Puna Councilwoman Emily Naeole
Tiny Miss Pacific Island Princess Ke
As it is every year, the Pahoa Holiday Parade was filled with creativity and color, from our ostentatious Puna Councilwoman bedecked in the signature red and gold of the ali’i to the hula hoopers and marching weiner dogs. We had it all marching down Pahoa Village Road on Saturday: people wearing cardboard boxes denoting various Pahoa businesses, Salvatore Luquin on horseback accompanying his famed Mexican restaurant’s float, a pearly, white 1953 Chevrolet corvette and other eye-catching vintage cars, a woman passing out refreshing melon water to call attention to her new spa in Pahoa town, Santa Claus in a Puna Canoe Club koa canoe… I could go and on and on describing all the eye candy. The parade was as sunny and warm as the weather proved to be for the event. Noticably absent, however, were the dignitaries. Of course, we had the Democratic Party parading with a poster board cutout of our President-elect Barack Obama and Puna Councilwoman Emily Naeole in a rented red mustang, and I can’t forget Tiny Miss Pacific Island Princess Ke’alohilani Jones riding on the back of a convertible driven by her father. But I think that was it as far as dignitaries. I could be wrong; There were times when I was talking story, tending to baby, or doing some roadside candy pick-up. I didn’t see any former mayors or our Mayor-elect Billy Kenoi. There weren’t any senators, not even our state representative of Puna. Last year, I was the driver for not just Puna Councilwoman Emily Naeole, but State Rep. Faye Hanohano, as well. I didn’t see Faye yesterday. I did see her Republican contender in the recent election, though: Fred Blas, leading his Hawaiian Beaches Community Action Team. To me, that is very telling.
Indeed, the election is over, and so is the schmoozing.
