Tiki Kon 2017 Caribbean Castaway, Day Two: Rum Class, Symposiums, and the Banquet Dinner with Lushy

Rum Class with Martin Cate at Tiki Kon 2017

If someone is going to teach you about the wide world of rum, that person should be Martin Cate. I believe Martin’s bar, Smuggler’s Cove, touts having the largest collection of rum. Martin came up to Tiki Kon to talk about rum…

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Tiki Kon 2017 Caribbean Castaway, Day Two: The Island Marketplace

Island Marketplace - Tiki Kon 2017 Caribbean Castaway

Day One of Tiki Kon was jammed pack with Tiki drinks, live bands, and even more Tiki drinks. As much as I would have liked to have slept in Saturday morning, I knew I couldn’t. The Island Marketplace was going on and the good Tiki stuff sells quickly. They say the early bird gets the worm, so I got up, got dressed, choose my aloha shirt for the day, got some Starbucks (hey, I’m from Seattle!), and headed to the Island Marketplace…

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Tiki Kon 2017 Caribbean Castaway, Day One: The Wanna Be-52’s

The Wanna Be-52's live at Tiki Kon 2017 Caribbean Castaway Day One

Next up was not The B-52’s but The Wanna Be-52’s!

This incredible B-52’s tribute band features Tiki Kon’s own Justin DuPre! They rocked the house and played all the hits including Love Shack, Planet Claire and last but not least Rock Lobster! To quote Fred Schneider…. Let’s Rock!

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Tiki Kon 2017 Caribbean Castaway: Day One – VIP Reception

The Wanna Be-52's live at Tiki Kon 2017 Caribbean Castaway Day One

Tiki Kon is always a homecoming of sorts…

The Tiki Ohana is scattered throughout the country and sadly, you can’t be everywhere at once to hang out with all these great people. What can you do? You bring everyone together with a Tiki marketplace, live music, Tiki drinks, and throw in big name Tiki celebrities talking about Tiki. You might call it a reason to book a flight to Portland, Oregon. I’ll call it Tiki Kon!

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Tiki Kon 2016 Day 1

Tiki Kon 2016 display
Tiki Kon 2016 display

It has been a rainy year so far up in the Pacific Northwest. It’s no joke: it rains a lot, but usually things start to get nicer by May and the weather is perfect until October. Not this year. It’s already well into July and I’m driving through one rainstorm after another on my three-hour trek down from Seattle to Portland for Tiki Kon 2016. The Tiki lifestyle is all about escapism. I’m looking forward to a weekend of Tiki drinks and entertainment, room parties, and getting to see some home Tiki bars along the way. I’ll spoil the ending: Tiki Kon 2016 was a blast and for three days I forgot that it was the middle of July and I’m still wearing a raincoat!

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Tiki VIP #5 Greg Clapp (Tiki Kon Portland, OR)

Greg Clapp
Greg Clapp

There are key people that have made the Tiki community what it is today and what it’s going to be in the future. Right now there are three main Tiki events that happen each year. One of those events is Tiki Kon and Greg Clapp is the man who puts it all together.

Tiki Kon takes place in Portland, OR, and has been going on for fourteen years. It’s a weekend of live music and entertainment. Tiki Kon also includes Tiki symposiums, Tiki bartending competitions, and an open market for artists and vendors to sell their Tiki wares. The main event of Tiki Kon is a home Tiki bar crawl where five or so bars are visited.

I was in Portland and I had a chance to meet Greg in person and ask him a few questions…

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