bunch of fellow tikiphiles who graciously open the doors to their room (Or set up a table in front of it) and serve some of the most creative, delicious, fantabulous drinks/snacks/goodies you’ve ever had, all during the downtimes on Friday when the bands are changing over. Friday is the “party night”, and the crawl hosts make it like a dozen little parties within a party!! It’s a multiparty party eating its own party-tail into an infinite party of party proportions! Party!!
OK, you get the picture. Its pretty much the sauce on the awesome that is Ohana.
And our hosts do this out of their love of tiki, the event, the people, and their undying Aloha spirit. It is truly moving how much creativity they (you!!) all bring, and it really helps make the event live up to its name. Ohana is family, and nowhere is it more apparent than on Friday night when everyone mingles en mass, spurred on by our amazing hosts. So, if you’re crawling, be sure to TIP each room you go to. Show the love back with a couple bucks.
Now, maybe you’ve crawled in the past years, and you’re ready to step up and host? If so, awesome!! Good for you! Hosting a crawl room is the absolute easiest way to meet just about everyone at the event, forge some new life-long friendships, have a ton of fun, and help keep the event going as the special weekend that it is. If you’re ready to take the plunge reach out to the Reverend at geoffb91@gmail.com and let him know. And a few words of advice to potential hosts:
#1 Don’t feel that you have to go overboard with décor. Some of our guests are operating at a level that just floors me year after year. Broadway sets and stagecraft have nothing on these folks, but don’t feel you need to “keep up with the Joneses”. Case in point, my favorite room I co-hosted was “The Ironic Tiki Room” with just a handful of the worst chain-store tiki décor we could find strewn haphazardly around the room (but with a killer drink!). I thought it was hilarious. Someday I’m going to take it to the next level. I keep saying that if I had the time to host a room during Ohana it would be nothing but black sheets on the floor, walls, and ceiling with a single exposed light bulb over a vat of cocktails, while I sit in a folding lawn chair in the corner wearing boxers and a white tank top. The “Shut Up, Drink It, And Get The F*ck Out Room”. Ah, someday…. Anyway, for your room, go as over the top, or as minimalist as you want!! Its your room. Do what you want. The mere fact that you’re hosting and helping out the event makes you aces in everyone’s book, regardless of your décor. Just make sure that drink kicks ass. ;) lol.
#2 Don’t feel that you need to stick with a “tiki” theme. The entire resort is tiki!! We’ve got tiki out the wazoo!! Feel free to show us another side of yourself! Rock-a-billy, hot rods, pin ups, monster movies… there is soooo much that fits right along with Tiki. Hell, even if it doesn’t “fit” it still fits!!! The “Star Wars, Legos, Batman, and Black Sabbath Room” would be a room you couldn’t drag me out of without tranquillizer darts…just sayin’. I mean, everyone has diverse interests. Feel free to show them off! Or, if you’d like to stay on theme and make the place that much tikier for the night/weekend, that’s awesome as well!! More than awesome! Double-Plus-Amesome!!
#3 Get some help! No, not the kind of mental health help I’m obviously in desperate need of, I mean help as in grab a couple friends to help you out. Share the load with mixing and decorating beforehand. And with the rooms only open for an hour and a half during the crawl (although you’re welcome to re-open after the crawl for a late night free-for-all) if you have a couple of folks to help, you can take “shifts” so you all still get to see the other rooms!
#4 Go by YOUR schedule. Mix as much or as little of a drink as you’re comfortable with. When it runs out, you close your doors. Or if you have extra, you’ll have lots of new best friends late night and/or Saturday! Make a snack to go with your cocktail… or don’t. Again, its your room. You’re the host. All we ask is that you open on time for the slot you’re in, and that you close by the time that slot is over. That’s it. The rest is entirely up to you! It IS a good idea to have your drink pre-mixed however. Waiting to “live-mix” a drink for each person makes for a loooong room line that never goes down. If you make a big old batch of your drink that’s easy to serve, everything flows a lot better. Plus, between now and June, you get to make and test out big old VATS of drinks!! If you need a taste tester, I’m available most Sunday afternoons now that football season is over. (After this Sunday, of course).
#5 Relax and have fun!! Cause that’s what its all about.
Keep in mind that the crawl doesn’t happen without YOU, our hosts, and its truly a “more the merrier” kind of activity. So, what are you waiting for? Step on up and help make this year’s Ohana even better than last years! A tall order, I know, but we can do it! And you can help!!
