I Owe Ohio

I grew up in Ohio, and most of my immediate family members went to college in Columbus. But somehow it took me until now to make the pilgrimage to the magnificent Kahiki Supper Club. This icon opened in 1962 (about the time when the decades-long Polynesian craze reached the feverish stage) after its predecessor "The Grass Shack" burned down. (For history, photos, menus, and more surf to http://www.kahiki.com.)

Today Kahiki not only has a frozen food line, it even trades on the stock market, so you can own your own little bit of history! This restaurant has been lovingly maintained though it does show its age around the edges. It has been added to a National Register of Historic Places, as an icon of "mid-century culture". It even won an award in a Las Vegas convention of restaurants on November 2, less than two weeks before my visit, and is listed as one of the top 100 restaurants in the country, and in the top 10 in the Asian-Pacific category. These awards and others are displayed in the Grande Foyer if you can draw your eyes away from the gushing fountain, a sculpture within a sculpture of a bizarre red and blue tiki you have to study to figure out.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. First you have to go in! The building is something like a longhouse, with elaborate exterior decorations. The main entrance is flanked by a pair of huge black moai whose flaming heads were doused, and skirted by a little blue moat, which was dry. I had a set of maps to help me find the place, but on driving to my meeting site, there, only a few blocks away stood the Kahiki! If the moai were scowling, other gods were smiling.

Entering Kahiki is like stepping into a village. The high ceiling is invisible, there are palm trees and grass huts, the ambient sound of a thunderstorm, and "windows" revealing dripping tropical gardens. The windows on the other side of the village are nice saltwater aquaria. The music is a wide variety of exotica, Hawaiian music, and period tunes. Overall, the décor is "classy tiki" - not as classy as Trader Vic's, not as tacky as the typical Polynesian restaurant. Though most of the adornments are custom- made, a few I recognized from Hula Inn and Damon's. One can dine by the windows, in a hut, at the Outrigger or Maui Bars, or in the Village Dining Room. Palm-lined Kalakaua Street is dominated by a towering red-eyed moai whose mouth is a large fireplace. I don't know how big the Easter Island head is (reports of 40 feet, and 80 for the building are excessive) but it is approximately "life-sized". The downstairs area is a large party room for rent, with a dancefloor, band, bamboo and lava walls.

Someone rings the large gong near the hostess stand. This summons the lovely "Mystery Girl" to deliver the Mystery Drink, a flaming volcano. (From whence comes the Mystery Girl? Siam? Papeete? Cleveland?) My boss and I gave up this little pleasure by ordering Mai Tais. It was worth it, and later the Mystery Girl had a chance to do my bidding anyway...

There are three categories of food at Kahiki: Island, Asian, and American. A decent variety of quality food, better than I had heard from a few years ago, though not particularly remarkable. There are some interesting gourmet recipes, but the ones we had were average, and a little too sweet. They sell some of their food to major distributors, so you can probably try their frozen dinners and egg rolls on your own. These packaged foods are quite inexpensive, while the restaurant food is moderately expensive.

The Mai Tais ($5.25) were classically presented in large glasses with pineapple and lime wedges, and paper umbrellas. The color was a bit light. Taste? Excellent! This was a very fine Mai Tai, just a tad shy of a perfect score. The authentic taste did have a unique character - definitely a house recipe. There was a very nice little spicy finish to the drink which was familiar, but which I could not identify. The more I tasted the more curious I became. Finally I asked the bartender at the Outrigger Bar, who said it was made from light and dark rums, lime juice, and a house mixture. About the unique flavor, he said, "it must be the almond" though I knew better. Still, it was something in their house mix, which they would not sell to me. Perhaps if I had made a proper sacrifice to the tiki god...

Now before I left I wanted to buy a few mugs, since I hadn't bought either of the drinks that come with them. (Kahiki has its own tiki mugs, with their name on the bottom. Collectible, if not the best artwork.) But it was Monday, and the Beachcomber Shop was closed! Enter the Mystery Girl, who graciously unlocked the gate for me. The shop sells a variety of mugs (only $3.50 for the big ones!), tikis, leis, and other theme items, plus a wide variety of other affordable gifts, from toys and jewelry to a CD by the house steel drum band. Mission accomplished, thanks to the infamous Mystery Girl!

