POIPU — There will be Kamoa ukulele in Arizona following the Keoki’s Paradise Ukes in Paradise, Sunday to wrap up the 2018 Koloa Plantation Days celebration.
POIPU — There will be Kamoa ukulele in Arizona following the Keoki’s Paradise Ukes in Paradise, Sunday to wrap up the 2018 Koloa Plantation Days celebration.
The duo of Bentley and Baylin Sanchez of Arizona were the sole entrants in the K-2 division and earned Kamoa ukulele for their performance at the Seventh Annual keiki ukulele contest.
Julia Makepa, a returning performer from the 2017 contest, was also a default winner in the 9-12 grade division, Makepa doing a strong performance of her original composition, “Past.” She also earned a Kamoa ukulele for her efforts.
The strongest competition came in the grades 3-5 division where six contestants worked the stage before being whittled away to Lucia Lozar, a student at the Kawaikini Charter School where she will be entering the fourth grade when doors open in August.
Her rendering of a Hawaiian number under the tutelege of a Kalaheo instructor also earned her the Best Overall performance and eligibility for further TS Restaurant promotions later in the year.
En route to her top spot, Lucia had to best her brother Daniel who ended in the runner-up spot, Lucia applauding with aplomb after the third grade student was named.
Another Kamoa ukulele will find a home in Oregon after Kimberly Spurlock, a student at Gilham Elementary School, was announced the third place winner for her musical rendition atop the Hawaiian instrument that developed from the Portuguese.
Other contestants in the annual keiki competition included fifth grade graduates Sally Lei Ishikawa and Violeta Finch, both students coming off the fifth grade at the Koloa Elementary School.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
