Kamehameha Day lines up fundraisers

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island file

Royal spearsmen keep the kapu area clear as Kamehameha (Kawika Cutcher, standing rear center) oversees the preparation for ho‘okupu by Hawaiian civic clubs in June 2022 during the 150th anniversary of the King Kamehameha Day Celebration at the Royal Sonesta Kaua‘i Resort Lihu‘e.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island file

Kamehameha, (Kawika Cutcher, back left) watches as the seating area for the royal court fills and a spearsman marks the perimeter of the kapu area in June 2022 during the 150th anniversary of the King Kamehameha Day Celebration at the Royal Sonesta Kaua‘i Resort Lihu‘e.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island file

Kaliah Kaneakua, left, and Jayna Parongao of Halau Ka Lei Mokihana O Leina‘ala perform a kahiko hula honoring King David Kalakaua, Queen Lili‘uokalani’s older brother, in September of 2021 during the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s Aloha Market at the South Shore Visitor Center in Kukui‘ula.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island file

Jayna Parongao of Halau Ka Lei Mokihana O Leina‘ala renders an ‘auana (modern) hula with a message of aloha in September of 2021 during a performance at the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s Aloha Market at the South Shore Visitor Center in Kukui‘ula, celebrating Queen Lili‘uokalani’s birthday.

LIHU‘E — The King Kamehameha Celebration Commission for Kaua‘i has established June 10, 2023, as the date for the Kaua‘i celebration that will include a parade and ho‘olaule‘a.

To this end, the KKCC also announced a series of fundraisers for the celebration, starting with two days of car washing at Kukui Grove Center in Lihu‘e on Saturday and Sunday.

The King’s Fashion Show featuring “Dezigns by Kamohoali‘i” will also be presented, on Jan. 27 at the Kaua‘i Beach Resort Jasmine Ballroom from 7 to 9 p.m. Kamohouali‘i and the KKCC will also offer a pop-up shop on Jan. 28 from 8 a.m. to noon in the hotel’s Orchid Room.

Advance tickets for The King’s Fashion Show are available online at https://KamFash.eventbrite.com for $45 each. Tickets at the door on Jan. 27 will be $55.

Food will be available for purchase along with a no host bar, craft vendors and a silent auction. The fashion creations of Kumu Micah Kamohoali‘i will be enhanced by special guests for the evening including Amy Hanaiali‘i, KeAnnli‘iomana‘e Bertelman, Halau Na Kipu‘upu‘u, and Kaua‘i’s own Halau Ka Lei Mokihana O Leina‘ala that swept the major awards during the 2022 Merrie Monarch Hula Festival on Hawai‘i Island.

During the car washes this weekend, the KKCC will greatly appreciate the help of volunteers.

Earlier, the KKCC provided Christmas gift wrapping services at Kukui Grove as a fundraiser. That event generated enough funds to pay for the application of the car washes taking place this weekend.

KKCC has also engaged in several events in preparation for the June 10 celebration, including a successful Jan. 8 horse lei workshop, and participation by the parade pa‘u units at the Halau Ka Lei Mokihana O Leina‘ala pop-up that featured several prominent lei makers.

Kamehameha Day, established in 1871 as a national holiday of the kingdom of Hawai‘i, was created to honor the memory of Kamehameha the Great, who united the Hawaiian Islands in 1810 and became Hawai‘i’s first King.

The Kamehameha Day Celebration of today continues to pay tribute to Kamehameha, and acts to protect, preserve and perpetuate the Hawaiian culture through presentations of traditional Hawaiian dance, music, chant, practices, arts and crafts and food.

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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.

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