When I was a kid in middle-class Ohio, all the older folks went Florida for an inexpensive taste of paradise. My parents did. My grandparents even went to Hawaii. It is, perhaps, to this that I owe the germ of my current Mai Tai Mania. How strangely fitting that after sampling Mai Tais from Mexico to Madrid, from California to Quebec and beyond, I should discover back in Ohio what I had traveled so far to find!

Taste:
Atmosphere:
Date Visited: November 15, 1999
Reviewed By: David Bartell

Further Kahiki Scene Reports from August 2000, the month the Kahiki closed

I arrived at The Kahiki early on Saturday afternoon with the plan to meet some of the people what would be instrumental in the closing. Things were in an "organized disarray" as the members of Don Tiki, The Kahiki Staff, King Kukulele, Otto and various others were preparing for the evenings events.

Almost immediately, I met Mr. Michael Tsao, who preferred all to call him Michael, and had the most amicable, albeit very enlightening, discussion. Actually, it was more like a dissertation, as Michael openly told me about the things leading up to the closing decision.

Things have been painfully slow in recent years. There were the occasional catered events, weddings and such, that helped but, in general, business was pretty slow. The area The Kahiki is in is a "transitional" area. And the transition to "rough" is nearly complete.

Now there are some that will not categorize the area as being "rough." But the patrons with the money and dedication to keep a place like this afloat have long since moved away.

The Kahiki is about 5 miles from downtown Columbus on Broad Street, which is one of the main lines in and out of downtown Columbus. The first 3 miles of Broad Street coming from downtown goes through one of the nicest, most upscale neighborhoods of Columbus. This area was developed in the 20s, 30s and 40s and the quality of the homes is impressive. There are no business at all along the beautifully kept and manicured vistas of Broad Street in this area.

The next stretch of Broad was developed in the 50's and 60's when developers learned there was more money in placing 3 or 4 houses per acre and making the main roads "commercial." What was I am sure a nice area in the 1960's has gone through the traditional suburban decline and the area, while not totally derelict, is not where most people who are "getting ahead" prefer to live. And with that goes the people who prefer to dine in places like The Kahiki. They moved away a long time ago and if they do come back, it is once in a blue moon and that is not enough of a following to keep a place like The Kahiki in business.

A major contribution to The Kahiki's demise is because of the economic status base of Columbus. Columbus is not an industrial city like many cities in Ohio. Urban neighborhoods in some industrial cities have experienced redevelopment in the last ten or fifteen years. Especially if the industries are thriving and a good wage is afforded to the workers.

This was the case that I observed while on a side trip to Dearborn, Michigan, just before going to Columbus. Ford is headquartered in Dearborn. Factories are all around, but urban (and suburban) redevelopment has allowed the surrounds of the factories to be cleaned up. The neighborhoods are clean, the streets are maintained and the businesses have prospered. There is an Italian restaurant that had been there for more than 40 years that was still prospering. It was on Michigan Avenue, right in the middle of all the Ford development, but was on a much more solid footing because of the support of viable neighborhood dwellers.

Now back to Columbus, the city has spread out because there are no reasons to refurbish areas like where The Kahiki is. The newer, and most say nicer, suburban areas are north of downtown -- far north, about 12 miles. In essence, The Kahiki has become a restaurant of destination and not a convenient stop on one's way home.

I do want to state that the area of downtown Columbus is very nice. As often happens, the true urban areas are often renovated as they are still major areas of commerce. It is the suburban areas adjacent to the urban area that falter. I stayed in a refurbished 1800's hotel, The Great Southern, right in the middle of downtown and it was spectacular. Adjacent to the hotel is The Southern Theater which has also be refurbished and is used for upscale concerts and plays. A block away is a restored movie house, The Ohio, complete with a "Mighty Wurlitzer" organ (although they call theirs a "Mighty Morgan"). Another Exotica List member and I went to see Gunga Din the night before The Kahiki closing. The place was great. I include this because I don't want to give the impression that all of Columbus is run down. It is not. Its just too bad something like that could not happen to The Kahiki. On a final note about downtown. The Columbus Museum of Art has a spectacular collection which includes about 30 Impressionists paintings. The Museum is definitely worth a visit if passing near Columbus.

