If you don’t go, how would you know who had the ugliest vegetable?
Voting for that wacky contest designed to remember the Fruit and Vegetable Show of previous Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau Fairs is in-person and can only be done at the ‘Ohana Fun Fair that will open from 11 a.m., or about the time the 43rd Visitor Industry Charity Walk is on its home stretch, and continue to 5 p.m. throughout Kukui Grove Center Saturday.
“Brian Yamamoto of the botany and agriculture program at the Kaua‘i Community College, University of Hawai‘i, said he has ‘ugly’ ulu fruit to display,” said Laurie Ho of the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau. “Ugly, but still taste good. And, carrying over from March being Agriculture Month, Brian is also bringing scented Native Hawaiian white hibiscus for giving away, cacao plants for giving away, and 1-year-old miracle berry plants. Remember how happy that little guy was to get a plant during the March event?” Ho asked.
The COVID-19 shut down the generations-old Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau Fair, and continues to keep a stranglehold on having the fair resume in the sense and splendor of the multi-day family gatherings before the pandemic.
“After two years of being shut down by COVID, we all struggle to create our own new normal,” Ho said. “This ‘Ohana Fun Fair, a tribute to farm fairs, is one way to get back to community events of pre-pandemic times. Saturday is the forging of new partnerships — the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau, the Kukui Grove Center and The Resilience Project. It is not one group versus another, but what we can build in working together to strengthen community collaboration.”
In tribute to the Home Show that showcased the many talented people making crafts, the Kaua‘i Association of Family and Community Education members from the combined Hui Holomua and Club Musubi will be making available their home-made handicrafts, including jewelry and crafts by Sue Okada, Kay Nakata’s scrubbies, and new, in time for the holidays, tutu wahine dolls.
A key element in the transition to the new is the live mural painting by muralist Trysen Kaneshige that will be part of the Fun Fair.
Trysen is the son of longtime farm fair participant Craig Kaneshige of the state Department of Agriculture, and his willingness to donate the project that will be placed in the shopping center’s common area represents the intergenerational transition from previous fairs to Saturday’s emergence of the fair from the grips of COVID.
KGC joins the movement with the appearance of Showtime Characters and antics binding together the many offerings of its title entities, including the Kaua‘i Ocean Discovery and its theme-related activities, the Deja Vu Surf Hawai‘i sidewalk sale and much more.
The Resilience Project will be heading up an effort that includes interactive games for keiki and families.
“At this point in time, The Resilience Project has more than 500 adults and keiki pre-registered to attend,” Ho said. “We start small, create and adjust. The main thing is, we start! A shout out to Kukui Grove Center for being that place for bringing families together, being that place to gather.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
