Aloha, all! It’s Monday, Oct. 14th … Columbus Day here in the U.S., and Thanksgiving Day in Canada. The holiday probably won’t affect too many U.S. federal workers, though, since many are not working due to the government’s shutdown. Oh well, we can only hope that Congress and our President finally realize that it’s about the people – not them! Don’t hold your breath, though …
Our event last Thursday celebrating ‘IOLANI’s 60th Anniversary was totally AWESOME! The turnout was way more than we anticipated so unfortunately, the food and drink ran out quickly .. our apologies to the late arrivals! Nick, Carla, Moani, and the REHAB team did a wonderful job of running the event which benefited the REHAB Hospital of the Pacific. It was a great success, but I’m sure they’re glad that it’s finally over. I’d like to thank the many groups and individuals who helped us out … Hawaiian Airlines, KoAloha Ukulele, KAPALA, Zac Noyle, Side Street Inn, Elite Parking, the REHAB staff, Wayne Harada, Billy V, Bruddah Wade, and FM105 KINE, KITV, KGMB, and KHON. And most importantly, to Carla, Nick, Alex, and our great ‘IOLANI team – great job, gang … you made Mr. & Mrs. “K” very proud!
We performed at the 8th Annual Hawai’i Fishing and Seafood yesterday, and boy, was it hot! This was my first time attending this event and I was amazed at all the different exhibits and booths showcasing the local fishing and seafood industry. Being a boater and recreational fisherman, I was like a kid in a candy store … I loved it! But like I said, it was so hot & humid that it reminded me of when we used to perform at the Aloha Yokohama Festival in Japan. Anyone who’s been to Japan knows that the summers there are absolutely awful, and performing outdoors was like playing in a steam bath with extra steam! I had so much sweat running down my face that I had to tilt my head to the side so it wouldn’t run into my mouth while I was singing! And after every performance, we looked like we had all jumped into a swimming pool! Anyway, yesterday came very close to that, but the ice cold Bud Light draft at Nico’s afterward made up for it. My only regret was that I didn’t get to try the sushi sliders and poke at a couple of the food booths. Big mahalos to Kendall and Mark for inviting us to participate in this great event, and also to Brooks and Cynthia for the poi and lomi oio! Whooo .. was it ONO!
So now that ‘IOLANI’s 60th celebration is over, the boys and I can focus on our upcoming 2013 HOT HAWAIIAN CHRISTMAS TOUR to Japan at the end of November. The next few weeks are going to be very hectic as we try to complete several projects before we leave …. including a new CD for our Japan fans! Here we go again ….
Aloha, “D”