What happens when you mix “Hawaii’s Soul Food” with the soulful sounds of falsetto and slack key? Hawaiian Cultural Weekend at Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort &Spa.
Presented by the hotel and Hawaii Island Festival, the weekend kicks off Friday with the Ms. Aloha Nui gala at 5:30 p.m., followed by the eighth annual Poke Contest and the Clyde “Kindy” Sproat Falsetto Concert on Saturday.
Admission is $5 with a Hawaii Island Festival collectible ribbon. Ribbons are $5, available at the door to any event.
“The ribbon design is from a painting by LeoHone,” said concert organizer Daviann Kama. “She allowed us to use one of her paintings. The theme is “E lauhoe mai na waa” (Everybody paddle the canoes together), and in the painting, there is a canoe paddler with two spirits, one in front of him and one behind.”
Poke Contest
On Saturday, doors to the Alii Ballroom open at 11 a.m., where dozens of poke-chefs, both professional and amateur, have presented their best original creations to a panel of judges. Poke, a Hawaiian word that means “to cut or dice,” is a traditional pupu or side dish made with usually raw fish or seafood and limitless ingredients from imaginative poke chefs.
Poke recipes, submitted in advance, must fall into one of four categories: poke with limu (seaweed), poke with soy sauce, cooked poke and traditional. Traditional poke can only include ingredients that were available to Hawaii pre-contact, such as native fish, crabs and seafood, seaweeds, paakai (sea salt), fernshoots and coconut.
Entries will be judged on taste, although many competitors choose to decorate their table spaces with props, flowers and greenery. Once the judges’ decisions are announced, rope and stanchions are removed and everyone gets a chance to taste for themselves.
Clyde “Kindy” Sproat Falsetto Concert
Saturday at 6 p.m., the Alii Ballroom becomes a music hall, as some of the island’s top falsetto singers take the stage. Named for North Kohala’s Clyde “Kindy” Sproat, perhaps best known for his paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) songs and stories. Sproat grew up in a remote valley in North Kohala and went on to sing at Carnegie Hall, the National Folklife Festival and more.
On the roster are Kai Hoopii, Michael Mina, Michael DeAguiar and Kekoa Kane, who is part of the group Huewa. Earlier this year, Huewa won back-to-back Na Hoku Hanohano Awards for Most Promising Artists and Group of the Year.
“All of them are past contestants from when it was a contest,” said Kama. “They all placed during their year. Kekoa Kane won in 2013. He was our last winner.”
Since 2013, the event has become a unique concert, showcasing the stories of Hawaii and the soaring sounds of leo kiekie, male voices in the upper register.
For more information about Hawaii Island Festival, visit www.hawaiiislandfestival.org.
Other remaining Hawaii Island Festival events:
Waimea Paniolo Parade: Sept. 19 from 10 to 11 a.m.
Waimea Hoolaulea: Sept. 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Royal Court appearances are slated Sept. 20 from 9:30 a.m. to 4: p.m. at Mauna Kea Resort’s 4th Annual Festival of Aloha and at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at Lanihau Shopping Center in Kailua-Kona.
