A glowing 'Sunset' in Waipahu

By Will Hoover
Advertiser Staff Writer

Neither the ominously overcast sky nor the absence of a beach was able to cloud the spirits of those who showed up for the first Sunset in The Park, held in Waipahu yesterday.

Fire dancer Sofeni Iaulualo of the Losos Southeastern Revue performs at Sunset in The Park. The first-time event for Waipahu was held yesterday at Hawaii's Plantation Village. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

"This is more people this early than I've seen at other Sunset events," said Malcolm Tom, city deputy managing director, two hours after the food vending, music and outdoor movie extravaganza began.

It was a slice of life to be remembered, according to one person who came dressed as a wedge of pizza and was attached to the Papa John's booth.

"I think this is a great idea for Waipahu and the whole area," said the man who identified himself simply as Mr. Slice.

Meanwhile, folks operating the 13 food booths struggled with that nagging question: whether they'd prepped enough food.

"How do we know? We don't," said Chaylen Ilac, 17, at the Waipahu High School Project Graduation food booth.

"You just guess. And if you run out, you take off and get more. I don't where we'd go. Probably Daiei or Times."

Tom said there was no way the Waipahu event would draw a 50,000-plus throng similar to the staggering number that attended the Sunset on The Beach blowout in Wai'anae last month. That's because Hawaii's Plantation Village couldn't accommodate so many people.

"This site is compact," he explained.

Nevertheless, the throng that did show up was impressive.

"We hope we'll draw about 10,000," said former Hawai'i legislator Mits Shito, who spearheaded the move to bring Sunset to Waipahu. "I think we're having a good crowd coming in, a steady stream."

State Sen. Brian Kanno, D-20th ('Ewa Beach, Makakilo, Kapolei), who helped organize the event, said Waipahu established at least one Sunset record: the shortest time to organize the party.

"One month," said Kanno.

"I was at the first meeting and one of the first questions was, 'Should we look at alternative dates?' And as we looked at options, it turned out it was either do it on this date or never."

In addition to helping businesses and nonprofit organizations in Waipahu, Shito said, the event would generate interest for Hawaii's Plantation Village.

"As all the sugar plantations go under, later generations of children will need to know what the plantation life here in Hawai'i was about and what their grandparents and great-grandparents did."

Manny Hernandez, a volunteer at Hawaii's Plantation Village, said hundreds of people were taking the special $1 self-guided tour of the facility. Children under 12 went along for free.

Many of those on the tour, he said, were people who otherwise might never visit the authentic sugar plantation replica.

Tom deflected recent criticism from the Honolulu City Council that the Sunset events have cost too much.

"Except for John DeSoto, I haven't seen any City Council members at these Sunset events," said Tom. "They should come. If they did, they'd learn how popular these things are with the people. Look at these lines.

"We are creating employment, marketing opportunities and allowing businesses to survive."