COURTESY WINDWARD MALL Seen against the Koolaus, Windward Mall's construction in the 1980s took on a picturesque quality. More photos of the mall's beginnings and retail trends of the '80s are on display at Center Court and the two lower-level wings of the mall through August. CLICK FOR LARGE |
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Mall memories
As Windward Mall turns 25 this weekend, patrons wax sentimental about the place
Is it possible to have sentimental feelings about a shopping mall? Why not? A person can spend hours in one, not just shopping, but bonding with friends, observing humanity, absorbing life lessons.
WINDWARD MALL 25TH ANNIVERSARY
Free events at Center Court:
FRIDAY
» 6 p.m.: Ohana Concert with HAPA
SATURDAY
» Noon to 1:30 p.m.: Lt. Andrew Baldwin of ABC's "The Bachelor"
» Noon to 2 p.m.: KCCN radio remote
» 5 to 6 p.m.: Fiji
SUNDAY
» Noon to 2 p.m.: Hot 93.9 radio remote
» 1 to 2 p.m.: Appearance and putting contest with Tadd Fujikawa
» 2 to 4 p.m.: "A Look Back at the '80s" comedy block with Frank De Lima, Andy Bumatai and Da Braddahs
BOOK SIGNINGS
Saturday at Borders:
» Noon: Author Terry Fritts
» 2 p.m.: Illustrator Don Robinson
» 4 p.m.: Children's author Mike Sullivan
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Windward Mall celebrates its 25th anniversary this weekend with a sidewalk sale, an exhibit of photographs, a trivia contest and appearances by the likes of golfer Tadd Fujikawa and ABC's "Bachelor." But frequent shoppers were also invited to mark the deeper meanings of the mall in an essay contest, "My Favorite Memory."
Excerpts from the winning essays prove a mall can be a source of inspiration.
In "Lessons that Changed My Life," Nicole Ing recalls the transforming influence of art classes taken at the old Tradewinds Gallery. Learning the subtleties of color in painting totally changed her.
"Soon I began to notice things around me and within me. I began to appreciate the quiet beauty when the sunlight struck the grays and violets and browns of a tree, and I learned to love each little shrub and sloping tree that covered the side of the Koolau Mountains. ...
"I learned that there was something within me that could create something beautiful and unique, something that could make someone smile or cause someone to stop and look. ..."
For Gail Woliver, the mall provided a safe place where she could fuse her new family -- her own daughter and a new stepdaughter. Amid the holiday bustle of 1985, Erin, 9, and Keiko, 5, warmed to each other and their new set of parents.
"Since that November day, both girls have danced hula on the mall stage and Erin now frequents the mall with her own family. Nothing, however, can beat the memory of that exhilarating day ... when my heart sang."
Evelyn Goodwin, an 18-year-old with a newborn and not much money, found respite with lemonade and a hot dog on a stick, savored in cool comfort as shoppers smiled at her and her baby.
"As I strolled through the mall I felt important. I felt like I was part of this community, and I did not have to be ashamed that I was a young mother. ...
"I didn't know how my life was going to turn out, but at that moment I felt that everything was going to be just fine. ..."