And again, super huge mega thanks to all those who have hosted in the past. We hope you’ll grace us with your hospitality again. And hopefully we’ll see some new hosts this year as well!!!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to fight crime. To the Barg—wait. FIGHT crime!?!?!? Is that right? Or is supposed to be “off to commit crime”? I’m not sure. I’ll decide on the way. To the Bargoylemobile, chum!!!!
Oh, and Go Local Sports Team!!!
-b.
Aloha Tiki Freaks and Freakettes!!!
Ok, this is the one you’ve been waiting for….
Ohana tickets go on sale THIS Friday morning, January 27th at sunrise. Just go to the tickets page and there will be a link to click through and buy them. Easy peasy, rice and cheesy.
Remember that we will, as always, be capping attendance, so don’t delay. Buy your tickets as soon as possible to make sure you’re part of the fun, and be sure to buy your Thursday Kickoff Boat pass then as well. We can only fit so many on the boat, so that has a limit as well (a MUCH lower limit).
Lastly, if you didn’t get a room at the Tiki, they are officially sold out. But fret not!! We’ve got The Fort William Henry Hotel & Conference Center on board, only 1/4 mile from the Tiki, and on the same side of the street (No drunken late nights playing Frogger with your life on Canada Street) as our official over-run hotel.
They’ve given us some nice rates:
Standard Mountain View $133/night
Standard Lake View $152/night
Premium Mountain View $152/night
Premium Lake View $160/night
Basic Grand Mt View $214/night
Basic Grand Lake View $240/night
All rates are subject to state and local taxes (11%) and a $6 per night resort fee
Minimum two night stay required
Check in 4pm, check out 11am
http://www.fortwilliamhenry.com/ to check it out, but you have to CALL to get the discounted rates:
(800) 234-0267 or (518) 668-3081
Mention OHANA to get the cut rates, and do NOT hesitate to book here either. June 22nd starts the “summer season” in Lake George, and hotels book up fast! And we don’t have ALL the rooms in this one like at the Tiki!
Again, super huge Mahalos to all of you for continuing to support our little event, and for making it the best weekend of the year, year after year. You guys (and gals) rock!!
See ya at the Lake!!!
Bargoyle
</Ramble On>
Ok, I had a TON to ramble about this week, but I’m gonna defer this section to our old pal Koop Kooper instead. In case you don’t know, Koop runs a radio show out of Australia called “Cocktail Nation” and is just an all around swell guy. He was nice enough to call me to chat about Ohana again this year, and although I’m sure I made absolutely no sense and wont listen to it myself, I’ve been assured that his editing skills are such that he made even me sound like I knew what I was talking about. Cmon! The man’s gotta be a genius to pull that off right? Go give it a listen at www.cocktailnation.net Episode 204.
And even if you’ve got no interest in hearing me stammer like an idiot, he also plays a bunch of great music, talks about some interesting stuff, and the show is always a good time!
From Koop:
“On the show this week we’ll check out the Ohana Luau at the lake, we review OSS 117 and play some music from at the film, a look at the world of swank with some great gigs and parties to attend plus swank advice back on the radio for another week as we broadcast from the centre of Sydney in the Hi Fi stereophonically gadgeted up Penthouse .
Spy Fi- Espia en Vacaciones
Tikiyaki Orchestra-Theme For Jetsetters
Si Zenter-I’ve Found a New Baby
Sergio Mendes-Mas Que Nada
Waitiki 7-Left Arm Of Budda
Three Suns-Fever
Mancini -Experiment in Terror
Royal Crown Revue-Port Au Prince
OS117 -Chicks by the pool
Billy May-I gotta have you
SG Sound Excapade Velocity
Skip Heller-The Collector
Vicki Carr-No Other Love
Wynton Marsalis-Green Chimeys
Dinah Washington-Mad About The Boy
Koop Kooper
www.cocktailnation.net ”
As always, much more to come really soon!!!
-b.
Hey there folks!
Yeah, its your crazy Uncle Bargoyle back with another message. So soon? Oh yeah, cause there’s already big news from the Lake!!
Whats the news?
There are only 10 (TEN) rooms left at the Tiki Resort for OHANA. If you want one, you have to call during regular “work hours”, mention the Ohana event, yada yada yada. You know the drill.
You can’t book through their website, or any of the .com hotel booking websites. You have to call.
Call them direct, call them collect, but call them today!!! (A shiney nickel to the first person who id’s the song quote)
Seriously, call the Tiki Resort at: 518-668-5744 as soon as possible to snag a room.
