KOLOA — Celebrate Koloa Plantation Days virtually this year in a way that commemorates the annual event and the history of Koloa.
“Koloa Plantation Days – A Virtual Celebration” is available on both YouTube and Facebook, and the online event features a walk down memory lane, with fun moments from prior parade and park events, as well as honoring this year’s grand marshal. Also, check out updates on Koloa town and an upcoming “talk story” book project coming out later this year.
“Farming, Plantation Style” was selected as the theme for 2020. Koloa Plantation Days has always been an agricultural festival, as it commemorates the founding of Hawai‘i’s first commercial sugar mill in 1835. This year’s theme spotlights the heritage of farming that surrounds Koloa — from the lo‘i to the livestock, from sugar fields and gardens in plantation camps, to ranching and diversified agriculture today.
Every year, the Koloa Plantation Days Parade and park celebration are the culminating events of the festival, which includes 10 days of family-friendly events celebrating the area’s history and diverse cultures on Kaua‘i’s sunny South Shore. This marks the 35th year of the festival, and organizers looked for a way to continue the tradition.
For the 2020 celebration, enjoy a virtual walk through Koloa Town and visit the millionth “Tree of Aloha” as organizers reminisce by the monument to sugar and the old mill stack why this celebration is held each year.
Parade hosts Dickie Chang and Julie Souza take viewers to Sueoka Store in Old Koloa Town, where they share some of their favorite memories of the Koloa Plantation Days Parade and information on the celebration. Plus, some fun memories of past performances at the Koloa ball park (Anne S. Knudsen Park) are discussed.
The Grand Marshal, Kaneshiro Farms, celebrates 100 years of serving the Koloa community this year. Mamo Kaneshiro “talks story” about his parents, who came from Okinawa to work, starting what became Kaua‘i’s leading hog farm, and his memories of growing up in Koloa. The virtual presentation visits with his family on the ‘Oma‘o Ranch Lands about how this legacy will continue in these changing times.
“Koloa remains as beautiful as ever, and while circumstances prevent us from getting together in person, we invite our residents and visitors who love the beauty and the diverse cultural history of Koloa to get together, plantation-style, but online,” said Melissa McFerrin-Warrack in a news release about the event.
The video is available on both YouTube and Facebook channels and via koloaplantationdays.com.
A series of brief, monthly videos are planned throughout the year, spotlighting the diverse cultures, food, music and stories of “camp life,” growing up in Koloa during the sugar era, archaeological sites and area history, as well as communities and businesses which make Koloa so special to residents and visitors alike.
