Kailua beach party defies those drizzly skies

Gray clouds and drizzle weren't the ideal backdrop for the "Sunset on the Beach," which took place yesterday at Kailua Beach Park. Kainani Derrickson, 8, tried to catch a few winks before a performance while Sherein Tabanan, 7, Maeann Gapuz, 5, and the rest of "Rhonda and the Children of the World" waited in a constant drizzle. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

For a while, the heavy gray skies blanketing the island yesterday gave the first suburban Sunset at the Beach a comfortable, laid-back feeling.

"They've had a good, steady crowd," a police officer directing cars into a parking lot near Kailua Beach Park said at about 3 p.m., five hours into the event. "Nothing crazy, but steady."

Dampness threatened throughout the day, but the crowd seemed determined to have a good time. This was, after all, the first of the city's Sunset gatherings to be held outside of Waikiki.

Terry and Mina Knight, a Canadian couple living in Enchanted Lake, were taking their two kids home for a midafternoon break. They intended to return for the movie, "Planet of the Apes," set to begin at 6 p.m.

"It was really good," Terry Knight said of the early part of the event. "Especially the music; a nice chance to listen to the local tunes. I would like to suggest that they should sell beer, though. A cold beer would have topped it off nicely."

There was no beer in the park. But a dozen local restaurants manned stands that offered food ranging from hot dogs with pineapple relish to tacos served alongside virgin margaritas. An open market featured the products of nearly 75 local businesses and, onstage, Rhonda and the Children of the World sang tunes from the movie "Grease," which is scheduled for tonight's Sunset at the Beach showing, also at Kailua Beach Park.

As 4 p.m. approached, a light rain began to fall. Volunteers from the Kailua Chamber of Commerce donned plastic rain parkas provided by Hardware Hawaii, and offered to sell others to visitors stepping from the trolley.

"What is an event in Kailua without a little rain?" asked Non DeMello of Agnes' Portuguese Bakery. DeMello was serving hot malassadas. Buyers were lining up.

"They're nice and warm," 7-year-old Rachel Cates of Kailua said as she clutched her bag and shivered a little, and the rain beat down harder.

Robert Twogood, of Twogood Kayaks Hawaii, and Carol Naish, of Naish Sails Hawaii, spoke of how wonderful it was to see the merchants of Kailua work so closely together. Neither Naish nor Twogood made any money yesterday. Their would-be customers were more concerned with staying dry.

By 5 p.m., all but the diehards had left the park.

"We're the diehards," said Tracy Akiona of Kailua. She and her friends sheltered beneath a blue tarp strung over a table. Akiona said she would have been there even if the mayor hadn't been planning to show a movie: She and her crowd are in the park every weekend, rain or shine. "There are about 15 of us who do this," Akiona said. "Thirty, if you count my kids."

At 5:30, the food vendors were packing up.

"We're going back to where they put tequila in the margaritas," said Dawn Silverberg of Cisco's Cantina. "We'll be back tomorrow."

Twenty minutes later, when there were no other options., Mayor Jeremy Harris arrived to tell the crowd that "Planet of the Apes" was cancelled for the night.

"It should be better tomorrow," he said, trying to stay upbeat as he waded toward the stage. "Maybe we'll show both movies then."