Idol worship

For true believers, going tiki requires more than sporting a Hawaiian shirt while sipping tropical froufrou concoctions at a bamboo bar. For a small but dedicated cross-section of retro-wranglers, tiki is no less than a lifestyle. Fueled by rum-soaked island dreams, the tiki way of life will be celebrated to the fullest when the Exotica: Luau by the Lake festival kicks off throughout the city July 7.

Organized by Duke Carter, a passionate local proponent of all things tiki and author of Tiki Quest: Collecting the Exotic Past, the four-day festival of exotica and Pacific Island culture brings the South Seas to Lake Michigan's shores with surf-rock bands, tiki home furnishings and vintage clothing for sale—and, of course, a tidal wave of exotic drinks.

"We have so many great original tiki bars here in Chicago," Carter says. "We wanted to bring in people from around the country to experience our treasures."

Carter is coproducing the event with Eddie Angel, the lead guitarist of the renowned instrumental surf-rock combo, Los Straitjackets. With Angel's assistance, Carter has added a slate of wildly varying musical acts to the festival's schedule. "Eddie basically told me, 'Make a wish list,' and I did," Carter says.

The musical lineup includes Angel's band, King Kukulele, the Neanderthals, Kaiser George, Haole Kats and many other acts at different Chicago venues. The groups will perform at FitzGerald's from noon to midnight July 9. Other highlights include a burlesque performance by the World Famous Pontani Sisters, guest mixologist Mike Miller from Delilah's, a pig roast and vendors.

For Carter, who has collected tiki artifacts for more than a decade, hosting the festival is a labor of love. His wife, Amy, also an avid collector, took him to Hala Kahiki, River Grove's famous tiki bar, on their first date in 1996. Four years later, they were married at the Marriott's now-defunct Kona Kai bar.

Carter's interest in exotica was further fanned in 2000, when he helped his friend Mark Bello, owner of Right on Futon in Wicker Park, plan a tiki-themed futon display and art show at the store. "It was a huge event," Carter says. "We were really thrilled because everyone showed up in their Hawaiian shirts and dresses. We also had people hula dancing and a DJ playing records."

Three years later, friends David and Cindy Lawrence approached Carter and his wife about doing another tiki event, Exotica 2003: Chicago's Tiki Tour. That island bonanza featured stops at several renowned tiki destinations, including Trader Vic's, the Kona Kai bar, and Chef Shangri-La and Hala Kahiki in River Grove. That last spot has been serving more than 100 drink selections, most of the exotic nature, in a gorgeous Polynesian-themed room for more than 40 years.

Hala Kahiki owner Cookie Oppedisano says she was happy to see the "tiki nuts," as she affectionately calls the island aficionados, tuned into Hala Kahiki's surroundings during the last Exotica. "Everybody was very reverent-like towards the decor, the stuff we sell in the gift shop and the drinks," Oppedisano says.

Tiki connoisseur Bre-elle Ishtar, who found out about Exotica on Tiki Central (www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral), was enthralled by Hala Kahiki. "It's this little hole-in-the-wall that's out away from the city, and it hasn't changed since the day it opened back in the '60s," she says.

Los Straitjackets' Angel sees the event as a unification of different scenes. "In a nutshell, Exotica is bringing together tiki, burlesque and surf-music subcultures," he says.

Carter says the cultural mishmash is a natural mix. "The mainland tiki scene is really a caricature of Polynesian culture—it's not authentic at all; it has all these other elements," he says. "The revival scene is really more of a Midwest fantasy of the South Pacific, and that's fine with us. We just want to bring it back, preserve it and let everybody enjoy what's there."

Tie your tiki on at Exotica: Luau by the Lake, July 7–10. See listings for details.