File photo
Honolulu City Lights brightens the
holiday season on Saturday.

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Let there be
city lights!

City flips the switch
on the ’98 holiday season

By Nadine Kam
Assistant Features Editor
Star-Bulletin

With all eyes on the lights, abundance of ornaments and playthings seemingly sprung from a giant's toy chest, it's easy to overlook the human labor that goes into the Honolulu City Lights display.

What? You think only elves work overtime at Christmas?

Tomorrow, a tree topping and city wreath contest awards ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. in the Honolulu Hale courtyard, and the lights display officially opens 6 p.m. Saturday at the hale.

But underneath the glow of red lights of trees inside the courtyard are the bare bones: Varied lengths of pipe that stiffly angle and reach, until finally set into a more organic treelike stance with the help of welding technology students from Honolulu Community College.

"Every year, City Hall calls on us to help," said instructor Jeff Lane. "Last year we made all the reindeer, stars and 'Happy Holidays' sign in front of the municipal building.

"The students get to use their skills in measuring and working with the tools, but it also gives them a sense of community support through community-related projects."

The project is a challenge for this year's crop of about half a dozen first-year students, who generally have had little experience wielding and taming the wild torch.

"If it's too hot the metal will melt to nothing," said student Luke Adams. "It has to be just right for the metal to bond together. It takes a lot of hand-eye coordination. Everything has to be perfect -- how close you are or how far you are from your work.I get burned all the time."

Not that it bothers him. "That's part of it. You play with fire, you get burned."

Adams had a workable future in mind when he took up welding. "I figured it would be a good career to go into. My uncle is a welder. I haven't talked to him too much about it, but there's a lot of stuff you can do with welding, not just construction work," he said. "You can make trees!"

See the lights

For those heading out to the free Honolulu City Lights opening Saturday, here's the schedule:

5 p.m. -- Service at Kawaiahao Church.

6 p.m. -- Tree-lighting ceremony at Honolulu Hale and start of Electrical Light Parade. The parade starts at Richards and Beretania streets, proceeds down Beretania to Bishop Street, down Bishop to South King Street and ends at Honolulu Hale at about 6:30 p.m. City vehicles are decked out in holiday garb.

7 p.m. -- Santa listens to children's Christmas wishes at Skygate. Also, the Holiday concert begins. Performers are Willy K and Amy Gilliom, the Madrigal Singers, the U.S. Pacific Fleet Band with Shari Lynn, juggler Greg Gabaylo and Baba B.

KHNL broadcasts the parade and part of the Willy K and Amy concert from 6:30 to 8 p.m.; the show is rebroadcast at noon on Sunday.

On display: A new larger-than-life exhibit features Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, elves and Santa's sleigh.

Parking is free at Municipal Center, 650 S. King St., from 4:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday through Jan. 4 for the lights display.

Arrive by 5 p.m. for Saturday's parade. Call 527-5666 for last-minute details.