WAIMEA — Ryan Baniaga came from Texas to make malasadas and Connie Baniaga cranked out more than 200 cascaron on Friday at the Waimea Town Celebration. “Ryan comes every year to help the West Kaua‘i Methodist Church make malasadas,” said
WAIMEA — Ryan Baniaga came from Texas to make malasadas and Connie Baniaga cranked out more than 200 cascaron on Friday at the Waimea Town Celebration.
“Ryan comes every year to help the West Kaua‘i Methodist Church make malasadas,” said Randall Francisco, president of the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce, who was helping at the church booth. “The church uses the proceeds for its weekly meals that helps feed people in need.”
Many of the organizations participating in the 34th annual Waimea Town Celebration hosted by the West Kaua‘i Business and Professional Association utilize the two-day event to help raise funds and awareness for their respective programs.
Jennifer Phakoom, program manager of the Hawai‘i Meth Project, said they are a Honolulu-based organization and usually come to Kaua‘i on school visits.
On Friday, she had Kaua‘i High School students Kelcie Ragasa and Joe Duronslet volunteering with Koa Lagapa of the Teen Advisory Council in distributing free wristbands and temporary tattoos to help spread its “Not Even Once” message to the community.
“This is just one of the fundraisers we’re doing so the kids can go to New York as part of the all-Hawai‘i band to perform in the Macy’s (Thanksgiving) parade,” said an adviser with the Waimea High School Band and Hawaiian Dance Class.
The Waimea High School students will be joined by students from Waimea Canyon Middle School, Kaua‘i High School, Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School and Kapa‘a High School, totaling about 120 students from the Garden Isle.
“We’re doing pizza nights once a month, and in May, we’re releasing a cookbook featuring recipes from all around Hawai‘i, just in time for Mother’s Day,” the adviser said. “We’re also supposed to do a jog-a-thon.”
A few booths down, the Waimea High School language arts program was hosting activities to pay for buses to the Celebrate Reading program scheduled for April 15 at Kaua‘i Community College.
“Waimea is so far, so buses cost a lot,” said the adviser for that group. “In addition to the buses, we’re raising money to enhance the program by trying to get T-shirts for readers who read one million words in one year.”
Debbie Yanagihara, coordinator of the Sheraton Kaua‘i craft fairs, said she’s been doing the Waimea Town Celebration since 2000, offering her handmade quilts and other sewn items.
“This is good because we may not have the craft fairs at the Sheraton because of the renovation work,” Yanagihara said. “This way, I have a way to move some of the crafts.”
In addition to the food, entertainment, crafts and activities, the Waimea Town Celebration also extends to other events such as the rodeo where the 2011 Paniolo Hall of Fame awardee, William Sanchez, will be honored, said Chris Faye, longtime organizer of the event.
“We also have a display paying tribute to Warren Robinson who passed away recently,” Faye said. “There’s also the basketball tournament sponsored by Pioneer Hi-Bred, and a softball tournament that runs through the weekend. The canoe club held its race last week so are helping with the parking.”
Dave Walker of the Capt. Cook Caper was proud to announce the arrival of technology for this year’s event.
“We’re doing electronic chips for this year’s race,” Walker said. “It’s the same system they use for the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association state cross country race.”
Faye said the event was also being streamed live on the Internet using the student video crew, labeled the Big Blue Crew, from Waimea High School under the direction of Joyce Evens.
“The kids all know what to do, so I just get to enjoy the show,” Evens said.
Penny Young of the Main Street program said there is still room to grow for the annual event held under the shadow of the sugar mill in Waimea town.
“Eventually, we want to have a week-long celebration with major events taking place every day,” Young said.
This year, the week started with the Waimea Motorcycle Show coordinated by the Waimea Town Main Street program, followed by three days of Hawaiian Heritage programming featuring a film festival and talk story sessions at the historic Waimea Theater, concluding with the two-day celebration this weekend.
But Baniaga remained hunkered down in the back of the West Kaua‘i Methodist Church tent.
“It’s my recipe and I made 206 cascaron, three-to-a-stick, from 4 a.m. until 3 p.m.,” Connie said. “Tomorrow? I dunno. If I feel good, I will make some more, but must wait until tomorrow.”
Faye said that is real “small town.”
“We love it,” she said, adjourning to get photos as the sun began its descent and the crowds gathered for dinner.
