• Milestones for Kaua‘i Milestones for Kaua‘i Two events being held this weekend, one in Lihue and one in Hanapepe, are milestones for two segments of Kaua‘i’s society — business and the arts. In Lihu‘e, the legacy of Grove Farm
• Milestones for Kaua‘i
Milestones for Kaua‘i
Two events being held this weekend, one in Lihue and one in Hanapepe, are milestones for two segments of Kaua‘i’s society — business and the arts.
In Lihu‘e, the legacy of Grove Farm Plantation owner George N. Wilcox makes its mark in the 21st century with the grand reopening of the Kukui Grove shopping center.
Leading Internet figure Steve Case, who now is the owner of the center and other Grove Farm properties, is the driving force behind the modernization of the center. Case is the grandson of “Heb” Case, who served for years as treasurer of Grove Farm and brought the first electronic accounting machines to the long-time Kaua‘i sugar company, an event that was also a first for all Hawai‘i and one that revolutionized how the all-important ledgers of the plantations were recorded.
Kukui Grove now looks and feels like a modern shopping mall, with Starbucks, Blockbuster and other new stores open, and bustling crowds gathering there to socialize as well as shop in numbers perhaps unseen since its opening over 20 years ago.
The modernized shopping center is a symbol and visible product of the new prosperity of Kaua‘i, a showpiece that signals that many workers on Kaua‘i are doing well. And true to form, whatever G.N. Wilcox touched prospered, though he frequently sweated it through difficult business start-ups, his local style ingenuity won the day. Besides the plantation that has now morphed into a land development and shopping center business, Wilcox pioneered the creation of Nawiliwili Harbor, was a leader in the creation of Inter-Island Airways, which is today Hawaiian Airlines, brought one of the first automobiles to Kaua‘i and in many otherways saw into the future and saw how technology would change all our lives.
The other event in Hanapepe is the 25th anniversary of the Storybook Theatre. Today the arts organization that aims at educating and entertaining our children is holding a block party and a run, two events that symbolize the work of Storybook founder Mark Jeffers that began in the late 1970s.
The block party will bring out the fun that Jeffers brings to others in all that he does, and the run symbolizes the endurance and perseverence of Jeffers and his supporters over the years.
Today the Storybook Theatre is housed in a restored two-story plantation building in the heart of Hanapepe town, a building that just years ago most would have given up on due to its run down condition. Jeffers vision for this building is now a reality, and our children (and adults) on Kaua‘i, across Hawaii and the world are enjoying the Russell da Rooster and the myriad of other characters that have sprung forth from the Storybook Theatre.
Anyone with a dream of doing something to better life on Kaua‘i is advised to look at the life of the dreamers who are at the root of Kukui Grove and the Storybook Theatre. There they will find inspiration, be forewarned that any good work takes sweat and endurance, and know that the combination of innovation and local style understanding of Kaua‘i’s people can bring about remarkable things.
