Thousands celebrate at Concert in the Sky

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Emcee Ron Wiley, far left, prepares to introduce the U.S, Air Force Band of the Pacific, as Kala‘e & Kalena close out their set during the Kaua‘i Hospice Concert in the Sky at the Vidinha Stadium soccer fields in Lihu‘e on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Miss Kaua‘i Filipina 2023 Victoria Perreira, fourth from right, gets to meet the U.S. Air Force Band of the Pacific before the group takes the stage during the Kaua‘i Hospice Concert in the Sky at the Vidinha Stadium soccer fields in Lihu‘e on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. The band, nicknamed “Hana Hou,” will be performing Thursday, July 6, 2023, at Kaua‘i Veterans Center in Lihu‘e from 5:30 p.m.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Morgan Lopez, center in black tank top, and her mother, right, are kept busy with shoppers in the crafters’ tent during the Kaua‘i Hospice Concert in the Sky at the Vidinha Stadium soccer fields in Lihu‘e on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Parents of the Kaua‘i Protect Our Nation’s Youth Bronco All-Stars are kept busy creating flying saucers for the seemingly unending line of hungry concertgoers during the Kaua‘i Hospice Concert in the Sky fundraiser at the Vidinha Stadium soccer fields in Lihu‘e on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

One of the bursts from the King Auto Center-sponsored fireworks explodes during the Kaua‘i Hospice Concert in the Sky at the Vidinha Stadium soccer fields in Lhu‘e on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Keiki performers from Halau Ka Lei Mokihana O Leina‘ala with Kumu Hula Leina‘ala Pavao Jardin perform before a large audience as part of the Corteva Agriscience and Gather Federal Credit Union-sponsored entertainment lineup during the Kaua‘i Hospice Concert in the Sky at the Vidinha Stadium soccer fields in Lihu‘e on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. The keiki dancers will be participating in the 2023 Queen Lili‘uokalani Keiki Hula Festival on July 27 to 29, 2023, presented by the Kalihi-Palama Culture & Arts Society on O‘ahu.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Wehilei wraps up her set at the Corteva Agriscience and Gather Federal Credit Union-sponsored entertainment lineup during the Kaua‘i Hospice Concert in the Sky at the Vidinha Stadium soccer fields in Lihu‘e on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. Wehilei recently earned Single of the Year and Most Promising Artist of the Year honors at the 46th Annual Na Hoku Hanohano Awards held on O‘ahu on Saturday, July 1, 2023.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Members of the Kaua‘i Protect Our Nation’s Youth Bronco All-Stars have fun with their Alaska Airlines hats while heading to the Fun Zone at the Kaua‘i Hospice Concert in the Sky at the Vidinha Stadium soccer fields in Lihu‘e on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

A pyrotechnic display from the King Auto Center-sponsored fireworks display is seen during the Kaua‘i Hospice Concert in the Sky at the Vidinha Stadium soccer fields in Lihu‘e on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.

Dennis Fujimoto / Garden Island

A pyrotechnic display from the King Auto Center-sponsored fireworks display is seen during the 31st Kaua‘i Hospice Concert in the Sky at the Vidinha Stadium soccer fields in Lihu‘e on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.

Three sisters — two from California and one from Arizona — were overcome with emotion at the King Auto Center-sponsored fireworks display on Tuesday night at Vidinha Stadium.

The trio broke out in acapella choral renderings of patriotic songs, overpowering the Kaua‘i Hospice-composed soundtrack that accompanied the pyrotechnic display that gives the annual Concert in the Sky event its name.

“Our last fireworks display was last Friday in Colorado Springs,” said a family from Colorado that arrived on Kaua‘i on Saturday. “There were others, but they were all canceled.”

Thousands of people flocked to the Vidinha Stadium soccer fields, where Kaua‘i Hospice put on the big show for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. Emcee Ron Wiley, of the KQNG Radio Group, compared the numbers to nearly pre-COVID levels, with more people entering the fenced-off soccer fields as the hour drew closer to the fireworks ignition.

“This is Victoria Perreira’s first appearance after being crowned Miss Kaua‘i Filipina,” said Salisa Pegeder, the Miss Kaua‘i Filipina chaperone. “This is good practice for her to meet people before the state pageant that takes place on Maui on July 22.”

Perreira was not on the Corteva Agriscience and Gather Federal Credit Union-sponsored entertainment lineup. But she got to meet Wiley, who emceed the Kaua‘i Filipino Community Council’s annual scholarship pageant, and the U.S. Air Force Band of the Pacific that also performed in Princeville and on Thursday will be at the Kaua‘i Veterans Center in Lihu‘e at 5:30 p.m.

The Kaua‘i Protect Our Nation’s Youth Bronco All-Stars were fundraising for their mainland trip to the regional tournament by selling flying saucers to a line of customers that seemingly appeared to have no end.

“We’ll be at the Central Pacific Bank parking lot for two more weeks with flying saucers,” said Team Mom Ashley Yoshimori. “We start from 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday and stay until we run out. Our last weekend is July 15 and 16. That’s about 600 flying saucers on each day. Then we’re off to the regionals.”

The Concert in the Sky is a major fundraising event for Kaua‘i Hospice, and was presented by King Auto Center, Cosco Air Conditioning &Refrigeration, Alaska Airlines, inpac, Corteva Agriscience, Gather Federal Credit Union, the County of Kaua‘i, The Garden Island newspaper and a host of other sponsors.

Hundreds of volunteers also helped the event flow smoothly.

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