No parade to rain on: Shriner march canceled
By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
Members of Celtic Pipes and Drums of Hawai'i stood beneath an awning in Waikiki last night, waiting with bagpipes tucked under their arms for the rain to stop so they could lead the Aloha Shriners New Year Parade down Kalakaua Avenue.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
It only seemed to come down harder.
Rodney Takeuchi, left, and Andrew Grandinetti of Celtic Pipes and Drums of Hawaii were to march in the Shriners parade, but it was called off when the rain refused to stop.
"Nothing like the smell of wet wool in the winter," said Andrew Grandinetti, water dripping from his blue kilt.
Across the street, a group of motorcycle police officers speculated about whether they'd end up calling in sick this morning. On Saratoga Road, firefighters and musicians from marching bands huddled in doorways.
"It's called off," Norris Alaiasa, parade coordinator, conceded at about 6:30 p.m., a half-hour after the scheduled starting time. "We're going to see if we can put something together for later this week."
As he spoke, a man in a wet uniform shirt ran by, followed ducklinglike by several dozen damp and disappointed-looking teens.
"We had two bands from the Mainland," Alaiasa said. Both high-school groups had more than 200 members. "And we really wanted to call attention to the Shriners Hospital."
The rains, said Roy Matsuda, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service in Honolulu, were the result of one shower cell after another moving onto the island last night.
With no winds to oppose them, the rains poured down long and hard enough to pool in streets and roadways across O'ahu and Kaua'i.
Today's weather is likely to be a little less gray than yesterday, Matsuda said, and New Year's will be a bit brighter still. But with a new low-pressure system moving in on the heels of the last, the rain will continue into the weekend.
There will be dry spots here and there, though, he said, and the fireworks displays stand a good chance of going forward as planned.
Reach Karen Blakeman at 535-2430 or kblakeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.
