LIHUE — The Kauai Historical Society organized a 100th anniversary celebration spanning several months, which highlighted the different cultures and events that make up Kauai’s diverse population. Those festivities peaked on Saturday — despite a steady downpour — with hundreds gathering
LIHUE — The Kauai Historical Society organized a 100th anniversary celebration spanning several months, which highlighted the different cultures and events that make up Kauai’s diverse population.
Those festivities peaked on Saturday — despite a steady downpour — with hundreds gathering at the Historic County Building.
“We started with the Okinawa culture and ended with the Niihau shells before meeting for this multi-cultural event,” said Bill Fernandez, a retired judge and the president of the Kauai Historical Society said on Saturday. “Tonight, we celebrate the various cultures.”
Food for the event was offered by various “camps,” a set up intended to mimic those that housed laborers from various ethnic groups who arrived in Hawaii to work on sugar and pineapple plantations. Each “camp” offered food from specific cultures, such as nishime from the Japanese camp, andagi from the Okinanwan camp and malasadas from the Portuguese camp.
There were also tours of the County Building, where the Kauai Historical Society occupies a room that once served as the mayor’s office.
“I recently moved here from Arizona and I want to take the tour of the Historic County Building as well as learn more about the different cultures of this island,” said Michelle Harrington of Wailua.
Ka Lei Mokihana O Leinaala, which recently participated in the 51st Merrie Monarch Hula Festival in Hilo, offered more vignettes into Kauai’s past by performing a kahiko that talked about the Kaneiolouma heiau complex in Poipu.
Commemorative 100th anniversary T-shirts, a centennial cookbook and other memorabilia helped mark the occasion.
Visit www.kauaihistoricalsociety.org, or call 245-3373 for more information.
