KOLOA — The Po‘ipu Beach Resort Association, in conjunction with the County of Kaua‘i and other community groups, closed Maluhia Road for five hours on Saturday to enable volunteers to spruce up the Tunnel of Trees in preparation for the
KOLOA — The Po‘ipu Beach Resort Association, in conjunction with the County of Kaua‘i and other community groups, closed Maluhia Road for five hours on Saturday to enable volunteers to spruce up the Tunnel of Trees in preparation for the week-long Koloa Plantation Days celebration which kicks off this weekend.
Among those doing the cleanup were staff and management from several Po‘ipu resorts and community volunteers eager to experience Maluhia Road without its usual stream of automobiles.
Scott Suga of the county’s Roads division took advantage of the road closure to survey the roadway for resurfacing.
“You can’t really do this effectively when the road is open,” Suga said. “I told my boss I was going to take advantage of the road closure to do the surveys.”
Ken Morikawa, one of the county’s supervisors, joined his wife, State Rep. Dee Morikawa, who donned her Koke‘e safety orange shirt in helping the throng of volunteers who wielded brush cutters, rakes, and trash bags for the annual sprucing-up project.
One of the younger bodies helping with the massive project was five-year-old Duke Labuguen, who was accompanied by his dad Aaron, a firefighter with the Lihu‘e Airport Crash Fire and Rescue unit.
“Duke really wanted to come and do this,” Aaron said while watching the youngster wield a rake which was sized right for his youthful body. “Last night, he said ‘We have to go help clean up the land’ and he was up early this morning to come and help.”
Aaron said he took advantage of his four days off to join the volunteers.
The Koloa Plantation Days celebration with its “Through the Eyes of Our Keiki” theme opens Friday with the first of three days of rodeo action at the CJM Country Stables as well as a Bull Riding Showdown and Paniolo BBQ by Kalapaki Joe’s.
Visit www.koloaplantationdays.com for more information on the celebration events.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
