Wai'anae does heavy lifting to energize cheaper 'Sunset'

What do you think of the city's plan to revamp the Sunset on the Beach events? Join our discussion

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer

The popular Sunset on the Beach festivals — which faced cutbacks because of a lack of public money — have evolved into a partnership between the city and O'ahu's communities, and last weekend Wai'anae proved that the new blueprint can work.

Leeward response to the "Sunset on the Beach" festival at Ma'ili Beach Park in March, above, thrilled merchants. Volunteers helped last weekend's cheaper version succeed. Advertiser library photo • March 17, 2002

But it wasn't easy. Raising money was the hardest part, organizers say, and staging the event required hundreds, maybe even thousands, of hours of work from volunteers.

"I put in close to 300 hours in planning, calling, going out to get donations," said Patty Teruya, chief organizer. And that was just her personal cost.

But that's how the Sunset events will be done from now on.

The old way of doing things — the city pays for everything and helps organize the event for an individual community — is out. Instead, communities that want a festival must orchestrate it from start to finish, contending with financing, coordinating and staging an event of considerable magnitude. The city's role is to offer advice and support, including organizing meetings and providing police and park cleanup.

Among the other new requirements under the city plan:

• Events will be primarily regional, shared among several communities rather than focused on one particular town.
• Five geographic regions have been designated — Wai'anae, Windward, North Shore, Central and 'Aiea/Pearl City — with city officials anticipating one event per region per year.
• A Hawai'i Tourism Authority grant program is available to cover some of the costs, but organizers must come up with the rest.

After being criticized for spending $1.5 million on Sunset/Brunch on the Beach events last year, city officials came up with their partnership plan, which they say will cut their costs while keeping alive the food and film bashes that have attracted hundreds of thousands of people since their inception 13 months ago and proved to be an economic boon for some communities.

But now that details of the "new" Sunset events are emerging, some residents are expressing concern over some of the changes, including the heavy burden placed on communities that want the festivals. Others are dismayed that some communities — Waimanalo for one — are being turned down for individual festivals in favor of the regional bashes. Wahiawa, Kalihi, 'Ewa Beach and Kapolei also had requested Sunset events. The city is still sponsoring Sunset on the Beach in Waikiki once a month, and local businesses have been pitching in to pay for the event on the other three weekends of every month.

Andrew Jamila Jr., coordinator for a planned Waimanalo Sunset at the Beach, learned recently that the community had been lumped in with the Windward regional festival.

Not only has an opportunity for economic development been lost, but the community is disappointed that it won't be able to show off its beaches, mountains and people, he said.

City Deputy Managing Director Malcolm Tom said budget cuts necessitated the move to regional events. The city economic development program that paid for the brunches and sunset events was cut by half, Tom said, and no money was allotted to the community festivals.

If a single community such as Waimanalo wants an event, the city still will help, but organizers will have to have the financing in place, he said.

"If they can raise the funds to cover the cost, we'll be there in a jiffy," Tom said.

Teruya said it takes about $50,000 to stage a Sunset festival. Beyond that, the main ingredients are advertising and widespread community participation, she said.

Wai'anae had a core group of 50 volunteers who helped plan and organize the event. Planning took 2 1/2 months. In addition, dozens of businesses and community organizations up and down the Leeward Coast helped, as did the city, which helped coordinate meetings, supplied fliers, provided police, park cleanup, chairs and umbrellas, and helped obtain permits.

"We made it work because we wanted it so bad," Teruya said.

Financing received a boost with key donations of $5,000 each from Ko Olina Resort and Hawai'i Waste Management.

Other money is still up in the air, with the community's application for a $25,000 grant from the Hawai'i Tourism Authority in a program being administered by the city still under review.

But Muriel Anderson, director of tourism programs at the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, said sunset festivals are just the type of events that the organization is looking at to enhance tourists' stay in the islands.

"We have been involved in the past several years in supporting activities that will enrich the visitor experience while they're here," Anderson said.

Wai'anae said 39 percent of the visitors to its festival were tourists.

Despite Wai'anae's success, only one more regional Sunset festival has been scheduled for the rest of the year. The Windward event, which will include Waimanalo, Kailua, Kane'ohe and Kahalu'u, is set for Oct. 4-6. Its organizers also have applied for an HTA grant.

For anyone else hoping to stage a beach bash, the deadline to apply for an HTA grant has passed.

Pohai Ryan, executive director of the Kailua Chamber of Commerce which spearheaded the Kailua sunset party in January, said the regional project will be more difficult to plan.

Whereas the Kailua event had one person taking responsibility for leadership, she wasn't sure how the regional event would be coordinated among the four communities.

"You can't have too many people in charge because it's going to be a big circus," Ryan said.

Some questions remain, and she hopes that a meeting tonight between the city and the communities will clear things up.

For now she doubts that $50,000 will cover everything needed for a festival, such as screen rental and insurance. She's also concerned about the division of responsibility between the city and the communities.

"In a lot of ways I feel like we have no control," Ryan said. "It's an insecure feeling."

Teruya said she would not hesitate to plan another Sunset event.

"If your heart is for your community and you can work with your community, they give you the strength to do this," she said.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.