Nicolas Navarro just got here Wednesday after a 15-hour flight from Brazil, and starts school today at Waimea High School. Nicolas is the latest Rotary Club of Po‘ipu Beach exchange student, and is being hosted by Milani Pimentel and family, who took him to check out the beach at Ahukini before he joined the rest of the Rotary Club members in participating at the Koloa Plantation Days parade, where state Rep. James Tokioka was walking with his wagon of water and treats.
Nicolas Navarro just got here Wednesday after a 15-hour flight from Brazil, and starts school today at Waimea High School. Nicolas is the latest Rotary Club of Po‘ipu Beach exchange student, and is being hosted by Milani Pimentel and family, who took him to check out the beach at Ahukini before he joined the rest of the Rotary Club members in participating at the Koloa Plantation Days parade, where state Rep. James Tokioka was walking with his wagon of water and treats.
Nicolas wasn’t the only new face on Kaua‘i, as the Grove Farm Bon Odori in Puhi attracted a host of candidates like Patrick Pihana Branco (Felicia Cowden was wondering where Janice Bond was), who borrowed his Hilo friend’s happi coat so he could odori, and Sherry Menor-McNamara came back from the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce Mayor’s Luncheon to sign-wave outside Kaua‘i Community College before indulging in a few minutes of greeting Bon Odori attendees before having to leave for a kupuna event on Maui.
That was Friday night.
Saturday, Jill Tokuda was enjoying the special Okinawa pork dinner, and got to meet Dayton Asato of the original KC Waffle Dog (he wiped out all the hot dogs at Walmart because they were so busy) before bumping into Sylvia Luke (she was at the chamber event, too) who was coming back from a Kekaha fishing contest. Former mayor and Councilmember Bernard Carvalho Jr. was the beacon for Ikaika Anderson (he was at the chamber event with Dickie Chang, too), who was doing odori in the ring that was at least four-deep so couldn’t talk story with him like Nelson Mukai, who is running for Kaua‘i County Council and at the Bon Odori for both nights.
•••
Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
