Hawaii’s
Back yard
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi
Doing good is a
blast on KauaiConcert in the Sky is music to the ears of everyone involved with Kauai Hospice. Held every Fourth of July, the event -- which features great food, live entertainment, a silent auction, an array of fun family activities and a spectacular fireworks show -- is the organization's biggest fund-raiser of the year.
It's fitting that on a holiday that celebrates the birth of America and the many freedoms we enjoy as citizens, Concert in the Sky helps Kauai Hospice liberate people suffering from terminal illness by giving them comfort, peace of mind and quality of life. The hospice's free services for Kauai residents include medical care, counseling, bereavement support, volunteer training and education programs.
Concert in the Sky
Place: Vidinha Stadium, 3170 Hoolako St., Lihue, KauaiDate: Next Sunday
Time: 3 to 9:30 p.m.
Admission: $7 in advance, $10 at gate. Children 5 and under are admitted free. Tickets are available at Big Save stores and Menehune Marts on Kauai through noon on Saturday (until 11 p.m. at the Big Save, Lihue).
Phone: 808-246-2440
E-mail: melinda@uohara.com
"Concert in the Sky is a boon to Kauai in many ways," says Phil Clark, the hospice's executive director. "It helps Kauai Hospice accomplish its important mission; we feel critically ill people should not be denied the care and support they need because of lack of money.
"Also, you'll find people whose paths otherwise would not have crossed working side by side for a common cause. I've seen solid friendships being formed as volunteers pick up rubbish together! And Concert in the Sky is a fun event for the whole family. It may be a benefit for Kauai Hospice, but in actuality, everyone who attends benefits from the good will."
Concert in the Sky was born of commitment, hard work and selflessness. In 1988, Julie Yukimura, Greg Naganuma and Darryl Dobashi, who were serving as hospice board members, agreed to spearhead a Fourth of July community event to raise public awareness about the hospice and its mission. Dressed in Uncle Sam outfits, they went door to door in Lihue's business district to raise money to pay for the Fireworks Fundraiser's aerial show.
That first event did not yield any profits, but it did increase awareness about Kauai Hospice. The next year, the benefit was renamed Concert in the Sky, and again it was staged on a shoestring budget and just broke even. There was no event in 1990, but in 1991 community volunteers stepped in to help the hospice board organize and expand the fund-raiser, which has since become one of the island's most popular annual celebrations.
Marching bands and military units are among the participants in the annual Fourth of July celebration that brings the Kauai community together.
THEMED "Gotta Live a Little -- Kauai Style," this year's Concert in the Sky is expected to draw 8,000 to 10,000 visitors and local residents to Lihue's Vidinha Stadium, which will be transformed into a giant playground. Diversions include giant inflatable bouncers, water slides, bungee jumps, an obstacle course, face painting and an array of carnival rides and games. Keiki also will be able to dress in inflated sumo "bodies" and enter wrestling matches.
"Many factors contribute to the popularity of Concert in the Sky," says the event's coordinator, Melinda Uohara. "The wide variety of activities is a small part of it. This year, we are adding a trampoline jumper and a Turbo Tubs ride (similar to Disneyland's whirling teacups) for the kids."
In addition, a stage, Keiki Fun Zone, and food and beverage booths will be set up along the sides of the stadium, and the rest of the field will be kept open for families to spread out blankets and chairs.
"It has the feel of a huge community picnic, and there's something for everyone to enjoy in a comfortable, convenient setting," Uohara said.
An eclectic array of wares will tempt browsers, including temporary tattoos, balloon animals, and glow bracelets and necklaces. The Kauai Hospice booth will be selling T-shirts, tank tops, beach towels, fans and other trinkets -- all in festive red, white and blue.
Be sure to put in your silent-auction bid for goodies such as jewelry; fine art; ceramics; home accessories; certificates for golf, dining, shopping and spa treatments; and stays at local and mainland resorts. There also will be drawings for interisland getaways and a trip for two to Las Vegas.
Food definitely will be another enticement at Concert in the Sky, so show up hungry. Booths will be offering fare to satisfy every craving, whether it's for hamburgers, hot dogs, malasadas, chicken Caesar salad, stew, chili, shave ice, ice cream, plate lunches or other treats.
Patriotism abounds during the annual Concert in the Sky Fourth of July event in Lihue.
Nonstop entertainment will keep hands clapping, toes tapping and dancers on their feet throughout the afternoon and evening. The event will finish with the roar of a 20-minute fireworks display set to Hawaiian, contemporary and patriotic music.
Uohara describes the show as "awesome, fantastic! It's hard to describe -- it's like a sunset; you have to see it to enjoy the whole effect, and the music adds to the thrill and drama of the experience.
"As the fireworks go off," she said, "you hear oohs and aahs everywhere!"
Concert in the Sky is all about aloha, as corporate sponsors underwrite most of the expenses and provide goods and services ranging from floodlights to flowers, from trash bins to shuttle buses. About 500 volunteers donate their time to set up, staff the scrip and food booths, run the silent auction, direct traffic and clean up.
"The generosity of the Kauai community is what really makes this event a success," says Uohara. "Individuals and businesses want to help Kauai Hospice because it has touched so many lives. With the funds raised at Concert in the Sky, the hospice has more than tripled the number of individuals and families it has been able to serve since it was founded 21 years ago."
Uohara also cites the support of hundreds of visitors, some of whom plan their vacations around the event. "Many of them tell me they have similar events at home, but Concert in the Sky is the best they have ever attended," she says. "They enjoy all the family activities and the opportunity to mingle with kamaaina at a down-home local event. At Concert in the Sky, they can experience Kauai's aloha in action."
The Concert in the Sky on Kauai will feature activities for the whole family, including face painting...
... inflatable jumpers ...
... and the traditional Fourth of July fireworks.
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Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based free-lance writer and Society of American Travel Writers award winner.