At The Kahiki it was about 3:00 on Saturday, the closing party day, and I was continuing my conversation with Michael. He had been so busy the past few weeks because all the folks from Columbus were booking to have their last meal at The Kahiki. He and his lovely wife, Alice, indicated that the only thing that was keeping them going was the busy nature of the restaurant over the past few weeks. They both said they did not know what would happen after the restaurant finally closed. I could tell that while they might not be depressed after the closing, they were, at the least, going to suffer a tremendous let down from the various activities.

Regardless, I did get the clear impression from Michael that the area was going to continue to decline and that he had no reservations of wanting to get out now. All this while hordes of patrons kept plaguing him with, "Don't close The Kahiki." or "Why are you going to close?" Michael know the answer and has known it for some time. After our discussion, I realized that Michael's decision was the right one. The logistics and numbers to run The Kahiki are just not feasible anymore.

I had a great afternoon talking with the band members of Don Tiki , King Kukulele (fittingly, his first name Denny), a few of the wait staff and the occasional patron that wondered in wanting a drink or something to eat. Michael quickly told the latter, "Closed - private party only tonight." That last part made feel honored to be part of the "private" scene.

I retired back to the Great Southern to shower, shave and prepare for the nights festivities. On return the scene was enough to blast the most hip Exoticat out of the water. The front of The Kahiki, complete with the 20 foot tall, twin Easter Island tiki heads, was welcoming a line of Hawaiian attire clad patrons into the restaurant. The inverted roof design of the building (borrowing its shape from an outrigger canoe) along with the flowing water fountains around the entrance were beckoning the patrons to a Polynesian spectacular.

Each guest received a special Kahiki closing t-shirt, a lei greeting and was introduced to Alice Tsao, one of the most gracious people I met at the event. She remembered me and our phone conversation in detail with only the slightest reminder. Certainly a true sign of an attentive host. I would observe that about her more as the evening continued. If Michael Tsao provided the building blocks for The Kahiki, Alice Tsao was the cement that held things together. At least it appeared that was the evening of the closing.

So the time was near, just past the twin Easter Island tikis and over the bridge that crossed the gunnite bed stream, I would be entering the tiki event of a possible lifetime. The confines of the outrigger shaped building were waiting to usher in new experiences for some, such as me, while ushering out experiences for others.

One enters The Kahiki and is immediately exposed to a plethora of Polynesian delights. The entrance foyer has a large fountain in the center of the room. From the foyer you can turn immediately right and go into the gift shop. Adjacent to that is the bar area which is a round affair and provides a view out into the main dining area of the restaurant. The dining area, which is straight ahead from the foyer area, has the massive 50 foot tiki, complete with red lights for eyes and a fire place as a mouth. By the way, the reports that the tiki is 80 feet tall is an exaggeration. I am probably stretching it a little saying that it is 50 feet tall. Still, the thing is impressive. It is an Easter Island form tiki similar to the twins at the front entrance. It is painted white and the red eyes offer a stark contrast.

As you look forward to the massive tiki, to the right side is the "rain" village. This is a long, double row of booths. The ones on the outer side each have a tropical view into a jungle diorama. The display has tropical plants and other jungle effects. About every 30 minutes the storm gathers, thunder sounds and rain dampens the plants.

To the left is the thatched huts of the village. These spread out in different shapes and forms and have fish tanks spread about. There is really not a preferred seating area at The Kahiki as a good view is afforded from all positions.

For the closing the main area in front of the massive tiki was ground zero for the entertainment. Don Tiki and their equipment took up a large amount of the area but a place for dancing was also allowed. Just opposite the band area, and mounted up above the bar area, was suspended a screen just for the nights closing. The house band, a trio with a calypso sound, played as the guests assembled.

Just before Don Tiki took stage, a video featuring Martin Denny was played. Denny wished all that were attending The Kahiki closing well and offered a kind word or two about the owners and staff. He had a great grin as he said it was time to get things going. He turned to his grand piano, and from the circular living room of his Hawaii Kai condo, pounded the familiar bars that start Quiet Village. Don Tiki joined in and took up where the master left off.

As all are aware, my fondness for Denny is of major proportion. I know that Fluid Floyd shares this same sentiment. The video was a highlight of the evening. It set the mood for the rest of the evening. I expressed thanks to Floyd and Perry as well as other members of the band for coming and for bringing the Denny greeting.

