LIHU‘E — Freaky Friday just coincided with Friday being celebrated as Friday the 13th at Kukui Grove Center that launched a nearly monthlong calendar of activity centered around Halloween and its surrounding family-friendly fun and festivities.
Aloha Dance Studio, with a studio location adjacent to the Macy’s store on the north end of the shopping center, presented Freaky Friday as a fundraiser to help cover travel expenses for its dance groups, which compete off-island as well as funds to develop its new property located on Rice Street.
“This is a ‘howling’ start to Halloween!” said Melissa McFerrin Warrack, the special events coordinator for Kukui Grove Center, who was distributing fliers for future events centered around Halloween.
Freaky Fridays offered a series of stations with activities ranging from popular games like fish pond, a variation of fish pond, Right-the-Glass-Bottle, Make-It-and-Take It Halloween picture frames, a Slime making station, and more that were accessible through scripts available for donation near the Spectrum-sponsored Keiki Korner play area.
Freaky Fridays continue each Friday through Oct. 27 from 5 to 8 p.m. with a different theme — Friday night’s theme was Disney-inspired — inspiring families to dress up for an opportunity to win prizes.
More specific to fall break, Kaua‘i Ocean Discovery set up a Make-It-and-Take-It “Build a Wa‘a,” or polynesian sailing canoe with master ocean educator and crew aboard the Hokule‘a support Steve Soltysik on Saturday, the same date as when The Dog Fanciers Club of Kaua‘i hosted its Howl-oween doggie costume contest for prizes in multiple categories.
Mary Lardizabal and the Kapa‘a Middle School ‘Ukulele Band and Choir booster club unleashed “Sing,” as the shopping center’s monthly fall break movie night with a series of activities, crafts, and games starting as early as Saturday afternoon with the movie starting as the sun relented to nightfall.
Halloween tradition wraps up with the Halloween Festival and Costume Contest on Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the Trunk or Treat event with the Kaua‘i Action and Planning Alliance Kaua‘i Resilience Project on the afternoon of Oct. 29.
Due to the popularity of the Halloween Festival and Costume Contest, registration will open at the Kukui Grove Center website starting Oct. 16 at www.kukuigrovecenter.com. The advice is to register early before the event sells out.
Happy howling.
