LIHUE — Several thousand people descended on the North Vidinha Stadium soccer fields to enjoy the annual Kauai Hospice Concert in the Sky and fireworks show Thursday afternoon. The entertainment-filled afternoon and evening was capped by a fireworks show. The
LIHUE — Several thousand people descended on the North Vidinha Stadium soccer fields to enjoy the annual Kauai Hospice Concert in the Sky and fireworks show Thursday afternoon.
The entertainment-filled afternoon and evening was capped by a fireworks show. The day included lots of food offerings from community organizations.
Arnold Leong, one of the food purveyors, oversaw the creation of several unique offerings in the Fah Inn Cafe, a big white tent anchored with big American flags beckoning diners from the front of the Fun Zone.
“You know where the name came from?” Leong asked. “My uncle had one in Waimea near the fire station way back when. On top of that, the name is appropriate because we’re so ‘fah’ back of the other eating stations.”
Leong created flying saucers for the summer gathering: one using azuki beans, another with bing cherries and another using apples.
“We have other things like the chicken sticks, popcorn, loco moco and the usual carnival type foods,” Leong said. “We made more than last year, and I still think we’re going to run out.”
Wanda Shibata, the governor’s Kauai liaison, said she visited the Kekaha Fourth of July celebration where she enjoyed real Hawaiian crepes, which is consumed regularly on Niihau.
“I didn’t know there was such a thing,” she said. “But you put condensed milk on it and roll it up before eating. It’s really good.”
Other culinary offerings included waffle dog and bananas, one grill being manned by Josie Green, who was home from Oahu and helping her mom Keana and brother Francis.
“They have real good coffee,” said Ross Kagawa, a Kauai County Councilman whose family was dispensing cold drinks adjacent to the Kauai Coffee booth. “They got me hooked. I didn’t realize how good it was until Steve Davis offered me a cup.”
Ron Wiley, offering his emcee services for the past 24 years, continued to weave the people through the different stations and tents set up ahead of the big fireworks show.
“This is really great,” said Annette Hashimoto, one of the vendors in the Benefit Drawing and Craft tent. “This craft fair is new, this year. We kept telling them to have a craft tent, and I guess they finally listened.”
The tent formerly housed the Kauai Hospice silent auction tent.
• Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
