PUHI — Six-year-old Hi‘ilani Meephol-Ishida, of Watchara Farm, got help from one of the Grove Farm Market monitors on Saturday in getting the pumpkin back to her family’s tent, which was among a number of tents at the weekly market.
The pumpkin represented the first Halloween for the petite Thailand youth dressed in Thai costume for the Kukui Grove Halloween Festival and Costume Contest. She came to Kaua‘i from a country where Halloween is not celebrated in a big way.
The golden orb was also one of hundreds distributed to keiki and families on the weekend before Halloween.
“Halloween is Tuesday,” said Greg Gonsalves, the Kapa‘a High School Athletic Director, during the Friday night volleyball matches at Bernice Hundley Gym in Kapa‘a. “That means we’ll probably have the playoff for the Central Pacific Bank Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation girls volleyball championship on Monday night.”
Stephanie Iona, one of the Harvest Festival leaders, brought along husband Charlie to help set up the pumpkins for distribution at the Grove Farm Market.
‘This was supposed to be the last giveaway for Kaua‘i before Halloween,” Stephanie Iona said. “But, we’ll have one more on Tuesday at the Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital keiki (ages 4 and under) on Tuesday starting at 11:30 a.m. We’ll probably set up on the lawn near the Long Term Care Unit for their keiki parade.”
The pumpkins being distributed on Saturday represent more than 10,000 pumpkins valued at more than $50,000 grown here on Kaua‘i, said Stephanie Iona, who belongs to an agricultural organization that includes organizations like Aloun Farms, Corteva Agriscience, Hartung Brothers Hawai‘i and more.
The distribution system includes even more groups like Alexander and Baldwin, the Grove Farm Company, the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau, and lots of community sponsors.
“Kaua‘i, from Ha‘ena to Kekaha, got about 3,800 of these pumpkins…all for free,” Stephanie Iona said.
Pumpkins were shipped to other islands like Hawai‘i Island, Maui, O‘ahu and Lanai, which also hosted its Fall Festival on Saturday. Similar festivals were being held at Waikoloa on the Big Island and on O‘ahu.
“A teacher from Lanai High School told us they can’t do anything for their seniors because it’s not budgeted,” Stephanie Iona said. “Some of the proceeds from the Lanai Fall Festival will help that. Following the fires on Maui, we looked at that, too. Pumpkins were shipped to Maui to help families (especially keiki). “
The Grove Farm Market giveaway represents just a portion of the pumpkins grown locally and shipped to other islands for giveaways similar to the Kaua‘i distribution, which started on Oct. 7 with the Harvest Festival at Kekaha Neighborhood Center.
“We’ve been doing this for 10 years,” Stephanie Iona said. “The participating vendors don’t get charged an entry fee, and receive funding from all the people who attend and enjoy the events. We also make sure that volunteers that come to help get a check from the group to help their need.”
The Lihu‘e Pop Warner (football) Patriots organization, helping at previous giveaways like the Kaua‘i Chocolate and Coffee Festival, needs fundraising help to send three of its tackle football teams to off-island competition and an anticipated trip off-island by its cheer teams.
“Their 9 and Under team is going to Maui to play for the state championships. They’ve got a 12 and Under team heading to California for a regional contest, there,” said Teddy Arroyo, the Pop Warner Wescon commissioner.
“And, the 14 and Under team is heading to Maui for a bowl game on the Valley Isle. The cheer squads are also anticipating a trip some time after the season, too. These players will be looking to the community for help similar to how the Kapa‘a Eagles got a lot of community help to replace their storage facility that was destroyed by fire. It’s all for the kids.”
Stephanie Iona said the Fall Festival has grown to become a “signature event.”
“After 10 years, the committee looked at me and thought we were over this. But that’s only Phase I,” she said.
“We just got a call from Amy Hammond, the organizer of the Kaua‘i Chocolate and Coffee Festival. She told us her story about Kapolei Shopping Center needing help, so we shipped pumpkins so they can have a giveaway on Halloween. The story from that teacher from Lanai inspires us to Phase II where perhaps we can turn over some of the proceeds to the state, so all the schools can benefit from the help.”
