LIHUE — King Kamehameha never conquered Kauai — until Wednesday.
King Kamehameha, portrayed by Nixon Gaspar, 22 months old, of Hanapepe, was the judges’ favorite of the more-than 200 keiki (under 4 years old) who participated in the annual Wilcox Halloween Baby Parade.
Gaspar quickly rose to the top of the masses, the judges losing little time with their decision.
“He was reaching for the rain,” said Gaspar’s grandmother, who accompanied him to the parade. “When his mother saw that pose, the idea was born and he became King Kamehameha with the ali‘i pose.”
Second place went to the X-Ray Boy, and Cruela and the Dalmatian took third in the judging, everyone getting gift cards.
The throng of costumed keiki and their entourage of parents and guardians trooped past the stations manned by the different departments at Wilcox Health, stopping for treats and giving the paraders an opportunity to gaze at the Wilcox Health associates’ Halloween finery.
“This was on the last shelf of a store in Kukui Grove,” said the Ewok, sponsored by the maintenance department. “None of the other stores have adult costumes. I went back and got one and put it together in about a day. His brothers are all still back there on the shelf. You can go visit them.”
The Wilcox Health associates were also subject to the judges’ pencils, thecardiac unit getting the nod for being tops in table decorating, where the Halloween celebrants got their candy, and the Wizard of Oz from the Infusion Center got the nod for tops in group employee participation.
“Twelve years ago, this started as a little event with just 10 moms participating,” said Kandi Bloss, a nurse at Wilcox. “A year later, it doubled in size with about 20 moms, and it has grown ever since.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
