A celebration was organized in part to get people away from the television and out of doors to meet their neighbors and community. Kilauea Day In The Park will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at the
A celebration was organized in part to get people away from the television and out of doors to meet their neighbors and community.
Kilauea Day In The Park will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Kilauea Ball Park. The day of music, arts, food and family friendly fun was organized by the Kilauea Neighborhood Association in coordination with the local business community.
“It is a very good mix for all of the community,” said KNA President Yoshito L’Hote.
The day begins at 9 a.m. with the unveiling of the new Kilauea Town sign at the entry to Kilauea Town on Kolo Road. The activities to follow include a water slide, horse rides, nonprofit information booths and the Kauai Fire Department “Sparky” Trailer — a high tech demonstration about how to escape a home fire.
The entertainment includes Hula Halau o Hanalei, the Mango Brothers, Kapaa Middle School Choir, Mike Latif’s Rumba de Fuego, and the youth rock band OCDC will also perform. Artists Leokane Pryor, CJ Helekahi and Boise Kawaiaea from Hana, Maui, will be accompanied by Halau Palaihiwa o Kaipuwai.
Leokane Pryor is a Maui singer who partnered with Helekahi on a recent CD. They have a close association with the local Halau Palaihiwa o Kaipuwai which performed recently at a Hana festival in Maui.
“I saw them there and was very thrilled with the performance,” L’Hote said.
With the local North Shore performers in Japan, L’Hote said he invited the Maui group and it accepted.
“This is world class Hawaiian music with hula,” he said.
Look for the famous Kilauea chili booth, which uses real North Shore beef. There is also a salad plate to demonstrate the varieties of produce grown on the North Shore and to provide a healthy menu example.
Kilauea Art Night takes place the same evening at the nearby Stone Building, where the sponsoring businesses stay open a little later at 4270 Kilauea Road. KNA invited the artists to set up at the park for the festival, so check out both locations for locally produced arts and crafts, jewelry and other items.
KNA will lead a new town Christmas tree planting. The current tree is getting so big it will be difficult to decorate in a few years and so organizers hope they can transition to the smaller tree in about five years.
The event marks an end to a series of events over the past year to celebrate the sesquicentennial of the town and the lighthouse. Over the past year, L’Hote said there has been a rejuvenating spirit of community that hasn’t been seen in years.
Events like these were organized like clockwork in the days of the plantation community with all facets of life arranged by the Kilauea Sugar Mill, L’Hote said.
The churches took over but eventually became less active in the civic area and the events ran intermittently, depending on who was around to make them happen.
“Now, the old timers who remember those times started creating nonprofits to carry on the traditions of the community,” L’Hote said.
KNA became the first neighborhood association to form on the island and created a new voice for the community at a key moment in island history.
“When the cane companies lost all of their holdings, things got crazy and people started selling land left and right, and development took off without any monitoring,” he said.
KNA helped to prevent shortsighted development up the hillside which would have been an eyesore, he added. At the same time they advocated for sustainable projects and worked to ensure the Ag park, the Christian Academy, community gardens and park special management areas.
The work demonstrates how important it is for individuals to be involved with the community today, he said. Everyone is a stakeholder and needs to be an informed participant in deciding the future of their neighborhoods and the island.
“It is a responsibility and a privilege to shape your community’s future,” says L’Hote. “This event provides that opportunity for everyone to get involved. We need to cultivate commonality and look for new common ground.”
KNA meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month at the Kilauea Neighborhood Center. Email Yoshi L’Hote at yoshitol@yahoo.com or visit kna-kauai.org.
