LIHUE — The Kauai Philippine Cultural Center (KPCC), one of two recipients of Safeway gifts during the grand reopening of the Safeway Lihue on Wednesday, will be the site of the inaugural Kauai Filipino American History Month on Friday and Saturday.
Online ticket sales are available at EventBrite.com. Advance tickets may be obtained in-person at Ink Spot Printing. Tickets are also available at the door at $10 per person, per day. The event is free for people 17 years and under. Proceeds from the two-day event will be used to defray the costs of providing cultural programming for the public benefit.
Friday hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., while Saturday hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sonia Topenio, of the KPCC, said the island needs facilities that are able to hold large gatherings, such as meetings, workshops and cultural presentations.
Funds from the proceeds of the two-day event, and the Safeway gift, will be used to further improve the facility, which recently hosted the county’s Fire Prevention Week launch, a political forum that included candidates from the congressional level to the county council, and more.
One of the main focal points of the Kauai Filipino American History Month is the exhibits that tell the story of the early Filipinos, who arrived in Hawaii to work on the plantations. The period covers through 1946 arrivals, and material is being culled from the different communities around the island, including the Hanapepe Massacre.
Mike Miranda will be hosting a Hanapepe Massacre presentation on Saturday at 4 p.m.
The Filipino American blanket of festivities is laced with a variety of local vendors and crafters, including food trucks where patrons can get food and talk story, especially during lunch on both days.
There will also be Kali (a Filipino martial arts form) demonstrations, kulintang, a fashion show, dessert samplings from Chef Orly Yadao of Orly’s Patisserie, performances by Miss Kauai Filipina, cultural dance performances by Paraluman and Bailes de Jose, and live music by Pheromones lace the blanket.
The celebration of Filipino Americans is presented by the Kauai Philippine Cultural Center with support from Gay &Robinson, Kukuiula South Shore, Kauai, Capt. Andy’s, HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union, the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, McBryde Resources, the Kekaha Agriculture Association, McDonald’s, Matson, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, Kintaro Japanese Restaurant and Kukui Grove Center.
