Did you know that in the past TGI bosses (TGI has been here for 122 years!) would not happy if the photographers didn’t get a picture of the splendor of sugar cane stalks as an icon of Christmas in Hawaii? Sugar cane has been replaced by tourism as the state’s big bucks industry … even Angela Tillson who was a key film industry supplier along with former film commissioner Art Umezu said film has been priced out of the market with people who have deep pockets buying out the locations that were formerly available.
Did you know that in the past TGI bosses (TGI has been here for 122 years!) would not happy if the photographers didn’t get a picture of the splendor of sugar cane stalks as an icon of Christmas in Hawaii? Sugar cane has been replaced by tourism as the state’s big bucks industry … even Angela Tillson who was a key film industry supplier along with former film commissioner Art Umezu said film has been priced out of the market with people who have deep pockets buying out the locations that were formerly available.
Luckily, places like the National Tropical Botanical Gardens (what? A fashion show at Limahuli Gardens?), the Koloa Rum Company Tasting Room, Kilohana, and the Kauai Community College still have plantings of sugar cane that come into tassels at Christmas time, and farmers like Mr. Bisarra of Everybody’s Market at the Pau Hana Market (he’s lucky he has Bev Pang to help him) still sells stalks that’re taller than myself for all those buyers that want to suck on the raw stems for the sweet stuff.
Congratulations to the Kauai Community College on having the alae ula and koloa maoli “adopt” the loi as a nice family spot … remember when Josh Fukino started work on the parcel? Those were the fledgling days of awa in the shade and the imu service at Thanksgiving being held under the monkeypod tree behind the auto shop.
Happy New Year, Kauai!
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Dennis Fujimoto can be reached at 245-0453 or at dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
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