It was a fun and festive evening at Kilauea Park where community and family members gathered to celebrate the holiday season at the Eighth annual Christmas Concert.
Featured artists included Kilauea Social Club, Jerry Santos and Kamuela Kimokeo, Hoku Zuttermeister, and Everyday Local and The Ke ‘Ala Aumoe Dancers.
People who went to the event were encouraged to donate one can of food to benefit the North Shore Food Pantry.
The North Shore Lions Club helped organize the event, and worked hard at their booth serving hot chocolate, tea and coffee. P. Solar, a Lions Club member for 22 years, a former North Shore resident who now lives in Kapa‘a, was there chatting with attendees and serving them hot cocoa.
“It’s been fantastic, really great. Nice to see the community get together after all this time of social distancing and isolated at home, and so there’s so many faces that I haven’t seen in years. It’s really a great celebration of festivities, communities, who have come together and greeted one another with smiles. It’s just a really cool event,” Solar said.
And of the entertainment, “We got Jerry Santos here, and that’s extra special.”
Mark Goodman, a real estate agent who lives in Kilauea, said it was nice to get back to normal.
“It’s great. We’ve been sitting outside as it started to rain, and we moved underneath the cover and we heard Gary Smith and his band play … it’s so enriching and magical to be here and hear all the people and see all the people,” he said.
“It is a great cultural event. Just seeing all the people in this small town, it’s really neat, where everyone cares. It’s good to be back where we were three years ago. The past is over and we have today and tomorrow. Praise God,” Goodman said.
Sponsors included The North Shore Lions Club, Mokihana Pest Control, Kaua‘i Tent and Party Rental, Gather Federal Credit Union, Kaua‘i Credit Union, Grand Pacific Resorts, Puahina, Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative and Ho‘okele Strategies LLC. At least 300 people attended the Dec. 10 event, which not only had live music and a light display, but Po‘okela Sausage was serving hot, fresh food for attendees.
The lines at the Po‘okela Sausage booth were extensive, but everyone in line was in good spirits as they waited to place their orders. Owner Annie Torio prepared some delectable looking sliders for a customer.
“These are our Italian sausage meatball sliders. We have been in business for seven years. This is our first time here at this event,” Torio said.
”We have been going to events and serving food for seven years now. We’re a traveling circus. We do mostly markets, we do the Princeville Night Market. It’s a monthly market. We probably made about 300 plates so far tonight.”
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Monique Kemper is a lifelong North Shore resident who lives in Princeville and writes periodically for The Garden Island.
