COURTESY OLOMANA COMMUNITY The theme for this year's Olomana Community Christmas parade is "family values and community spirit."

Community tradition

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Gary C.W. Chun
gchun@starbulletin.com

The Olomana Community Christmas Parade is off and rolling with a new team of young people, but parade onlookers can expect the same cheerful holiday spirit to infuse this season's neighborhood promenade of residents, both old and young, marching, walking, cycling, stroller- and scooter-ing and driving classic cars and trucks decked out as floats. Some will walk their pets dressed up in cute Christmas attire.

In the spirit of Christmas, "family values and community spirit" is the slogan for the event, according to longtime resident and community association board member Anita Webber.

Santa and his helpers will be throwing out candy, and prizes will be awarded for those who show what Webber breathlessly describes as "the most energetic expression of the holiday spirit," "the most Hawaiian holiday display," "the most dazzling demonstration of the holidays," "the doggies' holiday spectacle," "the best feline expression of holiday happiness" and "the pet with the most holiday joie de vivre."

Webber was parade chairman throughout the '90s. "We didn't have a parade in 2000, however, because no one would chair it," she said. "But the next year, Jennifer Ito did a wonderful job, and out of her committee of 11, Leslie Pacarro took over for this year's parade."

The parade had humble origins as a party for Santa's arrival, but as the suburban community grew over the years, they added what she calls "our little one-horse parade -- without the horse!"

But that's not entirely true. "We've had some interesting participants in the past: the Clydesdales twice, the Kaneohe Marine Corps Band once and, oh, when Ronald McDonald showed up one year, he was really popular with the kids!

"We also had a band of skydivers one year, and Santa himself dropped into the playground at Maunawili Elementary -- he hit the target, too!

"We'd also love to have Nana Bear, the mascot from Castle Medical Center, join the parade -- we just have to try to get a body to fill out his suit," Webber said.

EVEN THOUGH this is a fun event, its has its set of rules and regulations. "As part of the street usage program, we always put in a permit for a parade that includes 50 to 75 people, two or three firetrucks, a band -- basically, we never know how many will be in any given parade. They just show up!"

Parade attendees should start lining up at 2 p.m. at the Maunawili Elementary parking lot, because the event must start at 2:30, "or else the patrol policemen get upset," Webber said.

Once back at the school at 3 p.m., everyone follows Santa into the cafeteria for an hourlong Christmas party.

"Besides getting pictures with Santa," Webber said, "there'll be refreshments, a cookie-decorating table, with frosting galore and cutouts available for the kids, and maybe a senior ukulele band that I'm hoping we'll get to play."

Olomana Community Christmas Parade Where: Starts and ends at the parking lot of Maunawili Elementary School, wends its way through the 1-mile subdivision and concludes with a Christmas party with Santa in the school's cafeteria When: 2:30 p.m. Sunday Admission: Free

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