The Mai-Kai welcomed two towering Tiki carvings to its reimagined entry area during The Hukilau main event on June 6. One was created locally by a familiar artist, the other came from Arizona thanks to a veteran carver who traveled to South Florida to be a part of the unveiling.
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Both were installed in the days before the event, but they were wrapped like mummies, adding an air of mystery to the occasion. The largest of the two was placed next the north side of the building near the valet stand. You can see it on the right as you walk toward the porte-cochère and Bora Bora Bar. The other greets you under the thatched roof, directly left of the front doors.
If you follow this blog, you probably had a good idea what the big one was. Back in March, we wrote about a 10-foot carving by Will Anders that was awaiting installation. The Fort Lauderdale carver is best known for the two large tikis in the back gardens, along with one of the three to the north of the Bora Bora Bar.
Previous coverage: New Tiki carvings await installation throughout the grounds
The source of the second was later revealed to be “Tiki Ray” Kieffer, whose pendants have been featured in the gift shop. One of those wearable tikis is a tribute to King Kai, the 10-foot Anders carving in the gardens. Having the two artists on hand when their new pieces were unveiled made the event even more special.
Kieffer made arrangements to travel from his Arizona home. After the June 6 unveiling, he spent time in the Mai-Kai Trading Company, where guests lined up to meet him and have their pendants signed. Arriving a few days early, he joined The Hukilau pre-party festivities on June 4.
The Wednesday happy hour was a great opportunity to hang out with Tiki artists. The Hukilau’s Build Your Own Tiki Bar Conference kicked off at the host Beachcomber Resort in Pompano Beach, featuring a who’s who of builders and fabricators, including two who helped restore the Mai-Kai: “Typhoon Tommy” Allsmiller and Scott “Flounder” Scheidly. When I met up with Anders and Kieffer in the Molokai Bar, I made sure to snap a photo with other Mai-Kai craftsmen out on the front deck.
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When discussing carvings, it’s also worth noting the contributions of South Florida’s Tom Fowner, another key member of the restoration team who has cranked out six new medium-sized tikis since the November reopening. Three comprise the iconic “cannibal trio” that greets vehicles on the right side of the immersive new driveway as they leave the property. [See past coverage] The other four, detailed in our March story, remain inside the restaurant but likely will find permanent homes around the outside of the property.
All told, these nine new tikis that can now be seen around the Mai-Kai mark the largest influx of original wood carvings since the 1960s or ’70s. There was no better way to mark the occasion than The Hukilau main event, making its return to the Mai-Kai for the first since 2019. The Mai-Kai’s 2020 closing and subsequent restoration efforts limited activities during the following years to several outdoor cocktail events, plus indoor tours for small groups of villagers, as the event’s attendees are known.
The Hukilau, the world’s second oldest Tiki weekender, moved to South Florida and the Mai-Kai for its second annual event in 2003. For the next 16 years, it became the hub of Mai-Kai appreciation as villagers flocked from around the world to visit the last remaining example of a grand mid-century Polynesian supper club. If anyone could appreciate the style and craft that went into the new tikis, it was this group of fans.
Excitement built as the Friday night event approached, but the two figures remained under wraps. Around 5 p.m., most of The Hukilau’s villagers had arrived for an extended happy hour and two seatings of the Polynesian Islander Revue, the oldest continually-running authentic South Seas stage show in the United States (including Hawaii). Outside in the Bora Bora Bar, Eva & Kully took a break from performing retro-classic tunes as guests were urged to gather by the main entrance.
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