Disabled get fair access to Maui fair
By Christie Wilson
Neighbor Island Editor
WAILUKU, Maui — Settling into her wheelchair after being carried off the Ferris wheel, Hannah Kawaakoa looked like she was ready for another spin.
Christie Wilson • The Honolulu Advertiser
"I like sleep up there," said Kawaakoa, 68, as other passengers eagerly boarded the E.K. Fernandez ride at yesterday's annual Special Fair, exclusively for physically and mentally disabled adults and children at the Maui County Fair grounds.
Maui Community Correctional Center inmate and volunteer Dion Wilhelm carries Hannah Kawaakoa, 68, to her wheelchair after a spin on the Ferris wheel.
Nearby, 98-year-old Umeto Yogi of Wailuku watched the giant wheel turn, but she wasn't willing to give it a try. Instead, she shared cotton candy with daughter-in-law Yaemi Yogi. "The fair's a good idea to get her out," Yaemi said.
Free entry and rides, games, food and entertainment were offered to the 2,000 people who attended the event, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Some even flew in from Kalaupapa or caught the ferry from Lana'i or Moloka'i.
Most could not enjoy the Maui County Fair during its regular hours because of the crowds and lack of special accommodations. The fair is in the middle of a four-day run that last year attracted a crush of nearly 100,000 people.
The idea for the Special Fair — unique in the state — was hatched 14 years ago during a chance encounter at the Kahului Safeway between then-county fair director Avery Chumbley and Audrey Rocha Reed, executive director of the Cameron Center in Wailuku, which provides low-cost office space to nonprofit agencies, many of which serve the disabled.
Maui's close-knit network of civic-minded business, community and public leaders kicked into high gear to generate donations of cash, food, transportation and other goods and services — everything from cotton candy and balloons to chili-rice plates and souvenir visors.
"The coordination that goes into putting on this event would challenge any CEO of a large company," Reed said. "It happens here because Maui is a caring community, and because we know who can do things and who to ask."
Here's an example of the kind of community cooperation that makes the Special Fair possible:
The Cameron Center purchased chicken and DeCoite Packing House supplied marinade ingredients; both were sent to culinary arts students at Maui Community College for preparation. The chicken was then hauled to the fairgrounds by Maui Community Correctional Center inmates and grilled at the barbecue chicken booth operated by the Maui 442 Veterans Club.
For the chili, Maui Toyota bought the ingredients, and employees at the Hale Mahaolu senior housing program cooked it up. Those same employees collected $1,000 for the Special Fair by holding a fund-raiser earlier in the year.
Reed said dozens of businesses, large and small, sent checks or in-kind donations, and the Maui County Fair Association donated $2,500.
The entire St. Anthony High School senior class volunteered, as it does every year, and several MCCC inmate crews helped set up and clean up, and even carried fairgoers on and off rides if they needed assistance.
"I'm so appreciative of all the volunteers who do this. It's so fun to see the kids — they just light up," said Heather Ganancial, who escorted family friend Sarah McGowan, 10, to the Special Fair.
Nancy Ristigian and 13-year-old daughter Nicole made their way across the fairgrounds from the Music Express at one end to the Ferris wheel at the other. "Her big deal is socializing. She loves to get out in the open and touch people," Nancy Ristigian said.
Contact Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
