The streets of Pasadena, Calif., were filled with hula dancers and songs of Hawai'i yesterday as hundreds of students from all three Kamehameha Schools campuses thrilled spectators at the 2008 Rose Parade.

Yesterday's colorful event, which was seen by millions of television viewers across the nation and throughout the world, was the first time that marching band members from the Maui and Big Island campuses of Kamehameha Schools joined their O'ahu peers.

"It was fabulous weather, really sunny and fairly warm, so that was a blessing," said John Riggle, band director for Kamehameha's Kapalama campus on O'ahu, shortly after the parade ended at 8 a.m. Hawai'i time.

"Everything went on time, flawlessly, and the Neighbor Island kids who were in there for the first time did a great job," he said. "For their first parade ever, and the biggest in the world, they're kind of like they can't believe they were in it."

The hula ensemble was especially well-received by the crowds lining the parade route.

"The people were just going crazy," he said. "Lots of crowd noise and applause all the way through the 6 miles. They were a big hit, which is what we'd hoped for."

A SPECIAL GUEST

The parade also provided one Hawai'i youngster with a very special treat.

Pearl City resident Makana Gerona, 15, was a special guest on Kaiser Permanente's float, entitled "Aloha Festival." After the parade, she said that she was awed by the thousands of cheering spectators.

"It was fun and exciting," she said of riding on the giant Hawaiian-themed float. "You don't realize how big it is until you take a step back and look."

Gerona was one of 10 children and the only one from Hawai'i picked by Kaiser for a seat on the healthcare provider's float, following more than two years of a hard-fought, and still ongoing, recovery from bleeding in her brain.

Gerona's mother, Danelle, who accompanied her daughter on the five-day trip, said Kaiser's initial fear was that her daughter might not live two hours immediately following the internal injury.

"It was touch-and-go," Danelle Gerona said. "She held on. It was a slow recovery. She had to learn how to walk again, talk again and speak again."

Though Makana Gerona graduated from elementary school last year with honors and a 4.2 grade point average, her physical therapy continues, her mother said, so the California family vacation has been nice.

The Kamehameha Schools contingent included about 35 students from Maui, 85 from the Big Island, and 170 from O'ahu.

The malo-clad students leading the group also delighted the crowd.

"They couldn't believe it," Riggle said. "The little old ladies from Pasadena were checking it out. That was a highlight. They really wondered about the outfits these guys were wearing. There was no wind, so it helped a lot."

REPRESENTING HAWAI'I

Many Hawaiians from southern California were among the spectators, as well as hundreds of relatives from Hawai'i who accompanied the students.

The band played "Koni Au" and "Aloha 'Oe," composed by King Kalakaua and Queen Lili'uokalani, respectively.

"Our job was to represent the culture, and the kids did that and feel really good about it," Riggle said.

The 119th Rose Parade's theme was "Passport to the World's Celebrations." Students from around the world took part.

"It was the first time they've ever done something like that, with all these cultures," Riggle said. "It was extremely colorful, especially the kids from El Salvador. That's a first for their country."

The evening before the parade, Kaiser hosted a banquet for the Kamehameha students and their parents. Today, the students will travel to Big Bear, Calif., for a day in the snow.

"They're all curious about snowboarding and all those kinds of things," he said. "It will be just as exciting as the parade for most of them, who have never seen snow ever."

The city estimates more than a million people visit Pasadena during the parade and Rose Bowl festivities. Thousands who spent New Year's Eve camped curbside were joined at dawn by giddy visitors arriving by car, bus and train.

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