NAWILIWILI — The Kaua‘i Marriott Resort & Beach Club was featured on a four-hour, live radio broadcast to southern Washington last week, as a crew and 15 contest-winners descended on the resort at Kalapaki Beach. Part of a radio promotion
NAWILIWILI — The Kaua‘i Marriott Resort & Beach Club was featured on a four-hour, live radio broadcast to southern Washington last week, as a crew and 15 contest-winners descended on the resort at Kalapaki Beach.
Part of a radio promotion with Classic Cast Vacations, the winners of the radio-station promotion were treated to a four-day stay at the Kaua‘i Marriott, where they got to participate in a four-hour, live remote from pool-side of the resort, aided by the radio station’s director of remote operations, Greg Ristau.
One of the activities during the remote broadcast involved a swimming-pool race where radio personality Shawn Stewart did laps around the massive hotel swimming pool while Reimer did a play-by-play account, Stewart attempting to beat the clock in the race.
One night’s activities centered around the winners’ personal concert in one of the hotel’s ballrooms, where the headliners included Jem, a solo singer from Wales, as well as the Bodeans, who recently released a new CD. The concert highlight gave the promotion a nickname of “Rock and Roll Adventure in Hawai‘i.”
Selected associates of the Kaua‘i Marriott were invited to join the radio-promotion winners, the crew of the radio station, and about eight other people who paid their own way to accompany the group to Kaua‘i.
“It was an offer too good to pass up,” said Mary Rickert of Tacoma, Wash., who was one of “the paying guests.”
Rickert was able to get in on the promotion because she is friends with Marsha Reagan, an advertising sales representative for the radio station.
Both ladies lost little time getting acquainted with the island, dining at Bubba Burgers in Kapa‘a, as well as meeting up with a local fisherman, known only as George, who talked to them about how, in the old days, they used to fish in the moonlight.
TC Cooke was one of the winners, and brought along husband Geoff. They took advantage of the remote broadcast to send their greetings to their two children, Sam, 5, and Marin, 2, who were staying with grandma Layne Bush.
Cooke explained that the radio promotion involved listeners calling in three times a day and answering questions about a particular song that was played over the air a few hours previous.
All qualifying entries were placed in a hopper, and at the end of the day, one name was pulled. This routine took place for 15 working days, resulting in the 15 winners that made the trip to Kaua‘i.
Cooke said she was the second winner to be selected. Also on hand to help coordinate the trip were the radio station’s manager, Chris Mays, and a representative from the McNeil Wilson advertising agency, Nathan Kam. “I absolutely love this place,” Rickert said. “I have never met as nice a people as those who I’ve met here. We’ve made the most wonderful friends, including the clerk at Longs Drugs (Waipouli) who helped me with my camera battery,” Rickert said. “I don’t want to be on that plane on Sunday (when the group leaves). Do you think I could be a Bubba’s girl — they had a ‘help wanted’ sign?”
The radio-station crew and guests left Kaua‘i Sunday, Oct. 3.
Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@pulitzer.net.
