LIHU‘E — FreedomFest welcomed the Fourth of July weekend with a blast of candidates seeking political office, crafters, an assortment of bounce houses, climbing wall and water feature paid for by sponsors, and a nice dinner offering from assorted food trucks peppering the parking area of the Kaua‘i Veterans Center.
Presented by Friends of Kaua‘i 1st, the event drew a bunch of keiki seeking respite from the dry, hot weather, and a host of political candidates seeking a platform to herald their cause.
“This is about the journey,” said BJ Penn, a candidate for governor. “It’s about how many nice people I’ve met along this journey to be elected.”
Feena Bonoan, a candidate for U.S. Congress from the Libertarian Party, said she is one of the candidates who never gets asked to participate in community forums. She spoke of a candidate who, after finally being able to get a television appearance, said he was going to take off his clothes.
“I’m not going to do that,” she said following her presentation on “A Veteran’s Fight for Freedom.”
Other candidates were mingling through the crowd inside the Kaua‘i Veterans Center, including candidates for Kaua‘i County Council and more gubernatorial candidates.
For those who aren’t of age to vote, there were a bunch of crafters offering a variety of items, ranging from jewelry, patriotic wear and more.
“This is a last-minute effort,” said an operator of the Pali Climbing Wall who had time to chat with Tropical Tantrum, a sponsor of one of the free rides. “There’s no fireworks. But, we received notice of that too late to be able to put together a pyrotechnic offering. We could’ve pulled it off if we had more time. People need this. They’ve waited a long time to be able to have this kind of fun day.”
The keiki did not care. Their only concern was the waning sunlight as cars flowed past the busy Veterans Memorial Highway, the span of roadway from the Rice Street intersection to Ahukini Road.
Rides were scheduled to shut at 7 p.m. although speakers had the microphone until 9 p.m.
Emilia Knudsen, one of the craft vendors seeking fundraising for a trip to the 2023 Paris Fashion Week, was able to squeeze out at least 15 minutes on the Bermuda Blast before the water feature shut down.
Other Independence Day celebrations included the Stars and Stripes at the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility that, for this year because of COVID-19 concerns, was limited to U.S. Department of Defense-cleared personnel and guests Friday night at Shenanigan’s on the base.
E Ola Mau Na Lei O Kekaha, the County of Kaua‘i and a host of community sponsors opened up the Kekaha Neighborhood Center Saturday for a Kekaha Family Fun Day that served as a pilot for the Street Play program. Watch for coverage on the fun day in Monday’s paper.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