On this note, I think a digression is needed. As much as I loved The Kahiki, the Tsaos and the event in general, it was the announcement that Don Tiki was playing that had me calling for reservations. As I expressed to them in person, and will here do it again, I truly appreciate the dedication and effort that this premiere, modern Exotica band has made, both to this music genre and to the Kahiki event. Once again, thanks to all involved with Don Tiki for participation in this event.

OK, so we had been talking about the event on the main level. The main dining area that is. There was a whole other show going on 15 feet below. At the entrance foyer, a stair case to the left takes you to The Kahiki's basement. For the event, the basement was the center for the gastronomical indulgences the Tsaos and the staff offered.

This was not a Chinese all-you-can-eat buffet. The food and presentation was as good as it can be for an event of this magnitude. The kitchen staff was responsible for providing food for the 400 plus attendees of the party. The variety and presentation of the food just continued to unfold as one worked their way along the buffet. The center of the room contained a 4 sided buffet that was about 20 feet long on each side. On one side wall there was an a la carte section where you could choose the ingredients you wanted and the chefs would lightly fry or wok your selections for you.

Cleanliness and presentation was obviously of tantamount importance to the staff. I bounced back and forth from the main floor to the basement and at all times the buffet was in top order. Trays of food were replaced when half empty and dirty dishes were quickly taken away. Tables with clean linens were adequately arranged for the party guests. No one had to balance a plate on their knee.

Later in the evening, the buffet was cleared and a vast array of deserts was presented. The whole food affair was top notch and I told the Tsaos so on more than one occasion.

And if the buffet was not enough, the back wall offered a menu more for the ears than the mouth. Exotica List members Jeff Chenault, Michael Toth, Jack Fedderman and Brother Cleve each took their appropriate turn at the dual tables spinning Exotica fare that added excitement to the accompanying buffet.

There was so much festivity going on in the basement I observed some people never really ventured upstairs.

An enjoyable aspect of my evening was spending time visiting with Josh and Glendale Agle. Josh is better known as Shag and he and his wife spent a good amount of time just sitting at one of the tables, enjoying the buffet scene, grooving out to the DJs' tunes and talking with fans and passerbys. Again, testimony to the fact that no matter where you were in The Kahiki, something worthwhile was going on.

Back up on the main floor, Don Tiki was winding up their first set. The crowd, with the help of the bar staff, were really getting loosened up now. King Kukulele entertained the crowd with his antics. I really enjoyed his performance. A few folks found his follies a little puerile but I was impressed. Here was this guy, all by himself, entertaining all manner of folks and following a 9 piece band nonetheless. Most of the people around me enjoyed the King too. The crowd was getting a little boisterous though and it was a little difficult to hear him.

Michael Tsao made an appearance and, with mike in hand, addressed the crowd at length regarding his reign as Big Kahuna of The Kahiki. By this time the crowd was really "juiced" and their patience to hear Don Tiki again was growing thin.

There was a little break where I took the opportunity to head back to the bar and visit with some of my new found Columbus friends. I met some really remorseful folks from Columbus that were thoroughly depressed that The Kahiki was closing. These were people that had grown up around The Kahiki's festivities. Most of these people were happy at the party, but there were a few that demonstrated real sorrow over the closing. And most of those were obviously trying to drink as much as they could at The Kahiki's bar before the closing later that night.

Eventually Don Tiki took the stage again and the crowd, even livelier than before, greeted the band enthusiastically. The dance floor was crowded for the whole second set and Tiki Bob must have thought he was back in his college days because he was a "dancing fool." At least I think I got the fool part of it correct.

The band hammered on, the bar staff continued to pour and the Exoticats, both tiki and Columbus types, swayed on into the night. Don Tiki, having played a rather long second set, wound things down about half past midnight. By that time most of the Columbus contingency had vacated the premises. I made my rounds, thanking and "goodbye-ing" all the folks hanging around to the end. Alice and Michael seemed pleased that everybody had a good time. Ever the hosts, they seemed more concerned about how the party went off instead of the pending close of their restaurant.

The evening was a tremendous success. Everybody I talked with enjoyed the party and, obviously, will miss The Kahiki tremendously. I took one last look around before heading out to the parking lot. Michael and Alice were in the foyer talking with some other folks that were on their way out. From the front doors they were about 15 feet away from me. I gave a wave goodbye and pressed through the double doors leading out to the twin tiki entrance way. As the doors were closing behind me, I heard Michael yell, "Aloha, Bob! Thanks for coming!" The doors closed behind me and the sounds of The Kahiki faded quickly as the car traffic noise took over. I thought about how aloha means both hello and goodbye. Unfortunately, this time it meant the latter. And it was goodbye for good.

