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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, August 12, 2002

Wai'anae Coast has a ball at Sunset

By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

About 20,000 people attended the Wai'anae Coast Sunset on the Beach Saturday and organizer Patty Teruya thought the crowd showed promise of reaching similar numbers yesterday, despite rain-heavy clouds that blocked a bit of the coastline's usually abundant sun.

DJ "PiPi" of the FM100 morning show bounced a beach ball on his head as part of the Sunset on the Beach games at Ma'ili Beach Park yesterday. The event also featured food vendors, entertainment and community service booths.

Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

"People are coming here from all over," Teruya said. "We've even had a lot of the tourist crowd ... buses of tourists, but they got burned because they forgot their sunscreen."

But what made Teruya feel especially good was seeing so many Wai'anae Coast residents out enjoying themselves with friends and family.

"I hope the elected officials see how good this is, and make sure it keeps happening," she said. "We need to keep the morale up."

Saturday's big-screen event at Ma'ili Beach Park was "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." Last night, the dinosaurs of "Jurassic Park III" dominated the 30-foot screen.

Former sumo champion Konishiki, who is known on the Wai'anae Coast for his work with children, was expected to make an appearance just before the movie last night. Teruya said he told her he would be there even though he had buried his mother the day before.

The event also offered food vendors; games, a climbing tower and inflatable jumping rooms for keiki; music and entertainment by local performers and church groups; and community service booths that offered voter registration, safe driving tips and health screening.

Desiree Tuiloma, an 18-year-old Nanakuli resident who joined about 15 of her friends and neighbors on lawn chairs in front of the big screen, said her weekend was brightened by the event.

"A lot better than hanging out on the streets, getting in trouble and smoking," Tuiloma said.

Tuiloma said she enjoyed "the music, the relaxation, and everybody being happy, like family," and the trolley that ran along the Wai'anae Coast, which was free.

"I don't have a car," she said.

The city and county put on the first Sunset on the Beach in March. The turnout was so good — more than 50,000 people attended — that Teruya decided it was worth doing again, even if the community would have to help foot the bill.

Valley of the Rainbows, a nonprofit organization, was a sponsor. The Ihilani Hotel and Spa at Ko Olina Resort made a $5,000 donation, and Teruya is hopeful that a grant from the Hawai'i Tourism Authority will come through to put toward the $40,000 cost.

Meanwhile, people have walked up to her all weekend, handing her checks for $10, $25, whatever they could afford, she said.

Because times have been tough economically on the Wai'anae Coast, Teruya said the community's food vendors were especially appreciative of the chance to sell their wares.

Wai'anae resident Michael Taylor, who attended with his wife, Michelle, and their son, Christian, said he was appreciative of the food vendors.

"This is delicious," he said between bites of banana lumpia from the Sistah's Ono Fried Ice Cream and Banana Lumpia Sundae booth. "I came here last night and had some of this, and I had to come back here tonight just for this.

"We are lovin' life," he said.