Cruizin’ in Paradise brings car show to Kaua‘i

WAILUA — Bobby Paik of Kaua‘i Classic Cars said he has to be at a wedding on Maui, but his 1929 Ford Model T will be at the Kaua‘i Classic Cars Cruizin’ in Paradise Car Show on Saturday.

Harvey Maeda, Richard Aki and Paik were moving two classic cars into the lobby of the hotel on Wednesday in anticipation of the car show which, for the first time, will be held at the Aston Aloha Beach Hotel in Wailua.

“We’ve had really good response from the membership and if the weather holds out, there should be a lot of cars on display around the hotel,” Maeda said. “But we have more than just classic cars for people to look at.”

The public is invited to the free event from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., which will be offering free hot dogs for keiki, various food stations, prizes and a beer garden for adults.

But highlighting the event, Maeda said local entertainer Augie T with his crew and are scheduled to make an appearance at the Cruizin’ event.

Motorists concerned about the rising prices of gas can also drop in around 11 a.m. when George Nitta of Honolulu, host of The Auto 101 Radio Show on KHNR, will be leading a demonstration on how to boost a car’s performance, reduce emissions and gain better mileage.

Nitta started working on cars as a teenager because “when you’re a kid, you don’t have much money,” he states on his website.

Nitta later became an instructor for the “Practical Auto” class at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa as part of the university’s adult education program. He introduced the Junior Dragster Program to Hawai‘i’s young people. The program is an integral part of the Drag Race Series hosted by the Garden Isle Racing Association at Kaua‘i Raceway Park in Mana.

For more information about the show, call Maeda at 651-2813 or Aki at 482-0688.

• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.