NAWILIWILI — A hurricane, earthquakes and even tsunami advisories couldn’t keep the group away from the Young Brothers Nawiliwili Port Thursday. Santa and Mrs. Claus came to visit with their special guest Josie Chansky and a prancing, frisky Daisy. Their
NAWILIWILI — A hurricane, earthquakes and even tsunami advisories couldn’t keep the group away from the Young Brothers Nawiliwili Port Thursday.
Santa and Mrs. Claus came to visit with their special guest Josie Chansky and a prancing, frisky Daisy. Their arrival created a stir as commerce paused while the group basked in the coolness of the air conditioned port office.
“We just want to say ‘mahalo’ to our special Friends of the Festival of Lights at the Historic County Building,” Santa said in a press release issued by the Festival of Lights. “The grant of $1,500 will be used to support the Festival of Lights Community Outreach and Education Program.”
According to the press release, the Festival of Lights is a Christmas Holiday celebration created by the community of Kaua‘i, and would be impossible to sustain without partnerships with the community.
The Festival of Lights Community Outreach and Education program is designed to engage and inspire individuals and community groups to both contribute to and carry on the tradition of the Festival of Lights at the Historic County Building.
The festival committee states one of its goals in the Outreach and Education Program is to foster the awareness, particularly among the youth volunteers, to the importance of carrying on a tradition.
Volunteers first participate in the creation of the displays during the month of November, and return later as elves or docents throughout December. This enables them to see for themselves the positive results of their efforts as thousands of residents and visitors enjoy the Festival of Lights during its annual run.
Seeds are planted as early as September when groups are invited to contribute ideas and direction for the upcoming season. Once the ideas are outlined, they become the design framework all volunteers use in the creation of the annual display which will celebrate its 11th anniversary this year.
In November, groups congregate at the Pi‘ikoi Building in the Lihu‘e Civic Center where the displays are stored, and working with teachers, are taught the various crafts or art skills that will enable them to fashion the creations.
Volunteers are also invited to help freshen or repair some of Auntie Josie’s creations which form the basis of the Festival of Lights display.
Some of the participating groups working on the design and creation have included the Kaua‘i High School Academy of Hospitality and Tourism, the Kaua‘i High School choir under the direction of David Conrad, Hale Opio Kaua‘i, the Hanalei Canoe Club, the Kapa‘a High School Interact Club, the Kaua‘i High School Japanese Club, the Girl Scouts, ARC of Kaua‘i, the Lihue Fire Station and the Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center. Laced between the groups, many artists and craftspeople have come forward to make the project a reality.
Drawing from these volunteers, the groups are invited to return as elves and docents, the elves being responsible for greeting families and individuals at the door with candy canes and a healthy dose of aloha.
Docents take the next step by guiding the people through the Festival display, telling the story of the Festival of Lights, unveiling the details of Auntie Josie Chansky’s folk art decorations as well as providing recognition to the creations of the volunteer groups.
Members of this corps of volunteers have come from the Island School Interact Club, the Kula High School Interact Club, the Lihu‘e Senior Center, the Mokihana Club, the Delta Kappa Gamma Club and volunteers from Duke’s Canoe Club.
Additionally, students over the past two years have been invited to participate in designing a Web site as well as contribute marketing ideas for the Festival.
For more information on the Festival of Lights which will make this year’s debut lighting on Dec. 7 in conjunction with the Kaua‘i Museum Christmas Craft Fair and the Lights on Rice holiday parade, contact Elizabeth Freeman at 639-8564, or e-mail friends@festivaloflights.info.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
