LIHUE — Thousands of people braved Friday’s rains to welcome the holidays at the annual Rotary Club of Kauai Lights on Rice holiday lighted parade.
“People were calling me all day,” said Laurie Yoshida, one of the parade organizers. “I had an ear open for any word from the Kauai Emergency Management Agency. We have no rain day unless Civil Defense calls it. The trucks must roll.”
Chairs, umbrellas and even tents marked off spectator areas from Hoolako Road, up Rice Street, to the Eiwa Street intersection from as early as Wednesday. Stan’s Flying Saucers, a regular vendor at the Central Pacific Bank parking area, was relegated to the back of the parking area by cars who arrived days ahead of the parade to stake out their area. Stan’s settled for placing a sign indicating its new location that was partially obscured from the street view.
Two state championship teams, including the Kapaa High School football team and the Kauai High School boys air rifle team, and Hawaii Miss Filipina Jeslen Anela Planas Valdez were part of the 65-unit parade that snaked its way past spectators that lined the roadway from the west entrance of Vidinha Stadium to the Eiwa Street end of the historic County Building lawn.
Each of the more than 3,000 participants were brought to attention by Lexi Jones of the Rice Street Business Association and Cousin Moe of the Pacific Media Group that maintained audio stations in front of Kuhio Auto, Ford/Mazda, and at the Umi Street end of the County Building lawn.
Two bands, including the Kauai High School and the Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School, joined a choral group, the CKMS Choir that also sang at the Kauai Hospice memorial candlelighting at Immaculate Church, and Koloa Elementary School, which participated for the first time. They joined the Elsie Wilcox Elementary School Performing Arts Group and the Sunshine Express from Kalaheo Elementary School, whose organizers said they were able to clean out the railcars that had been in storage from the years COVID-19 shut down the parade.
The Skellies from Lawai, Na Pali Coasters and the Renegade Rollerz teamed together to bring new life to the float that drifted over from the earlier Pride parade. The rain washed over everything, but as the first units started to roll, the rains stopped.
