Sip ‘n Dip Lounge – Piano Pat, Mermaids, Tiki Bar in a Montana Motel? Mod Betty is So There!

May 2021: Sad to report that Pat has passed away,  :-(  but the motor lodge and tiki bar are still there!

Original 2015 Post

Now some people may have glamorous and exotic locales on their bucket lists - but Mod Betty is excited to have just come back from her bucket list trip to a motel in Great Falls, Montana! What put this land-locked state on Mod B's list of things to do before she left this mortal coil? Two words:

Piano

Pat

The fact that keyboard stylist and lounge act singer "Piano Pat" has played for over 50 years  in a 2nd floor tiki lounge where mermaids swim behind the glass walled bar back, in a Montana Motor Inn built in 1962 definitely bumped our trip to the Sip 'n Dip Lounge to the top of our list. I mean with such a confluence of kitsch in one place, it was bound to.

But the real draw was wanting to see Pat in action, as we know that she is the heart and soul of what makes the Sip 'n Dip lounge so special. And since none of us is getting any younger, we leapt at the chance to use some frequent flier miles to get us out west to do so.

Piano Pat Spoonheim

Pat's time behind the piano started at age 5, when her mother insisted she take lessons, and these lessons came in handy in later years when needing to make money to help raise her family. Trained classically to read music, she still refers to her collection of sheet music when asked to play something not often requested. Which is where we come in!

Mod Betty was over the moon delighted (her giant tiki-drink had nothing to do with it) when Pat was able to find the music to Mod B's standard request of Old Cape Cod by Patti Page, and hearing Pat sing and play it in her own inimitable way was a highlight of our entire visit.

An unexpected bonus was that she followed up that request with another Patti Page fave of Retro Roadhusband's, You Belong To Me without even realizing he wanted to hear it. A "Patti Page Double Shot" moment that will live in our memories forever.

We consider Pat to be quite a celebrity and I'll admit to being a bit star-struck when we first were able to get a pair of coveted seats around her piano. We eagerly clapped after each song (even though no-one else did) and after the third or fourth, Pat leaned over and kindly told us we needn't do that. It was so hard not to though, as each song was such a treat, though trying to figure out what it might be at first was a bit like Mod B's fave sport Name That Tune.

We're not the only ones in the Piano Pat Fan Club, as CBS Morning paid her a visit  in 2013 at her 50th anniversary of playing at the Sip n Dip, a place that GQ named one of the best bars in the world to travel to!

Click here to see the Sunday Morning episode with Piano Pat in action!

She was amused at our choosing this location as a bucket list trip, and took time to chat with us about grandkids, traveling, the state of being a live musician in this era of DJs and the like.

As it came time for her to return to her keyboards, Mod B gave her a big heartfelt hug and told her how much seeing her made our day. She posed for a picture and then returned to her domain behind the 88s. Sigh!

The Sip 'n Dip Lounge 'n Mermaids

According to the history of the motel conveniently provided in the binder in our room atop the mini-fridge, the Sip 'n Dip Lounge originally was decorated in a stark Art Deco style with white walls. However around 1965 when the tiki craze was in full swing in the US, the owners of the O'Haire Motor Inn decided to redecorate, and added a thatched roof, glowing lights, pattered formica and colored vinyl chairs and that is pretty much what you see today!

It makes for an eclectic and fun place to sit and sip, pretending your on a tropic isle - instead if in the middle of cowboy country!

Speaking of tiki, the Fishbowl drink is another tiki-inspired aspect of your visit to the Sip n Dip. Shots and shots of various rums, friut juices, sprite, tons of straws, served in a bowl the size of your head, it makes for a tasty (and potent) photo op!

Even if you're not drinking a Fishbowl, you may think you see mermaids swimming behind the bar, and you'd be right!

Though you would expect this type of entertainment to have started around the same time as the lounge was renovated tiki-style, we learned that the mermaids did not appear until the mid 1990s, even though the pool with the glass walls had always been viewable to guests sitting at the bar.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather see a glamorous mermaid than a businessman in his bathing suit any day!

The O'Haire Motor Inn

It only made sense for us to stay at the O'Haire Motor Inn during our pilgrimage to see Pat, and while it was a standard motel in many ways (and truth be told - the smell of  "legacy" smoke in the hall was a bummer) there were enough delightfully quirky features installed in 1962 that added to the retro-loveability of the place.

From the confetti-colored floor tiles and seafoam green walls of the bathroom area, to the unexpected built-in ironing board hidden behind the full length mirror, to the never-seen-anywhere-else labeled light switches, the O'Haire was more than state of the art in 1962.

Props go to our travel pal Diner Hunter Spencer Stewart who clued us into the history of the motel printed in the binder in our room, but who also pointed out the color coded lights outside of each room.

From the mosaic tiled entrance to the motel from the covered garage we noticed that the space behind the reception desk looked more like Mission Control than your standard motel check-in area. When we inquired about this the swell staff was happy to explain that the lights outside of each room indicated what rooms were occupied, which would need cleaning and what rooms were slated to check out that day. How cool is that?

So if you're fond of Mermaids and Classic Songs, Piano Pat and the Mermaids won't steer you wrong...you're sure to fall in love with the Sip n Dip Lounge!

Mod Betty Bucket List Entry Accomplished!

While walking down Central Avenue in Great Falls we came across this billboard sized display from the Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming. I could not help but pose in front of it, and realize with a grin that while some of the Girl Scouts had dreams of visiting Paris and Ireland, Mod Betty's "Before I die..." was our visit  to Great Falls!

Wherever you want to go - make a plan and do it! Better to look back on memories than regrets!