And again, you can get the whole skinny here: Event/Resort Info
Now, if you don’t make it in, and the hotel is sold out, FEAR NOT!!! We are working on overflow hotels and should have them set up by early next week. I’ll email ya then, and we’ll put that info on the website too.
Oh, and don’t forget, Kick-off party on a BOAT!!! Come out early!!
Mahalo, and we’ll see ya at the Lake!
-Bargoyle
www.LuauAtTheLake.com
<I’m just a ramblin’, ram-buh-lin maaaaaaaaaan>
(no nickels for that song)
And boom! Its brain dump time again! Strap in, this one gets creepy.
And first of all, NO, I didn’t come up with some bs email topic just so I could babble at you all again so soon. The hotel really does have only ten rooms left, and let me just say, YOU GUYS FREAKIN RAWK!!!! I mean, to have almost sold out the hotel this early!?!?!? Hot damn, people!!!! You caught me off guard! Now I’ve got to scramble to get the overflow hotels lined up. I thought I had at least another month!!
And if you’re making that reservation now, and snagging one of those last rooms, be sure to come in a day or two early (or stay a day or two later). Not just to join us at the kick-off party (‘Cause its gonna be the shiznit! Did I mention that Waitiki is playing on the boat? Well they are!! You gottta be there for the Boat trip!) but also to enjoy some of the wonders and mystery of Lake George.
What wonders? What mystery, you ask? Well, I’m glad you asked that voice-in-my-head-who-tells-me-what-to-write!
How about the Lake George Mystery Spot?
Is that wondrous and/or mysterious enough for you? It should be! Its got mystery right in the title!!! The Mystery Spot is free, and it’s a location right up the road from the Boat dock where the laws of physics cease to exist. A helpful hint, visit it after drinking…a lot.
Stand on the X in the center of the compass, and enter a spatial vortex… is it a gateway to another dimension? Spirits who haven’t left our mortal plane? A focal point of cosmic energy? Or just the shape of the Lake and walls pointing sounds back at you? You’ll have to experience it yourself to find out. And best of all, its FREE!!
Here’s a link about the spot, and if you’re still not sure where it is, just ask me after the Boat trip on Thursday and I’ll point you in the right direction. Hell, I’ll probably be wandering up there myself to get my mystery on. So just follow me.
You can get more info here: http://www.weirdus.com/states/new_york/ancient_mysteries/lake_george_mystery_spot/index.php
You still need more mysterious wonders? Ok, how about a creepy one?
The House of Frankenstein Wax Museum is located right downtown in Lake George Village, and it is AWESOME!! Just cheesy, wonderfully retro, creepy, cheesy (yeah, I said it twice) awesomocity in a building that seems impossibly big once inside. This place is the epitome of cheesy (3 times) “roadside attraction” and yet its right downtown, smack in the middle of everything. Now, what makes it disturbing, is the history of the spot where it stands.
In 1973, it was the first private residence to be replaced by an attraction downtown (it opened in 1974). The reason why the private residence was for sale (and destroyed to make way for Frankenstein)? The brothers who lived there killed themselves. Ok, that’s a little creepy, but is that all? Oh no head-voice, not by a long shot. Before it was a private home, it was the spot of the local gallows. Rumor has it that over 1000 people lost their lives on that very spot…opposing French forces, Huron indians, traitors, religious heretics, and run of the mill criminals. All hanged to death, right there, downtown. Ok, you felt the chill that time right? (Sorry, I didn’t mean for this post to get so dark, but if that doesn’t up the creep factor for the place, nothing will!)
Now, in the interest of full disclosure, when I went I experienced NO spirits (apart from the ones imbibbed before going in), no supernatural chills, no ghosts of French Forces Past, and for all I know, those stories are just rumors perpetuated by the Museum to keep folks going. But even if its all a bunch of crap, Frankenstein’s Museum should be a MUST on your hit list if you’re into roadside attractions. Its fantastic, and it’s a short walk from the Tiki to get downtown… well worth the exercise and admission fee.
http://www.frankensteinwaxmuseum.com
And I’ll leave you with one last one (‘cause its getting late, and I need to get out more!)
As most of you may know from your Ohana Magazines, Charlie Wood was one of the architechts of the Lake George we know and love. The Tiki Resort was his, GasLight Village (finally torn down completely this past summer L ), and Storytown USA were a few of his biggest achievements.
Storytown USA was his BIG claim to fame. One of the first themed-amusement parks, it predated Disneyland, and set the template for most theme parks that followed. Do a quick youtube search and you’ll find some great old super-8 home movies from the place. It was a Destination fun spot. And many of you may know the famous Jungleland postcards that us tikiphiles covet so much…Well, Jungleland was part of Storytown USA.
