15th Annual Lei Day Las Vegas Polynesie Arts & Craft Festival

In Hawaii, May Day is also known as Lei Day, and is normally set aside as a day to celebrate island culture in general and native Hawaiian culture in particular. Invented by a poet and a local newspaper columnist in the 1920s, it has since been adopted by state and local government as well as the residents, and has taken on the sense of a general spring celebration. The first Lei Day was proposed in 1927 in Honolulu by poet and artist Don Blanding. Leonard "Red" and Ruth Hawk composed "May Day is Lei Day in Hawai'i," the traditional holiday song.

Joe & Irma Andrade - KP & Tetua Ioane

 The so called 9th island of Las Vegas will be celebrating the 15th Annual Lei Day Las Vegas Polynesie Arts and Craft Festival in the spirit of Aloha on Saturday, May 5 and Sunday, May 6, 2012.  Promoters for this event are Curly Koa Production and GSK Production LLC, Gary and Sheldeen Haleamau, Halau Hula 'O Kaleimomi, Vacations Hawaii, the California Hotel and Casino, and Boyd Gaming.  This annual Polynesian festival brings together musicians, dancers, artists, craftsmen and also showcases Hawaii's local foods such as kalua pig, lau lau, poi, beef teriyaki sticks, hot malasadas and poi mochi.  So "ono." This year's guests of honor are Skyler Kamaka, Miss Diamond Head and Moani Hara, Miss Kahala 2012.

I met Katherine Pohndorf, executive producer and president of Curly Koa Productions and promoter and founder of this Lei Day event. Katherine is also known as "KP," and she grew up in Honokowai, Maui and attended Lahainaluna High School. Her inspiration for Lei Day Las Vegas stems from her involvement with the foundation and her beloved Kumu Hula aunty Emma Farden-Sharpe. From this, the special Hula Halau tradition is kept alive and Lei Day was born in Las Vegas. Today's weather was perfect, a little "chilly" in the early morning with a temperature of 68 degrees.

Jill Reinhardt Emanuel

I also ran into Jill Reinhardt Emanuel, born and raised on   Maui, and founder of Kama'aina Magazine. In 2010, Jill saw  the need for a Hawaiian business directory in Las Vegas when she realized that many of the businesses referred to her by friends, were those owned by people from Hawaii. She was amazed after 15 years, that there were so many Hawaiian-owned businesses she had not heard of. So in October 2011, Kama'aina Magazine was born. 

To close this event on Saturday in the Ohana-Maile Room, Master of Ceremony Makani Tabura presented Halau Hulu 'O Kaleimomi - Kumu Hula Sheldeen Haleamau Kawili, Kupaoa and Na Palapalai.  What awesome performance! If you haven't been to a Hawaiian Jam, this you had to be there to feel the chicken skin run up your arm and down your back. Awesome, Awesome! The crowd of 300 plus kept yelling "Hana Hou," do it again!


Special thanks to GSK Production, Gary and Sheldeen Haleamau, Halau Hula 'OKaleimomi, in association with Curly Koa Production, Inc., Joe Andrade and Irma, Katherine Pohndorf and Tetua Ioane (photo right), and Sigrid Brunel, artist of "Brunel Images" who helped with the flyers.  Much mahalo to Hawaiian Airlines Agent, Mona Lisa (Honolulu), and Main Street front desk employee, Shantell Hamada for such great service; and Gene and Lee Mago from Reno for another beautiful Hawaiian lei. Just a note, if you're looking for Las Vegas Jerkys, Etc., I found out that they moved to the Las Vegas Club, ground floor across the Players Club. Click here to see video and photos. A Hui Hou Kakou.