People looking for shamrocks galore, leaping leprechauns and Emerald Isle magic are in a bit o’ luck. Several festivities are happening Saturday in West Hawaii to honor the saint who supposedly drove the snakes from Ireland. People looking for shamrocks
People looking for shamrocks galore, leaping leprechauns and Emerald Isle magic are in a bit o’ luck. Several festivities are happening Saturday in West Hawaii to honor the saint who supposedly drove the snakes from Ireland.
Attendees of cattle rancher and Paniolo Preservation Society member Gail Rice’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Party in Waimea be warned: Wear the universal color of the day or end up in “jail.” The party, from 5 to 9:30 p.m. at Pukalani Stables, offers entertainment by bagpipers, drummers and fiddle player Tony Selvage; Irish dancing; a Best Dressed Irish Lass and Lad Contest; a meal of Irish stew and soda bread; and a no-host bar. Also, Waimea resident Sherwood Ball will sing “When Irish Eyes are Smiling,” the song his great-grandfather Ernest Ball composed.
Fewer than 100 tickets are left at Kamuela Liquor Store and Parker Ranch Store. The $25 suggested donation includes entry and dinner. Contributions go to the Paniolo Preservation Society, which celebrates, promotes and preserves Hawaii’s ranching industry and the accomplishments of the generations of paniolo. In particular, this party honors Jack Purdy, an early pioneer of Hawaii’s ranching industry who was Irish, said Rice.
“Purdy took pride in his role as a skilled, aggressive and intense bullock hunter. Purdy was a rowdy, living the rugged life typical of his peers in living the rugged life typical of his peers in the America West,” according to Dr. Billy Bergin’s book, “Loyal to the land: the legendary Parker Ranch, 750-1950.”
Rice has thrown St. Patrick’s Day parties on Hawaii Island since 1993. She is 100 percent Irish and likes sharing her ancestry in a fun way with the community.
Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, including pets.
Kona Commons is hosting its St. Pet-Trick Day extravaganza from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for furry four-legged friends. The event offers a food drive, fashion show, trick contest, photos, hydration station, massages and healing booth — all for pets. Their owners can enjoy a sidewalk sale, face painting, balloons, visits with costumed characters, K9 Search and Rescue demonstration, Kaimi the Arson Dog demonstration and prizes from merchants.
Kona Commons and Petco will attempt to set two Guinness World Records — building the largest dog house out of pet food and adopting the most pets in six hours. The shopping center will erect a frame, roughly 8-feet tall, 6-feet wide and 10-feet tall. It will then be filled and covered in pet food. Attendees are encouraged to donate canned and unopened bags of pet food, later divided up and donated to Hawaii Island Humane Society, Rainbow Friends, AdvoCats, and Kohala Animal Relocation and Education Service, said Nancy Sakamoto, property manager.
For the most adoptions title attempt, Petco is having its Mega Pet Adoption from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with oversight from the Hawaii Island Humane Society. Potential adopters must complete an application and undergo a screening process to ensure the animal is placed in a permanent, caring and responsible home, Sakamoto said.
Throughout the event, attendees may make donations, sign up to become volunteers or learn more about the animal charities, she said.
It’s easy being green at The Rotary Club of Kona Sunrise’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Hawaii Big Game Fish Club at Honokohau Small Boat Harbor. A traditional feast of corned beef and cabbage will be served, as well as Kona Brewing Co. beer, pupus and dessert. There will also be entertainment by LT Smooth, a silent auction and raffle, said Ann Goody, the club’s new generations chairwoman.
Following the revelry, several Rotarians have volunteered to be designated drivers or call cabs for those too intoxicated to drive home on their own, Goody said.
Tickets, costing $20, can be purchased at Queen K Tesoro, Kona Wine Market, Kailua Candy Co. and Kona Adult Day Center. Between 60 and 70 tickets were available Tuesday. All money raised will support the club’s community projects, Goody said.
