Page 9 - 150th King Kamehameha Day Celebration - Kona

150TH KING KAMEHAMEHA DAY 9
CW I T H P A R A D E , F E S T I V A L
elebrate the 150th community. Guests will see that has endured so much and anniversary of King parade floats, walking units is so anxious to reconnect Kamehameha Day at and more. In addition to pā‘ū in a meaningful way,” says
9 a.m. on June 11. The floral riders, the celebration will also Manu Powers, parade chair.
parade, which first occurred in 1953, starts at Kuakini Highway near Maka‘eo (also known as Old Kona Airport), travels through historic Kailua Village and ends near Roy- al Kona Resort, where Ali‘i Drive meets Wālua Road.
The parade is for the com- munity and put on by the
include a ho‘olaule‘a with ar- tisans, hālau hula and musi- cians.
“After a two-year forced hiatus, parade day holds so much promise. The celebra- tion of tradition and culture, the thread of continuity after so much uncertainty — these things matter to a small town
“To have the opportunity to demonstrate to our ‘ohana, to our neighbors and friends that some things have not changed, that beloved events that have spanned generations are still a part of our lives and will be a part of the next gen- eration’s as well, is incredibly powerful and it is a privilege for us to be able to provide
that to our community.” After the parade, the Hulihe‘e Palace Ho‘olaule‘a will kick off at 11:30 a.m. It will fea- ture Hawai‘i island artists and hula performers such
as Hālau Hula Maunalei. “The pā‘ū riders are not just a highlight for the crowd, but also for me personally,” notes Powers. “The star of the show is al- ways the pā‘ū riders — the princesses in particular. Each island will again be repre- sented by a mounted unit, as will the Daughters of Hawai‘i, who we partner with in the ho‘olaule‘a at Hulihe‘e Palace
following the parade.” Powers, who has ridden in
the past three floral parades, understands firsthand just
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