The Kaua‘i Community College is not just an institute of higher education and reserved for students. It also acts as a community center for the island. Their schedule of events is easy to browse online (www.hawaii.edu/calendar/kauaicc). The Associated Students of
The Kaua‘i Community College is not just an institute of higher education and reserved for students. It also acts as a community center for the island. Their schedule of events is easy to browse online (www.hawaii.edu/calendar/kauaicc).
The Associated Students of the University of Hawai‘i at Kaua‘i Community College organized the KCC Spring Festival, an Easter-themed family event, on the clear sky afternoon of Saturday April 22.
Cheyenne Shissler, ASUH-KCC Secretary and under the registration tent, calculated 282 people present at the KCC Lawn. Link that with 3000 plastic Easter eggs and you have no child left empty-handed.
ASUH-KCC President Nelson Batalion volunteered as the event’s chair. Other members of ASUH-KCC participated, coming to campus in the morning to set up, staying at the end to clean and break down the tables and benches.
The main tent on the KCC lawn was large enough to comfortably fit the attendees wishing to avoid the sun.
The children didn’t seem to be bothered by the heat.
There was steady traffic going through the two funhouses from KNK Inflatables, owned by husband and wife Sol and Ah-Lan Wong, from Kekaha. Sol and nephew Triston Yadao, also from Kekaha, supervised the entrances while Ah-Lan sold cotton candy between the structures.
Showtime Characters’ Easter gang, including the Easter Bunny, had the children transfixed. At times some were sitting cross-legged in front of the stage, wondering if cartoons really do come to life.
Kids were enthusiastically competitive during the Kaua‘i Coffee sack races, at least one child tripped per round. During the hula hoop contest, two finalists battled by keeping three hoops suspended to their torsos.
Susie Strom, from Wailua, stated the only criticism I heard about the KCC Spring Festival. Under a tree with her grandson Damian and his friend Ka’ula, Strom said that she didn’t like the Easter egg hunt happening two hours after the start of the event.
Thankfully, activities and entertainment preceding the great search were interesting enough to combat people’s restlessness.
Accomplished independent musicians that perform as a group during larger functions, the band Cruz Control provided live tunes before and after the egg hunt.
The main tent not only had benches for the people attending the festival, but it also contained several booths showcasing locally made crafts.
Operating out of Wailua is clothing company Nui, owned by Tamalyn Hasegawa. Manager and mother, Noralyn Hasegawa told me that Nui’s babydoll tops are made with hand-painted fabric from Bali and Hawai‘i. There are sizes for toddler girls to ladies, and the designs are synonymous to Hawaii without being hokey.
Before long, the egg hunt came and it went. It took hours for ASUH-KCC to scatter those plastic pastel-colored shells around the lawn, only to be cleaned out by a 15-minute frenzy.
