What were the two years when the Koloa Plantation Days parade and park celebration did not happen?
Ada Koene, working on a book project for the annual event, said the parade started in 1985 as part of the 150th anniversary of sugar in Hawaii, and Koloa being the site of the industry’s first sugar mill.
She was on hand Saturday with the people from the Kauai Historical Society, and writer Pam Varma Brown, seeking interviews with people who have memories of the sugar plantation era and the plantation camp lifestyles.
“There were two years when the parade did not happen,” said Koene, who carries her book project mission through her travels around the island.
Thousands of people lined the main streets of Koloa town to view the more than 50 units that assembled around the parade grand marshals, the Sueoka family celebrating 100 years of service of Sueoka Store.
“I have never seen anything like this,” said Melissa McFerrin-Warrack, Koloa Plantation Days celebration event coordinator. “When the float and walking unit passed in front of Sueoka Store, everybody gave them a standing ovation. That was a chicken-skin
moment.”
Bobby Kubota was among the spectators near the store.
“This is my 17-day-old daughter,” Kubota said. “I have never been able to come to the parade before. I’m on maternity leave. This is my first time coming to the parade.”
Dickie Chang, one of the parade announcers, recounted the saga of why the golden shower tree across Sueoka Store was only blooming on one side.
“Phyllis Kunimura, one of the parade’s co-founders and last year’s grand marshal, passed away earlier this year,” Chang said. “The tree is always in full bloom for the Koloa Plantation Days parade. But this year, because of Kunimura’s passing, the tree is sad, and only half of it is in bloom to celebrate the parade.”
The Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club unit earned overall honors in addition to best float honors in the parade.
Sheraton Kauai Resort celebrated its 50th anniversary with a huge float trucking a celebratory cake created out of chrysanthemums and its army of walkers distributing similar flowers to parade spectators. Its float garnered runner-up honors in both the float and decorated vehicle judging.
The Lawai Beach Resort came off the heels of its Koloa Plantation Days mini golf tournament to field a walking unit that earned top walking unit honors with its gray-garbed corps lugging billboards depicting milestone developments in the Koloa growth.
The Sheraton Kauai walkers, garbed in bright orange, earned runner-up honors, with the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort &Spa getting third-place honors.
“I didn’t do plumeria this year,” said Edwin Vea of The Beach House Restaurant and Mailelani’s. “Normally, we do cars and beauty queens. This year, I went with hibiscus and we
decorated a pooper scooper to see how it would end up.”
That unit with Na Paniolo O Kauai finished tops in the decorated vehicle category, followed by the Sheraton Kauai and the pair of vehicles carrying Miss Kauai USA and Miss Kauai Teen and their entourages.
Mounted unit honors went to CJM Country Stables, which hosted the three-day Koloa Plantation Days Rodeo to kick off the 11-day celebration of more than 30 events in and around the Koloa and Poipu areas.
Led by Jimmy Miranda, the CJM unit involved pau units representing each of the islands as well as a flag-bearing contingent. The elegant Na Paniolo O Kauai took runner-up honors in mounted unit judging, and the Kauai All Girl Rodeo Association filled in the No. 3 spot.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