The bad news, Storytown was bought out by Six-Flags a number of years ago, and that wonderous wonderland is no more….
However, Six-Flags kept a lot of the buildings in tact (you can see some of it from the road as you drive by) and repurposed them. And, unbeknownst to many, they also KEPT all the old attractions, statues, etc, and put them into storage, and have been restoring them for the past few years. And starting last year, they restored the old Storytown train, and it is now a ride at Six-Flags. The ride weaves around the park, and then into a section where all the resored Storytown attractions are, taking you back to that simpler time.
Now, I don’t know if the nostalgic train ride is worth a full price admission to Six-Flags. That’s up to you. But it IS pretty cool that they saved so much of Wood’s original vision, and if you like roller-coasters and all the other rides, it might be a nice bonus to check out one day while at the Lake. Take lots of pics though, as I don’t think I’ll have time to get up there. And let me know if THIS has been restored!!
You can learn a bunch more about Storytown USA and see some great old pics here: http://stusa.wordpress.com/
I could go on forever about the stuff up there (let alone all the Ohana stuff we have planned!!) but until the tourism board starts paying me, I’ll keep the messages only moderately long… like this one. :
Much more to come really soon.
Have a great weekend everyone, and Go Local Sports Team!!!
-b.
Aloha Hep Cats and Kittens!!!
And welcome to Episode 2 of the new “Non-Rambling” email format!
Today’s subject: Kick off Party!!!!
Yes, on Thursday night, June 21st, we’re gonna do our wacky thing again, and this year, its going mobile!
We’ve worked out a great deal with the Lake George Steamboat Company and we’ve got an entire boat, all to ourselves for a few hours on Thursday evening. Dinner is included, and we’re working with the staff to get a killer cocktail menu on board (cash bar), as well as live music, prizes, contests, and all manner of water-bound shenanigans just shy of mutiny.
Seriously, no mutiny folks. I think the captian can legally shoot you for that. I’ll have to check my maritime lawbook, but I know he can at least throw you in the brig. And no, don’t go crazy just because you want to “see the brig”. I think the Brig is just the walk-in freezer anyway. Ok, I’m rambling, back to business….
Anyway, you’ll need to get to the dock by 7pm on Thursday night, and we should have you back around 10pm. And yes, of course we’ll have our usual slew of weird, wacky, and wild entertainment on board (more on that below).
Tickets (which INCLUDE DINNER on board!!!) are $30ea and will be onsale in a couple weeks along with Ohana weekend passes!
Mahalo and we’ll see you at the lake!!
-Bargoyle
www.LuauAtTheLake.com
<WARNING!! RAMBLE ZONE!!>
Ok, as you’ve probably guessed, I’ve got A LOT to say about all this, and now that I’ve appeased the “keep it short” police, I’m off to the races!!!
#1 The Boat: I HATE boats. Seriously. I get seasick, and I’ve got a thing about large bodies of water. No BS. (Watch the movie “Open Water”, based on a true story. You’ll be a land lubber just like me!) “Boating” for me means an innertube ride on the Lazy River Water Slide. Maybe a canoe trip, but always within 20 feet of land. (Yes, I can swim, I just like being able to see land…always.) That being said, I reluctantly took a quick afternoon trip on one of these steamboats this past September, and it was AWESOME!!! I mean really really awesome!!!. To the point where I went and talked to the folks about renting out an entire boat as soon as I got back on land!
You get a very different view of the Lake by being ON it. And the trip up and back passed so much I’d never seen!! Beautiful unspoiled wilderness, rich oppulent mansions, homes from the 1800s to last year, Resorts (old and new), and even a 20’ x 20’ “island” with a shack on it (that I believe is availble for rent!!) It was pretty super-cool. And we’re gonna make it even superer-cooler!! How?
#2 The Plan Ok, once “boat trip” was locked in my brain as the kick off, now we needed to theme it. Immediately, the whole Giligan’s Island “Three Hour Tour” thing came to mind, but that’s kind of obvious. Then again, we’re making it a “costume” trip, and Gilligan could be a lot of fun…not only could we have castaways, but guest stars too! I mean, there were robots and natives and the Harlem Globetrotters on Giligan’s Island!!! Ok, so Giligan works, but it needs to be more than that. My mind then locked on the Love Boat. Sure, partly because with the shaved head I could rock an AMAZING Captain Stubing costume (Ok, with the goatee I guess its the Mirror-Mirror alternate-universe EVIL Captain Stubing, but you get the picture). But then what about pirates? We’re on a boat, we need pirates, right? And mermaids! And the Gordon’s Fisherman! And Fantasy Island! I know it has almost nothing to do with boating per se, but it was on right after the Love Boat and I can’t separate the two in mind, so how could I separate them at a party?
