The magic of the Merrie Monarch Festival

Craig and I are off again soon... next week April 12-21 2009... to Hilo for our second experience of the Merrie Monarch Festival, which we saw for the first time last year
(by the way this was Miss Aloha Hula 1998, Lokalia Kahele)

and this is the stadium.. Edith Kanaka`ole Tennis Stadium in Hilo... a giant open ended quonset hut that seats thousands... when you see the dancers on stage, behind them, you look right out at Mauna Kea... beatiful! and the breezes gently blow in bringing lovely scents from outside. then night falls and the sky behind the dancers slowly fades to black, as you see dance after dance after dance...
Below IS Mauna Kea... almost as you see it from the hard bleacher seats in the hall, but it's bigger and luminous and no ocean in front



We are looking forward to the chance to mingle with many happy people enjoying the music, guessing who the musicians will be, watching the incredible dancing,and choosing just the right lei and dress and hatband for the evening at the stadium, maybe after hiking and visiting all day

Three days of exploring the south half of Hawaii... then four days and nights of hula... and then the parade.. a great time to linger in modest Hilo, the most accessible feeling of all Hawaiian towns, with just the right blend of un-pretention, great flower and food markets, three or four really tasty little restaurants, and quite the setting... if it doesn't rain... which it will