DEC. 2/3/4 |
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A holiday with all the trimmings
For those who always feel they have to go broke to have a proper Christmas, Shannon Wood may change your way of thinking.
Honolulu City Lights
"Ha'aheo No O Honolulu -- Pride of Honolulu," commemorating the City's 100th anniversary
Opening night schedule Saturday at Honolulu Hale:
» 5 p.m.: Kawaiahao Church Service
» 6 p.m.: Tree Lighting Ceremony
» 6:30 p.m.: Electric Light Parade down King Street, from Aala Park to Honolulu Hale
» 7:30 p.m.: Holiday concert at Sky Gate, featuring Yvonne Elliman, Raiatea Helm, Jasmine Trias, Pali, Jordan Segundo, Tani Lynn Fujimoto and the Hawaii Stars All-Stars
» Also: Christmas program and tree lighting ceremony at Kapolei Hale, starting at 6 p.m. next Saturday, Dec. 10
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"You don't need to spend a great deal of money for gifts or holiday decorations. You just need to be creative," said Wood, interim president of the Windward Ahupua'a Alliance.
She should know. For the past few weeks, she and her husband, Jim Wood, have been scrounging for discarded trinkets and treasures to decorate the alliance's Christmas tree, since the nonprofit group has been awarded one of five outdoor spaces to decorate at the Honolulu City Lights display.
"We went to garage sales, visited thrift shops and started making ornaments out of recycled and reclaimed material," said Shannon. "We got extremely creative with bottle caps."
Aluminum cans were also transformed into ornaments and empty Lion coffee sacks were strung together as garlands.
The alliance's display will illustrate the four R's: reduce, reuse, recycle and reclaim.
"We're sending a serious message in a lighthearted way," Shannon said.
The alliance is starting with a kou tree, adding ginger and poinsettia for color. The group is also trying to create a playhouse out of discarded materials.
The group hopes to runs its light displays on solar power, but if that fails, energy efficient LED lighting will be used.
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Honolulu Hale bustles with folks readying the site for Honolulu City Lights' opening night on Saturday.
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ALEX CHING, recreations specialist for the Department of Parks and Recreation, has also been hard at work creating new displays for Honolulu City Lights. Ching created four three-tiered Styrofoam and fiberglass birthday cakes in honor of the 100th birthday of the City and County of Honolulu. One cake will be displayed at Kapolei Hale and the other three will remain downtown. The cakes are about four-and-a-half-feet high and four feet in diameter, he said.
The snow family, with newly designed clothing, will take up residence at Kapolei Hale this year, Ching said.
"We are slowly transforming all the old sculptures," he said. In 2001, Ching began replacing the house paint used on original designs with automotive paint. "We get better color; it's more festive and ornamental."
Freshly painted penguins will also find their place in the Honolulu Hale fountain, along with turtles at the Shaka Santa and Mrs. Claus display.
Ching normally gears up for the holiday display in mid-August and works through the first week of December.
Although the business of making jolly dreams come true can be fun at times, he said, "Other times, I question my sanity.
"It's all worth it in the end when I see people's reactions."