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WEST HAWAII TODAY | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2015
FROM PAGE ONE
intent to perpetuate the
art of hula and offer an
opportunity to perform
and compete.
Today, the festival has
evolved into a celebra-
tion of our kupuna, and
a showcase of the expe-
rience and talent that
seniors bring to the art of
hula. The festival sells out
annually to an audience of
nearly 1,000.
“We have halau that
come from all over the
world,”
said
Hudik.
“There’s halau coming all
the way from Okinawa,
Japan, to participate.
There’s also a group com-
ing from California this
year. Across the island we
have halau from Kauai,
Molokai, Maui, Oahu, and
of course the Big Island.
It’s a good mix of every-
thing — it’s not just Kona
halau or Big Island halau
that are coming to partic-
ipate. That makes it excit-
ing because you get to see
groups that come year
after year from far away,
knowing that they’re all
bringing their A-game to
come and participate.”
For residents, the festi-
val is an opportunity to see
family and friends perform.
For those traveling from
abroad, it’s a chance for
them to experience Hawaii
and Hawaiian culture.
Hudik said the festi-
val’s mission is to promote
and perpetuate Hawaiian
culture through song and
dance, while simultane-
ously honoring kupuna
and encouraging them to
stay active and engaged.
“We get dancers up on
stage that are 90 years
old. Those are the dancers
that the crowd just goes
crazy for,” said Hudik.
“You’re still seeing these
kupuna dancing across
the stage, and thinking,
‘If only I could move that
much when I’m their age!’
I’m always astounded at
what the dancers come
up with, and how much
they can do. It’s always
a treat to come and see.
A lot of people underes-
timate seniors and this
age group, so it’s great
for them to come out and
see the quality of dance
that’s out there, and that
our seniors are capable of
performing.”
The solo competition is
on Wednesday evening,
followed by the group
competition on Thursday
evening. Tickets are $10
per person.
“We’re sold out on
Thursday, that’s our
group competition night,
but we still have tickets
available on Wednesday,”
said Hudik. “Wednesday
is usually the night that
I tell people to come and
enjoy, because that’s the
soloist competition and
also the fun night, so you
get a little of both. You get
a little competition and a
little bit of silly where peo-
ple can let their hair down
and play a bit. It’s the best
show in town for $10 —
you can’t beat that price.”
The festival will also
hold a craft fair in con-
junction with the com-
petition Wednesday and
Thursday. The craft fair
is free and takes place in
the foyer of the Sheraton
ballroom and the adjacent
conference rooms from 8
a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
Vendors will sell fresh lei,
jewelry, Hawaiian wood
carvings, Hawaiian cloth-
ing and bags, baked goods
and jewelry.
KUPUNA: Senior halau from around the world to perform
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
victim, and Battalion
Chief Michael Hayashida
and Fire Inspector Palani
Kurashige for the rescue
of a drowning child in a
hotel pool.
In addition to the
awards ceremony, the eve-
ning fundraiser includ-
ed both a silent and live
auction to raise money to
purchase equipment on
the department’s “wish
list.” For more informa-
tion about the Daniel R
Sayre Foundation, or to
donate visit danielsayre-
foundation.com
AWARDS:
Heroic efforts
recognized
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
Chip leads to return of Waiakea Uka family’s cat
Whether they’re miracu-
lous or merely marvelous,
Saeko Hayashi has a sim-
ple message: “Microchips
work.”
Hayashi, an astron-
omer at the National
Astronomical Observatory
of
Japan’s
Subaru
Telescope, wondered if
she and her family would
ever see their beloved cat,
Teto, again. The neutered
gray tabby, named after a
pointy-eared anime char-
acter he resembles, was
just a year old when he
wandered away from the
family’s Waiakea Uka
home six years ago.
The cat is one of two
Hayashi adopted together
as kittens from the Hawaii
Island Humane Society’s
Keaau shelter. The other
is a spayed black tortoise-
shell female named Sakura,
which means “cherry blos-
som.” She later rescued
another gray tabby with
white undercarriage from
Liliuokalani Gardens in
Hilo and named him Tito.
Hayashi said when Teto
disappeared, she can-
vassed the neighborhood
in a vain attempt to find
him.
“He was part of my fam-
ily, so we went around this
block and farther down
(the road),” she said. “We
took the other cat with us,
because she was a buddy to
him. So if she showed some
sign, sniffing or some-
thing, that was our hope.
And also, we contacted the
Humane Society, because
he has this chip.”
