Posted on: Sunday, December 5, 2004
Lights delight shivering families
By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
Families wearing raincoats and cowering beneath umbrellas, blankets and tarps lined the streets near Honolulu Hale last night for the 20th annual Honolulu City Lights.
Andrew Shimabuku • The Honolulu Advertiser Many residents return to the ceremony and parade year after year.
Lavinia Benarao of Nanakuli, shivering on the sidewalk 2 1/2 hours before the ceremony, said it was worth braving the rain.
"It's only once a year," she said, "so I guess we won't die, but why is it always like this?"
Rosita and Joe Fojas, also of Nanakuli, showed up five hours before the ceremony. The couple brought their two grandchildren, Shayne, 8, and Shyanne, 4, and their 'ukulele-playing nephew, Tony.
"It's raining a little bit," Joe Fojas said. "But that's OK. We're prepared."
Andrew Shimabuku • The Honolulu Advertiser "It's worth it," Fojas said, nodding at his grandchildren, "to see their smiles."
By just before 6 p.m., sidewalks were only passable with endless mutterings of apologies. Samelynn Martinez and her family erected a tent across the street from City Hall, and passing pedestrians ducked under the tarp.
"We had to tie it down to keep it from doing the Mary Poppins thing," she said.
Others huddled under blankets. Naydene Book of 'Aiea held a partially opened beach umbrella, cocoon-like, over her sister, nieces and grandson.
At 6 p.m., City Manager Ben Lee introduced Mayor Jeremy Harris, who gave his final City Lights address to the crowd. Mayor-elect Mufi Hannemann and the wives of both politicians stood with Harris on the stage.
• "City Lights" will be on view through Jan. 2. • The City Hall courtyard display will be open till 11 p.m. • This year's theme is "20 Years of Sparkle." • See www.honolulu • "Lei of Smiles," this year's keepsake ornament, costs $16. Available at Macy's, Borders at Waikele and Ward Centre, and the Honolulu City Lights store at Ala Moana Center. Or order online at www.honolulu The middle part of his concert was drowned out by pounding rain. The crowd muttered but stayed put, and umbrellas sprouted like mushrooms.
Then the rain tapered, and stopped, and the mayor led a countdown to the tree lighting. At zero, he ordered someone to flip the switch. For a moment the tree stayed dark. The crowd — even the babies — waited silently.
Then the tree lighted up — red, then green, yellow and blue — and behind it, City Hall glowed in changing colors.
"Beautiful," said Kelly Fritsch, a 9-year-old Le Jardin Academy pupil who moved to Kailua from the Mainland last year.
Then she turned her attention to the Hawaiian Electric Co. float, and the Fritsch family's first Electric Light Parade.
Reach Karen Blakeman at 535-2430 or kblakeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.
"It's the 20th year of the celebration and the 20th year of the tree," said Carol Costa, a city spokeswoman who has been a part of Honolulu Lights for 19 years. "Whole generations have grown up with this."
James Gatti, 1, and his mother, Maile Gatti, watch the Honolulu City Lights parade pass by on King Street during last night's festivities. The freshly lighted tree at Honolulu Hale shines in the background.
The family brought umbrellas, lawn chairs, a radio, Tony's 'ukulele, an ice chest and dinner. They've made the event a family tradition.
Nalani Mauricio, 10 months, gazes at the Christmas tree in front of Honolulu Hale along with her mother, Dorothy Mauricio of Pearl City.
Christmas bells at the tops of 60-foot palms swayed precariously over the 55-foot city tree, an intricately decorated Norfolk donated by the Weller family of Kailua, as Henry Kapono began a medley of Christmas songs.
Through Jan. 2
citylights.org for concert schedule.
citylights.org.
