KAILUA-KONA — The 32nd Annual Kailua-Kona Community Christmas Parade is going to look a little different in 2016.
KAILUA-KONA — The 32nd Annual Kailua-Kona Community Christmas Parade is going to look a little different in 2016.
For years, the theme of the parade has been the Songs of Christmas and has extensively featured live music. Musical stylings won’t be absent from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday, when more than 70 entries will parade through the village, but the aesthetic will be distinct from previous processions.
“There were parade people who said they wanted to change it, so we came up with the theme of a Hawaiian Style Christmas,” said Renee Kraft, who is co-chairing the parade along with Barbara Kossow.
She offered an example of how the aesthetic of the parade will shift.
“Santa Clause will be casual this year, wearing an aloha shirt,” she said.
A more profound absence than Santa’s red suit in this year’s parade will be the absence of Dr. Cliff Kopp — a Kona dentist, Rotarian and community activist — who served as an integral part of both the parade’s planning and procession, sitting as its chair for over a decade.
Kopp passed away unexpectedly in October at the age of 60. A memorial service will be held today on the north side of Keauhou Bay and will begin at 10:30 a.m.
“He liked to entertain people,” said Kopp’s wife, Megumi. “It was his pleasure to entertain the kids. He put so much thought into both of the parades.”
The committee decided to dedicate the event to Kopp’s memory, Kraft said, and thus declined to name a grand marshal.
Instead, Megumi will ride in the lead car accompanied by her two sons, Jeremy and Adam, who will proceed on foot on the vehicle’s flanks. A script will be read as she passes each announcer’s station to explain who she is, and by extension, who Kopp was.
“Cliff was everywhere in the parade, and it’s very strange that he’s not here this year,” Megumi said. “I thought it’d be nice to have something in his memory.”
Several road blocks will be erected along the parade route, mostly at intersections with Kuakini Highway and Alii Drive. The parade starts at Kekuakalani Gym on Kuakini Highway and drops down to Alii Drive at Palani Road and treks through the village before ending at Waula Road. A full list of road blocks as well as application information to enter the parade can be found at www.paradesinkona.com.