LIHU’E — What party? When the doors to the Lihu’e Civic Center Pi’ikoi Building (old Gem store) opened for business Friday, there was little evidence left from the Halloween bash held in and around the building the night before. “It’ll
LIHU’E — What party?
When the doors to the Lihu’e Civic Center Pi’ikoi Building (old Gem store) opened for business Friday, there was little evidence left from the Halloween bash held in and around the building the night before.
“It’ll all blow away after we close (at 8:30 p.m.),” said Soncy Tamashiro, the county’s staff services assistant in the Office of the Mayor, and the spearhead of this year’s event hosted by members of the County Employees Council (CEC).
This is the third year that the CEC members have hosted the event, said Bev Pang of the county’s anti-drug office, who sported a red wig as she distributed goodie bags for children and adults emerging from the Haunted Kitchen.
“They had a cockroach on a rotisserie in there. You have to go check it out,” one laughing adult said.
Part of the Pi’ikoi Building’s interior was utilized to create the Haunted Kitchen, and the restrooms were converted to a Princess Room, where Pang said, “You have to go visit the princesses before they all disappear.”
Outside the building in the breezeway, a stage was set up where Miss U.S.A. (aka Maka Herrod) announced the contestants of the costume contest (who had to be present to win), and Kaua’i Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste coolly sat on one end of the stage while the contestants in the various age groups, and adults, trooped their presentations across the stage.
“I was tied up in executive session until now,” Gary Heu, the mayor’s administrative assistant, said as he arrived amidst the crowd of children who were making their way through a variety of activities in the hallway between the breezeway and the atrium.
Inside the atrium, McGruff and Sparky were dwarfed by a county Department of Water worker, whose head was transformed into a pumpkin.
He heralded the display of pumpkins submitted by members of various county departments and were on display in the lobby of the Department of Finance counters last week.
Sister Mary Tunta helped Miss U.S.A. distribute the prizes for the costume-contest winners as well as the pumpkin carving contest.
Jonathan Le captured the scariest award in the 0-3 age group, with PJ Stauber taking the most creative. Aleah Yano’s rendition of Snow White got her the princess award in that category.
Waika Corr was deemed the scariest in the Age 4-6 division, with Lindsey Tresler’s outfit earning the most creative (how do you get the queen off the stage?). Kawehi Tamashiro earned the princess award for that division.
Nalainimae Soboleski was the scariest in the ages 7-10 division, with Casey Nakamura’s enthralling witch costume getting the most creative award. Mia Chan’s Chinese rendering earned her the princess award.
Kelly Culliney took the scariest teen award, and Maria Almeida was the winner in the adult (employee) competition.
Kris Nakamura of the Office of the Mayor got the scariest award in the adult pumpkin-carving division for her “Haunted Halloween” creation, with the “Skeleton Crew” submitted by employees in the county Department of Water earning the most creative prize.
Aaron Montemayor, son of Barbara Montemayor in the Office of the County Attorney, captured the scariest award in the children’s division with his “Not Quite Six Feet Under,” while the “Pumpkin Moon Child,” created by Alexa Tamashiro, daughter of Soncy Tamashiro in the Office of the Mayor, took the most creative award.
Employees in the county Department of Water also captured the people’s choice award in the adult division with the “Bad Hairyween Day” creation, and Waileia Kaneali’i, daughter of Maria Almeida in the county’s Department of Public Works Solid Waste Division, took the child’s award.
A wide range of Halloween and ghoulish activities remain on tap today, Monday, Oct. 31, Halloween. These activities are hosted at locations around the island.
