I LOVE a parade!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE parades. I grew up in Southern California, where one of the most amazing parades, The Rose Parade happens every January 1st. We used to go camp on the sidewalk overnight so we could get a spot. We used to go to at least four Christmas Parades every year. My favorite was the Hollywood Christmas Parade down Sunset Boulevard. I have attended two Hilo parades and both were truly special events.  We were here last November for the Veteran's Day Parade and it was so much fun and gave us all a chance to say "thank you" to our local vets. The Hawaii County Band  opens every Hilo Parade and they are a big hit in their red and white uniforms. Click here for a little History of Hawaii County Band  which has been playing in Hilo for 126 years! 

In the perspective of "Largeness" Merrie Monarch Week is the biggest thing that happens in and around Hilo town. Hilo is a town that loves to celebrate for almost any reason and parades seem to bring out an abundance of fun loving characters. The Merrie Monarch Parade was no exception to the rule, in fact it brought out almost EVERYONE!

I was the designated "Parade Place Holder" for our group of friends because I come down to the farmer's market every Saturday very early anyway. I secured a spot on Kamehameha Drive downtown by 8:30 am. When I first set up our chairs and cooler, I wondered if I needed to be there so early, but within an hour the sidewalk was packed and it became quite a tailgaiting event. With cell phones our friends all joined us by the time the parade began at noon. 

As usually happens at such events, we also made new friends. This is Chris who was visiting the island and met up with our buddy Keith at the health club earlier in the day. 

Chris and Keith carrying their Huli Huli Chicken

Another good friend, Tom Lackey who I met through Punaweb and PunaOnline had a Huli Huli Chicken and Steak Stand set up at the parade. Even though Tom recently had a knee replaced, he started his day on his new knee at 5 am that day. I am sure he had an ice bag on it as soon as he got home. The chicken and steak were ONO (good)! Here is Tom at his station!

Our friend Noel choose to hike to the Filipino Restaurant for his stuffed squid. 

The parade featured a lot of floats, a few bands and lots of beautifully decorated horses featuring a queen and princesses from each island. 

The hand made leis for the horses were gorgeous, as were the queens and their handsome banner carriers. 

What you have to understand about our little town is that it is like being back in the 1960's. Many reading this may not have been alive in the 1960's, but life was simpler then and life in Hilo is based on that essential principle of family, cultural history and life on an island thousands of miles from the closest land mass.

Here is an auntie and her cute dogs. Chihuahuas are very popular dogs here and these are adorable ones!

We Hawaiians are a peculiar people in that we don't necessarily want the changes that the fast paced American Life represents. Come visit us and see just how lovely life is in Hilo.

Fun Saturday in Hilo Town!

We had a great time with our friends Marsha and Ray on Saturday November 8th. They had spent the night at our new house the night before because we had gone to Black and White night in downtown Hilo (see pictures above of Ray and Marsha as well as our great friends Sharon and Kelly and one of many local bands who were playing in many venues).

On Saturday morning we went to the Hilo Farmer's Market and then went to Mo'oheau Park in Hilo for the E Malama 'Aina Sustainabilty Festival. There we ran into our friend Sonia Martinez who was running the Freecycle Booth at the festival. Freecycle is a network of people who post items that they have available for free to takers. Living on an island makes sustainability extremely important and Freecycle keeps things out of the land fills while also providing needed items to people.

The Hilo Veterans Day parade went right past the park and there were free folding chairs to use, so we sat and watched the parade, clapping for the various soldiers as they came by. The marching bands were also fun and I especially liked the ones in bright shirts and white pants or shorts... so Hawaiian.

It is great to be part of a town that is such a close knit community. While Hilo has 50,000 residents and it is the second largest town in Hawaii, it retains a very small town feeling. It is like going back in time at least 40 years. There are very few tourists and those that are there fit in with the locals, not your typical tourists, instead they are people interested in the volcano or other natural wonders that you can hike or kayak to around the East Coast of Hawaii. It is a land of adventure and incomparable beauty as well as lovely people from so many cultures.

Aloha au i Hawai`i,
devany