LIHU‘E — Things were really hopping at the Gingerbread Festival, Saturday, said Ron Wiley, emcee for the event benefiting the Easter Seals of Kaua‘i. “Last year, the Easter Seals of Kaua‘i had less than a hundred houses being built,” Wiley
LIHU‘E — Things were really hopping at the Gingerbread Festival, Saturday, said Ron Wiley, emcee for the event benefiting the Easter Seals of Kaua‘i.
“Last year, the Easter Seals of Kaua‘i had less than a hundred houses being built,” Wiley said following the event at Kukui Grove Center. “This year, there were more than 130 houses moving through the festival.”
Shayne Tokita, one of the organizers for the annual event, said not only were there more houses being built, there were a lot of other ways people could have fun and enjoy the holidays while helping the Easter Seals.
In addition to the gingerbread houses, Tokita said there were cookie decorating stations, canvas bags shoppers could acquire in exchange for a donation, and a unique Christmas ornament which was created especially for the Easter Seals Gingerbread Festival.
“This year, Easter Seals is going green,” Tokita said. “Longs Drugs donated canvas shopping bags to help gingerbread house crews transport the supplies. Of course, once the kits are brought home, the bags can be reused as shopping bags.”
Ron Sakoda of Ron’s Electric made a special trip to get a supply of those ornaments because they are so unique and benefit an agency which provides service to Kaua‘i residents.
Michael Patricio found that the canvas shopping bags made a great place to rest while his family browsed through the activity of families creating gingerbread creations.
“This is one of the few real family events,” said Norman Kawakami, Hawai‘i Easter Seals president of operations who came to Kaua‘i for the event. “There are a lot of events like soccer where parents sit on the sidelines while the children play, but here, even fathers are getting into it with their children.”
Tokita said for those families who had other commitments during this busy holiday season, there are a limited number of gingerbread house kits available for a $39 donation at the Easter Seals of Kaua‘i office on Aikahi Street in Lihu‘e.
“You didn’t have to be there to enjoy,” Tokita said. “There is still time to make a house and enjoy it before Christmas. All of the kits come with everything you need to make a gingerbread house.”
Some of those components were provided by community sponsors who stepped up to the plate for the annual event, Tokita said.
The Kaua‘i Community College Culinary Arts department provides the icing, the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort and Spa provided the cookies, Mark’s Place baked the cookies, and volunteers from the Kaua‘i High School Leo Club and Key Club and the All Saints Women’s Group make sure there is enough help for all the crews working on projects.
Other sponsors include Kukui Grove Center, Marketing Director Jonell Kaohelauli‘i making time to create a gingerbread house of her own, the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative and The Gas Company.
Easter Seals has been helping individuals with disabilities and special needs, and their families, live better lives for almost 90 years. Easter Seals offers help, hope and answers to more than a million children and adults living with autism and other disabilities and special needs and their families each year through a network of more than 550 sites in the United States and through Ability First Australia, states the Easter Seals Web site.
For more details on the areas Easter Seals helps, visit www.easterseals.com.
For more information on the gingerbread house kits, call the Easter Seals of Kaua‘i office at 245-6983.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
