Parking tighter than ever for fair
By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer
Ah, the Punahou Carnival: The rides. The malassadas. The farmer's market. The parking hassles.
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser
Punahou School officials say because of construction on campus there will be even less on-site parking than usual for this year's carnival, which begins this morning.
Sam Garcia of Wai'anae, a ride operator for E.K. Fernandez, cleaned the Century Wheel yesterday in preparation for the opening of the annual Punahou Carnival today on the grounds of Punahou School.
"It will be extremely limited. We're strongly urging people to find other places this year," said Laurie Chang, a development officer at Punahou.
That means drivers heading to the carnival, which annually draws tens of thousands of people from all over O'ahu to the already congested Makiki neighborhood, will have to be especially creative, or hardy, in landing a parking space.
Then again, it's not that different from any other year.
"The trick is to park far away, bring a good pair of shoes and enjoy the walk," said Leighton Lam, a 1974 Punahou graduate who has been going to the carnival for more than 30 years. "Sometimes you have to go all the way up into Manoa Valley or back by Roosevelt High School to get a spot."
That's part of getting into the carnival spirit, said Chickie Lee Guillaume, a 1973 graduate.
"It's fun to park somewhere and start seeing all the other people headed in the same direction," she said. "And when the carnival's over, it gives you a little exercise to walk off the Hawaiian plate and the malassadas." The side streets along Manoa Road or Nehoa Street are always good places to check, she said.
As many as 40,000 people are on campus during the carnival's peak evening hours, school officials said.
Each year, the school asks all of its 650 teachers and faculty members to park off campus on Friday, the first day of the carnival. This year, the faculty will park on the large lawn at Central Union Church, three blocks away on Beretania Street. Shuttle buses will bring them to campus, Chang said.
That will open up hundreds of parking spots for the legions of volunteers who keep the carnival running from 11 a.m. today to 11 p.m. tomorrow. Carnival-goers, however, will be on their own, as usual.
In recent years, a number of nearby institutions have made something of a cottage industry out of providing auxiliary parking for those headed to the rides, games and food. Maryknoll Schools, St. Clement's Preschool and the Lutheran Church of Honolulu are among those providing parking, for a price, this year.
Maryknoll Grade School and High School have canceled classes on carnival Fridays to open up their lots across from Punahou.
"We can make about half our entire budget for the year to send boys to summer camps on the Mainland in one day," said Edwina Lee, the fund-raising chairwoman for Boy Scout Troop 242, which runs the parking operation at Maryknoll Schools on Fridays. This year's parking price is $8.
Using about 40 Scouts and parents, the troop starts preparations on Thursday night, setting up lighting in the parking lot, and preparing the nearby electrical room, bathroom and ice machines for the parking marathon, she said.
Once the carnival opens, teams of three — one parent, one older boy and one younger scout — supervise different areas of the parking lot, direct traffic and collect money.
Lee's own boys, 15-year-old twins Creighton and Stanford, have worked in the parking lot for the last two years.
"They know they have to work on Friday mornings, then they can go to the carnival later," she said. On Saturday, the parking at Maryknoll will be directed by children and parents of the school's fifth-grade class.
Most drivers headed for the carnival will try to find on-street parking in the tiny streets of Makiki and Manoa surrounding the campus. And even though generations of University of Hawai'i students know that residents can be protective of their on-street parking, they usually cut carnival-goers a little slack, Lam said.
"They know it's a family-friendly event that lasts only two days, so they aren't so quick to call the tow trucks," he said.
Lam suggests that people ride the bus, carpool or get dropped off near the carnival. City buses No. 4, 5 and 18 stop in front of the school at Punahou Street and Wilder Avenue.
But for those who insist on driving, where would Lam suggest finding a good spot?
"If I knew that, I certainly wouldn't tell everyone, now would I?" he said.
Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com
• • •
