ROD OHIRA'S PEOPLE
Knight's steed carries on work

By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer

In the Year of the Horse, the Fernandez family is donating a fitting gift to the American Heart Association of Hawai'i to auction in memory of Kanekepo'okalani "Kane" Fernandez, the late carnival king of the Pacific.

A hand-carved carousel horse valued at $10,000 was created by the owners of Chance Rides as a gift to the late 'Kane' Fernandez, to represent aspects of his personality. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

Designed as a medieval knight's steed, the full-size carousel horse valued at $10,000 features exquisite hand-carved detail and painting. It was created for Fernandez as a gift by Chance Rides owners Richard and Carol Chance.

"It's the detail that makes it one of a kind," said T.J. Hernandez, who works for his parents as Chance Rides' sales and marketing director. "Kane was a very close friend of our family, and the horse was designed to represent him." The armor symbolizes Fernandez's personality and strength, Hernandez said.

The carousel horse and other items will be offered at a silent auction at the 25th American Heart Association of Hawai'i's Heart Ball Saturday at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. The auction begins at 6 p.m.

"It's a very meaningful gift, because the family is giving up part of Kane," said Jo Anne Vieira, co-chair of the event, whose father, Clarence Andrade, ran track with Fernandez at the University of Hawai'i. "Kane was such a giving man. This gift is a wonderful representation of what he stood for."

Richard and Carol Chance flew to Hawai'i in 1993 to present Fernandez and his wife, the former Linda Osborne of Arizona, with the carousel horse at a Hawaii Medical Association banquet honoring them for community service.

"It was a total surprise," Linda Fernandez said of the gift. "Kane was always a showman, never at a lost for words. But on that evening he was speechless."

Kane Fernandez, president and chief executive of Fernandez Entertainment Inc. and E.K. Fernandez Shows Inc., died of a heart attack 13 months ago at age 64. Shortly afterward, Linda Fernandez gave the horse to her son, Scott, the new president of E.K. Fernandez Shows and Fernandez Events, to pass on his father's "fighting spirit, courageous nature and generosity of self."

"Hopefully, the money that's donated will extend the ride for a whole bunch of people, or get research done to find a cure for what my father had," said the younger Fernandez. "I couldn't think of a better use for it. It's for a higher purpose, and Kane would be proud."

For his family, the carousel horse perfectly symbolizes the memory of Kane Fernandez.

"It became our symbol of joy, strength and heart, and we want it to be the same for the Heart Association," Scott Fernandez said. "Life's a circle, and like a carousel, it goes around and around. Knowing this piece brought us joy and happiness and will do the same now for others completes the circle."

Painted on one side of the saddle is a knight fighting a dragon. Her late husband had the fighting spirit of a knight, Linda Fernandez said.

"He was in the business of bringing joy, but it wasn't always joyous for our own selves," she said. "It's a stressful business, especially when flat tires and wind and rain occur during setup. But Kane used to always say, 'We'll figure it out' and 'The public should never know there's a problem.'

"He was a knight who brought joy to all the children in the land."

Carousel horses had been lucky for the couple.

Linda recalled once when they were vacationing in Napa Valley and visited the exclusive Grace Family Vineyards in St. Helena.

"We went just to look, because there was no way we were going to get into the winery," she said. "It's so exclusive they don't even sell their wines, they donate it to charity. As we were walking up the driveway, I looked up and saw a carousel horse sitting near one of the windows.

"Kane asked the owner, 'Would you be related to the Graces in Hawai'i?' The man said yes, and Kane then asked about the carousel horse."

Former Hawai'i resident Dick Grace, who founded Grace Family Vineyards in 1976, which donates its Cabernet Sauvignon to support charities benefitting children worldwide, recalled meeting the Fernandez couple.

The carousel horse he had bought at a Honolulu antique shop at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in the mid-1960s was once part of an E.K. Fernandez ride, said Grace, son of Guy Grace and grandson of Grace Brothers' co-founder John Grace (now Grace Pacific).

"As a young boy my father, who was born in 1903, enjoyed (the rides), and I like to think he may have ridden this horse," Grace said.

Thanks to the memory of Kane Fernandez, the dream of a good ride is still alive.

Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.