#3 The Answer: The answer? I’m leaving the choice up to you! You can come as pretty much anything “boat” themed. You want to come as Ernest Borgnine and Shelly Winters from the Poseidon Adventure? Awesome! Thor Heyerdahl fresh from the Kon Tiki voyage? Love it! A man-shark mixologist hybrid who happens to be the bizarre love-child of Isaac the Bartender and Jaws? Why the hell not? Princess Leia in the gold bikini from Return of the Jedi? (hey, Jabba’s Sail Barge counts as a boat in my book) Go for it! No really. Please. Someone go for this. Anyone? Seriously. This outfit almost guarantees my vote for best costume, just saying.
Now, before you get nervous, NO, you don’t HAVE to come in costume to join us, and YES, if you do dress up we will have prizes for our favorites..
In addition to the costume contest, we’ll also have games and prizes, and all manner of wacky entertainment throughout the boat trip, including LIVE music, and Dj, etc. Oh, and food, of course.
Yes, you will be fed, and yes there will be a bar onboard, making drinks from our own custom menu (drinks are on you however. I’ve seen the way you folks drink. Bring cash. But feel free to buy me a drink. It helps calm my nerves about being on a boat.)
We will set sail at 7pm on Thursday from the Lake George Steamboat Company (A five-minute walk from the Tiki Resort), and you kind of need to be there on time. We can’t exactly swing back around, or just pick you up along the way someplace. So keep that in mind when making travel plans. Get your butt to town before 7pm!!!
As most of you know, the kick-off party has become one of the highlights of Ohana weekend. And this year stands to be even better!! So be sure to come out early and enjoy a wild evening of fun out ON the Lake!
pps. I have a bunch to say about cool things to do in Lake George when not at Ohana or on a steamboat, so the next email babble section will be some fun stuff you can do during the day on Friday before Ohana starts! Or Thursday during the day, or whenever you want!
Mahalo, and we’ll see you on the Lake!!!,
-b.
Aloha & Happy New Year everyone!!!
Hope 2012 finds you all well and looking forward to a great year! And what can make your 2012 the best year ever?
Why joining us at Ohana of course!
As a gentle reminder, Ohana is June 22nd-24th this year, with our infamous kickoff party on the 21st for those who can make it out early (and trust me, if you didn’t make it last year, you definitely want to be there for Thursday night this year. Those of you who made it, you already know!)
And if you haven’t made your reservation at the world famous Tiki Resort in beautiful Lake George NY, now is a good time to do that! Give them a call at 518-668-5744 and be sure to mention that you’re coming for OHANA!!
Also, the new website is up and running (it still has that new website smell!), and expect it to be slammed with updates over the next few weeks (including ticket sales), so go add a bookmark on your computerating device for www.LuauAtTheLake.com… and as always keep your eyes on your email inbox to get all the important news first.
Also, we have a facebook thingie, so you can follow us there too. Ohana on Facebook
I don’t think we’re tweeting yet, but only because new technologies frighten and confuse me. Maybe soon?
And that’s all I’ve got for you today!
I know, short huh?
Well, I’ve been told to keep my rambling babble to a minimum since everyone checks email with cell-phones and i-mabobs now, thus my emails need to be short and sweet, ‘cause no one reads them to the end (I guess the BROhana joke kind of proved that).
So, for the rest of the year, I’ll put all the pertinent stuff in easy to digest soundbites up top (for those with short attention spans), and then I’ll babble down below explaining everything. And, just to reward those who read it all, maybe we’ll have some special treats and exclusives hidden in my ramblings… or maybe my ramblings ARE the treat!
No? Not that much of a treat huh?
Ok, fine. Here’s a direct link to hotel info on the website. Event Page. Now you’ve got a leg up on the i-folks who didn’t read all the way down. Better? … No? Well, it’ll have to do for now. I’ll come up with something more exciting for the next one. And hey, I only said maybe there would be treats!
Anyway, much more to come real soon! Mahalo for your continued support, and we’ll see ya at the Lake!
Bargoyle
ps. I understand there is a betting pool on how long I can keep the new email format with out going off the rails on some crazy tangent, so be sure to get in on that. The smart money is on 1 month or less… just saying. Or maybe this first one counts as a fail? Did anyone have money on ZERO emails kept short? I think you won.
