Kaua‘i Community College Chancellor Joseph Daisy stopped and smiled Saturday as he took in the experience of sight and sound from the pack of classic cars, hot rods and motorcycles.
“I live right next door,” Daisy said. “I was going out for my morning walk and heard the motorcycles. This is great.”
The rumble of motorcycle engines, classic cars and hot rods drew the residents outside the Regency at Puakea assisted-living and retirement community as the crowd of residents and staff anticipated the arrival of the caravan.
“Normally, we are at the Kukui Grove Center with the Father’s Day car show,” said Harvey Maeda of Kaua‘i Classic Cars. “But the COVID-19 shut everything down, so we thought we could give the kupuna a show with a drive-by. They’ve been cooped up for so long. They need something to come outside for. We were going to ride out to Kapa‘a after the Regency, but with the rain, we’ll just come back to the YMCA.”
Bobby Paik, a Kaua‘i Classic Car owner, said he was taking his grandson out for a “ride in the jalopy.”
“He asked me,” Paik said. “He said, ‘I wanna ride da jalopy.’”
John Copeland, president of Koa Puna Motorcycle Club, said with the COVID-19, all plans for Fourth of July are off, and the motorcycle riders were anxious to ride for the kupuna.
“Whatever happens,” Copeland said, “We are still going to have the Westside Keiki Christmas. I already told the mayor, ‘we are not going to cancel Christmas.’”
Staging at the YMCA of Kaua‘i parking area, the caravan rolled down Nuhou Street, into the Regency at Puakea before turning back to the YMCA parking lot.
“The residents and their families and friends have just been troopers for the past three months, and we just wanted to do something big,” said Brenda Sherman of the Regency at Puakea. “A big mahalo to Eunice Burgonio, Kailee Mu and Pam Arroyo for coordinating this event.”
Olive Franzman is a Regency resident who relished the sight and sounds of the morning drive-by.
“I have four brothers who are car fanatics,” Franzman said. “It was fun back then, and it’s fun now.”
Arroyo said it is a challenge to keep things stimulating and exciting for the residents who are isolated from the community. The Saturday drive-by was a reason for a lot of them to come outside the facility and enjoy the fresh air and cooling tradewinds.
“It’s not easy,” Arroyo said. “Last night, we had casino night. Before that we had a Slip-N-Slide, and that went over pretty good. We just need to come up with things to keep the residents up.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