Hayashi said she seeks
out stories of pets reunit-
ed with owners after
prolonged absences. She
mentioned Bogie, a cat
who went missing for 19
months after escaping his
kennel while being board-
ed onto a United Cargo
flight in Honolulu. A
man who feeds feral cat
colonies near Honolulu
International Airport saw
the friendly Siamese, sus-
pected he was someone’s
missing pet and had him
scanned. Microchip infor-
mation led to a joyful
reunion in July between
Bogie and his human
family, who had moved to
Detroit.
Then, on Monday, the
doorbell rang at Hayashi’s
house. She wasn’t home,
but her son, Wataru, was.
“This lady’s standing
here and she says, ‘Is Saeko
there?’” the Waiakea High
School senior said. “And I
said, ‘No, my mother’s out.’
She said, ‘I found a cat.
I took it to the Humane
Society to see if it had a
chip.’
“I went outside with
her and she brought out
the cat carrier and it was
Teto inside. It was pretty
amazing.”
The woman said she
found the feline Aug. 30
near Nani Mau Gardens,
about 3 miles from the
Hayashi home as the crow
flies.
“I was really surprised,
because that’s kind of a
long way,” Wataru Hayashi
said.
Donna Whitaker, the
Hawaii Island Humane
Society’s executive direc-
tor, confirmed the micro-
chip scan, which happened
on Monday since the
Keaau shelter is closed on
Sundays. She said there’s
no record of the woman’s
identity because the good
Samaritan remainedanon-
ymous. Wataru Hayashi
didn’t ask the woman for
her name, but his mother
is hoping to meet her.
“For her to bring the
cat there then come back
to find our house, that’s
just amazing. Incredible,”
Saeko Hayashi said. “I
want to personally thank
her and learn about how
she found him.”
“Now that he’s back, I
want to say we knew that
he was alive and we kept
hope that he was happy
with some family. That
was our hope,” she added.
“Then, he came back, so
that’s all good.”
As if on cue, Teto
stretched out on the floor,
a look resembling content-
ment on his face.
“Now, he does this,”
Saeko Hayashi said, smil-
ing. “At first, he didn’t do
this because he was scared.
It’s just amazing.
“You know, after six
years, he was able to find
a way home, thanks to
that lady and thanks to
the efforts of the Humane
Society. First, they rescue
the cats and dogs, they put
the microchips in the cats
and dogs and fix them.
Then, in many cases, they
find a home and live hap-
pily ever after.”
Whitaker said the chip-
ping of pets has made sto-
ries such as Teto’s increas-
ingly common.
“It happens frequent-
ly enough that we know
the microchips work,”
she said. “I was watching
CNN the other day and
they were talking about a
dog that was reunited with
its owner after about 12
years.”
Whitaker said the typ-
ical roaming range for a
young neutered male cat is
less than than a mile away
from its home. It’s even
less for older cats. So it’s
uncommon, although not
unheard of, for a neutered
tom to wander several
miles, she said.
“Cats, if they find some-
one who treats them well
and someplace safe, they
hang out there for a while
and move on to the next
place,” Whitaker said.
“So they sort of some-
what adopt someone for
a while but they look for
their original owner. I
think that’s always what’s
in their mind. I know of
a cat that was missing for
a little less than two years
that found its new home
in Waikoloa. The peo-
ple moved from Waimea
and he found them in
Waikoloa.”
In addition, Whitaker
has the following advice to
pet owners and would-be
rescuers.
“If you find an animal,
bring it to the shelter so its
microchip can be scanned,”
she said. “And keep your
microchip information up
to date. Can you imagine
how awful it would have
been if she had changed
her phone or moved, and
after six years we know
who it belongs to and can’t
reach her?
“That’s a biggie.”
BY JOHN BURNETT
HAWAII TRIBUNE-HERALD
Saeko Hayashi and her son, Wataru, smile with
their cat, Teto, Thursday afternoon at their
Waiakea Uka home. Teto recently was returned
after disappearing for six years. The cat was
reunited with the Hayashis because of his
microchip.
HOLLYN JOHNSON/
HAWAII TRIBUNE-HERALD
Dennis Pascubillo pro-
vides entertainment at
the awards ceremony.
LAURA SHIMABUKU/
WEST HAWAII
TODAY
A dancer
competes in the
Tutu Wahine
Division of the
2014 Kupuna
Hula Festival at
the Sheraton
Kona Resort &
Spa at Keauhou
Bay.
LAURA
SHIMABUKU/
WEST
HAWAII TODAY
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