KAPA‘A – A little bit of this, a little bit of that, a surprise here, and the sound of drums beckoned people to the entrance of the 8th Annual Coconut Festival that opened Saturday as a steady stream of patrons
KAPA‘A – A little bit of this, a little bit of that, a surprise here, and the sound of drums beckoned people to the entrance of the 8th Annual Coconut Festival that opened Saturday as a steady stream of patrons filed through the entrance.
A $2 admission fee helps the non-profit Kapa‘a Business Association (KBA) put on the event that started out as a small event celebrating the coconut, local artisans, entertainers, and cooks.
“We barely break even,” said KBA supporter and charter member of the Coconut Festival Committee Rene Tokuda who was hosting at the cultural tent, one of the new facets of this year’s festival.
Jim Jasper, another KBA member, was busy hauling supplies across the Kapa‘a Beach Park, pointing out the heavy-duty tents that dotted the park.
Jasper said these new tents are a replacement for the garage variety that used to provide scant shelter for the crafters, especially during the windy and rainy times. With the new heavy-duty tents, everyone will have a secure shelter should the weather decide on wind and rain, Jasper said.
But, the weather decided on trades and sunshine, a blessing to shaved ice vendor Aaron Furugen who had his ‘ohana out in force to help quench thirst and heat – and yes, he did have coconut syrup for a topping choice.
Ice-cold coconuts have been with the festival since its inception, but new to this year, was the appearance of Halau Palaihiwa O Kaipuwai under the direction of kumu Kehaulani Kekua who offered up a Sunrise Surprise that consisted of a sunrise papaya filled with ice cream (the sherbert worked best), haupia, coconut shreds, and topped with a sprig of mint.
The halau also help coordinated the cultural tent where educational displays as well as hands-on coconut crafts were taking place, Uncle Jerry Kaneholani being busy helping people create coconut frond hats.
“I always wanted to learn how to do this,” Scott Poland, a resident of Kapa‘a hibit. An extensive list of Kaua‘i archaeology sites was drawn up by Roy Miyake.
Miyake’s work and other parts of the exhibit are providing newly discovered information on archaeological sites, Dela Vega said.
Kaua‘i’s state archaeologist Nancy McMahon created a look at the life and role of women in ancient Native Hawaiian culture on Kaua‘i for the exhibit.
Recent findings at Nu‘alolo Kai on Na Pali are also described, providing a complimentary accompaniment to the findings of Kikuchi, Kenneth Emory and other renown researchers who did a major dig at Nu‘alolo in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Overall, the exhibit provides perhaps the most extensive look at Kaua‘i archaeology every mounted.