Nathan Miner
Okay, it's been a little over a week since my girlfriend and I drove out to Columbus to visit the Kahiki ("You're driving all the way out there to eat??" I've heard that over and over again!!!). We left Thursday, July 20th and ambled out west taking our time, picnicking and flea marketing along the way and back - arriving back home in Baltimore on Saturday night at 11pm.

Anyway, it was worth the drive, but I should warn anyone visiting for the first time that the Kahiki is located in a dirty, ugly, depressing, "down-trodden" part of town that had it's "hey day" long, long ago and is now slipping into poverty, vacant lots, etc. I can understand why the Kahiki is glad to get out - and I have absolutely nothing but compassion for the decision to close and move elsewhere!! I know the Kahiki owners were celebrating that someone actually wanted to open a business on the property.

There has also been a list of recommended vintage motels in Columbus near the Kahiki; now I'm no prude, but after spotting the recommended motels, all I could think was "No Way!" We ended up staying at the pricier place right at the intersection of Broad St. and (forgot the other street) - that was like $85 a night!! (We actually got a discount, the true rate is around $120 or something.....).

Anyway, horrible location aside (oh, and be prepared that ALL of the exit/on ramps to I-70 are currently under construction and CLOSED making for a few loops and turns to take detours onto 70, hopefully that'll be cleared up by the time the "big event" hits.....?), the restaurant was fantastic and certainly stands out as a towering icon to a long-forgotten era of Polynesian silliness (and I mean that in an endearing way of course!!). When we first saw it, a collective "Whoa!" issued from the Green Tracker with Maryland tags.

The food was very good, which I wasn't expecting after hearing from lots of people that it was just "ok." Talking with some of the locals at the bar, they concurred that the food had gotten a lot better over the past few months. The drinks were also decent, and two zombies, a fog-cutter and snips from my girlfriends headhunter made for "happy!happy!" in the 'ol cranium. You do get to keep the mugs when you order drinks - either the skull mug for the zombie or the "brown face tiki" for the headhunter. Beware, the mugs used at the dinner table (speaking of the headhunter mug) are brown and "gloppy" looking compared to the slick versions sitting behind the bar. We traded our "Mr. Glop" for a sleek one at the bar after dinner. I can't comment on the skull mugs as there weren't any for sale and I didn't notice any different ones at the bar. These weren't too bad though - but still not as well defined as older Kahiki Zombie mugs.

I had shrimp with spinach and rice and my girlfriend had the ribs - a BIG rack of ribs. They both were good.

I was the shameless tourist, slapping down large bills as I scooped up little Kahiki tiki necklaces (everything is waaaaay overpriced so be forewarned to bring lots of $$$$$$), a cheesy ceramic "tiki bowl" with a badly represented hula gal on the front, a hand-towel with sown in tiki face, a 5min. video about the Kahiki, post cards, and little pokers/swizzle sticks with a tiki head on the end and the Kahiki name along the stick. And two menus, one for drinks and the dinner menu.

For some reason, the cubbards were bare in the gift shop that night. There were NO headhunter or zombie mugs to buy, only a few of the bowls; no ceramic salt 'n peppers, no votive candle "lamps" (I guess like the ones on the tables - with very *rough* "made at home" looking cut-out pieces supposed to resemble a face but it's mostly just a design). They had tacky t-shirts with an admittedly cool Kahiki logo w/a graphic of the restaurant on the front breast but a stupid "I Got Lei'd" wording on the back framed by a flowered lei. There weren't any dips or food items on sale from the Kahiki Foods line which I also thought was weird.

A nice Ohio couple at the bar who know Otto and Bosko mentioned that the gift shop can be weird. They seem to just go "to the storeroom" and pull out armfuls of whatever happens to be in sight when the shelves get empty. Maybe they'll stock up for the party, but you'd think they'd have more to offer since being so busy - unless, of course they're simply running out of things to sell.

