KEKAHA —The county Parks and Recreation Department took time out to celebrate Valentine’s Day early with its kupuna residents, Friday. About 250 kupuna from the county’s network of senior centers converged at the Kekaha Neighborhood Center where they celebrated the
KEKAHA —The county Parks and Recreation Department took time out to celebrate Valentine’s Day early with its kupuna residents, Friday.
About 250 kupuna from the county’s network of senior centers converged at the Kekaha Neighborhood Center where they celebrated the Seniors Valentine’s Celebration with entertainment, lucky number drawings, good food and camaraderie, said Ku‘ulei Takashima, site manager for the Kekaha Neighborhood Center.
“You should have seen how much fun they had with the seven U.S. Navy people,” said Melanie Okamoto of the Parks and Recreation office. “They had so much fun dancing with the Navy men.”
But the Pacific Missile Range Facility volunteers had to cut their time with the kupuna short as they headed east to help out at the 2012 Pro Bowl Youth Clinic taking place at the Vidinha Stadium.
Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. also had a pressing schedule, coming from an earlier presentation to the county’s Anti-Drug office celebrating February as Drug Free Awareness Month, and also scheduled for an appearance at the NFL youth clinic.
But that did not deter him, or Lenny Rapozo, director of the county’s Parks and Recreation Department, from providing several musical numbers and visiting with each of the kupuna, some coming from as far away as the Kilauea Neighborhood Center to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Melanie Okamoto pointed out several students from the middle schools as well as Kamehameha Schools who were taking advantage of Furlough Friday and the long weekend to volunteer their services.
The students were busy distributing dessert, a special Valentine’s cake, provided by Obsession in Waimea, Dennis Okihara’s mother being an active kupuna with the senior center program.
Entertainment was headlined by Stan and Marie Yadao, who according to kupuna Naoko Ho, will also be performing at the annual Waimea High School Alumni and Friends Foundation carnival coming up March 5 and 6 at the school’s campus.
Ramona Naka‘ahiki emceed the event which was sprinkled liberally with hula performances from the different centers.
Okamoto said this was just one of the big celebrations on the senior center’s calendar, the next major one being the opening of the senior softball season, Saturday at the New Kapa‘a Town Park.
She said between the centers located from Kilauea to Kekaha, the senior softball program and the ballroom dancing, the county’s program caters to about 1,000 kupuna.
Kaua‘i senior centers are located at nine locations around the island including Kilauea, Kapa‘a, Lihu‘e, Koloa, Kalaheo, Hanapepe, Kaumakani, Waimea and Kekaha.
