Hawai'i groups to appear in Macy's annual parade

By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i will be represented in song and spectacle Thursday at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, where the Pearl City High School marching band will perform and Old Lahaina Lu'au will present a float erupting with hula and confetti "lava."

The Charger marching band last appeared in 1993 at the nationally televised New York City parade, famous for gargantuan helium balloons in the form of cartoon characters and for celebrity appearances.

This is the second appearance for the Maui lu'au company, which premiered with its 34-by-20-foot float last year. This year, a troupe of 24 dancers is using new songs to update the program of contemporary and traditional hula, said Audrey Kaneshiro, an employee of Old Lahaina Lu'au.

The float's centerpiece is a 26-foot volcano that spews confetti, incorporating tikis, palm trees, giant clam shells and other island motifs.

Company spokesmen have described the kitschy float as a departure from the Old Lahaina's conventional, authentic portrayal of Polynesia.

The Pearl City group — about 350 students, faculty and family members — left last weekend for an East Coast tour that ends Saturday. The group spent yesterday visiting the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. The tour will include stops in Philadelphia and New York, where they plan to lay a wreath at the site of the World Trade Center, honoring victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.

A recording detailing each day's experiences can be heard by calling the band's boosters office, 453-6523.