The place is hard to describe - let's just say that it would be everything you would think it to be.....and then some. I hate to ruin the surprise, but go into the men's room and you get to wash your hands under giant stone tiki faces that spit the Hot/Cold water outta their mouths into giant clam shells!!!! Whoa! Tikis galore in every shape and size, painted brightly or lurking quietly in the corners or in the rafters - full-sized huts housing two eating areas, another hut housing the bar (big HUTS, with THATCHED ROOFS!), a "rainforest" area along one wall with thunder sounds piped in and periodic rainstorms cascading down from sprinklers above, the other wall houses huge fish tanks lined up end-to-end, a downstairs "party" area decked out to look like a cave (the walls are all done in black lava rock) with a bamboo bar and tiki totems supporting the bar shelves, in a word - WHOA!

Jimmy Botticelli
When a Moment takes place you just revel in the communion. The closing of the Kahiki was an unlikely Moment featuring a benign mid-western city, a bland landscape and a bittersweet Blip on the architectural radar screen. But the underground friction of a rare Moment invested Columbus Ohio with a special power on August 26, if for only that Blip which stunned local Kahiki-lovers and rewarded the emotional expectations of a surprisingly tight band of onlookers from distant and nearby "shores".

The evening began at 6PM with a long line at the front door. Each guest had bought a ticket in advance and the crowd was three-to-one Columbus area people. Upon getting lei'd, stamped (with a tiki of course) and tee-shirted, we were admitted into the majesty of the Kahiki lobby. The locals were visibly moved by the rush of "jet-setters", none of whom appeared to take themselves too seriously much to the betterment of the evening. The inevitable "documentary makers", "journalists" and "celebrities", tongues firmly in cheek, added to the mysticism of the event: several photographers were seen taking shots of other photographers as they themselves snapped pictures of exotica "celebrities". (Names have been omitted for the protection of the guilty). For a Moment, the Exotica Movement was playing its most subversive card: a failed supperclub in Ohio had become a Classic, and unknown Exoticats and Kittens had become Legends.

The evening was a lesson in lost culture. As Exotica tunes offered by several DJ's were spun, a delectable array of exotic/Asian dishes were offered in a buffet whose display was an award winner. Notable was the giant pineapple adorned with fresh shrimp mounted on toothpicks. The skinned and cooked baby pig, head and body intact, was bypassed by yours truly! After self-generated introductions and the pitter patter of post-dinner chatter, it was upstairs for the live music. It opened with a short emotional speech rife with promises of reopening "on the river" by amiable Kahiki owner Michael Tsao. Michael's overblown dialog with the audience was certainly forgivable. It was his 15 minutes and he wanted an extension. The presentation then segued to a film clip of Martin Denny talking exotica and sitting down at a piano to play the opening bass notes of "Quiet Village". Don Tiki segued in "live" and the film faded to black as the Honolulu nonet began playing "Quiet Village" in earnest to the delight of the packed hall. As the Mondo Tiki that IS the centerpiece of the Kahiki presided solemnly, Don Tiki overcame the predictable shrieks of clubland feedback and turned in a tight performance of Ethno-Polyblends that swayed the crowd. The cutie who sings "An Occasional Man" shimmied especially for yours truly (ask Jeff Chenault!) as she played bass. I surrendered, seized by the frenzy of a Tiki-Styled Cha Cha. A few femme fatales, exotically and erotically dressed, were selected by yours truly to Bust A Move. Or did they select me? The soul claps raised like thunder in the heat of the Moment as the floor shook in celebration.

But, 40 minutes of dancefloor workout call for a cocktail. Having already sampled the Mai Tai and the Headhunter, I ordered a Smoking Eruption and just in the nick of time as my Moment came for a conversation with a flowered maiden from Nashville who was recruiting fellow travelers to witness the closing of the Desert Inn in Vegas. The maiden--I think I'll call her Mary--said that the closing was slated for the next evening! I asked her if witnessing dying icons of eras long gone was her modus operandi. She smiled demurely, clearly moved by the cleverness of my query. I shared my Smoking Eruption with her as she smiled seductively. The ecstasy of the evening began to melt into an Exotic and Erotic blur, the power of which most in attendance seemed to feel. That was the Moment that I felt most happy to have taken four Advil prior to leaving the hotel!

The night wound down slowly and surely, revelers saying long good-byes and feeling the carmaderie they hoped would be felt upon attending such a Moment. This was a Moment that will live in infamy...