KOLOA — Nala Brause had not one, but two holes in one on Sunday at the miniature golf tournament that churned up excitement on the rooftop of the Lawai Beach Resort.
The event drew more than 50 keiki golfers, who were vying for backpacks of school supplies.
“I got video of the No. 11 water hazard turning into a pool party,” said Nala’s dad, whipping out his smart phone at the Historic Sugar Exhibit and Mu‘u Mu‘u Mingle at Dark Horse Roasters, which is housed in the former Koloa Hongwanji Mission Young Buddhists of America Hall.
The mini golf tournament and the Sugar Exhibit with the Mu‘u Mu‘u Mingle were just two of a series of events that launched the Koloa Plantation Days weeklong celebration of the sugar plantation days and the many ethnic groups that were actively participating in the rise of the sugar industry.
The first events, including the “Our Hawaiian Sense of Place” series of workshops, opened Koloa Plantation Days tour on Friday with a series of free workshops ranging from games to specialty Hawaiian craft like featherwork.
“Unlike last year’s opening series, this year’s program was busy with an audience of young people through kupuna,” said Melissa McFerrin Warrack of the Koloa Plantation Days Committee.
“The workshops were so popular, we’re repeating them on Friday from 10 a.m. t0 3 p.m. with an hour off for lunch at noon. People can preregister for the workshops — people like to preregister — by visiting koloaplantationdays.com.”
Other repeating events include the historic sugar exhibit that opened Sunday at Dark Horse Roasters, across the road from the Big Save Koloa where “local” motorcycle riders David Dias, Eric Medeiros, Sly Bisarra and Daniel Cabral were enjoying the meager shade of a small tree before tooling off to Po‘ipu.
“This year’s focus is on ‘our hometown Koloa,’” McFerrin Warrack said. “There’s a sign outside the Dark Horse building that tells you the history of the Y.B.A. building, and how it served as a theater during the days of World War II.”
The historic sugar exhibit, including the availability of titles from the Kaua‘i Historical Society library, continues daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Friday.
On Tuesday, one of the new facets of Koloa Plantation Days, the Summer Reading Celebration, and the three-day Friends of the Koloa Public Library Used Book Sale, joins the Craft Fair offerings at the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort and Spa.
The weeklong celebration comes to a close with the Historic Parade and Park Celebration on Saturday starting at 9 a.m. at Anne Knudsen Park.
For more information, visit www.koloaplantationdays.com.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
