16th Annual Lei Day Las Vegas 2013 - Polynesie Arts & Craft Festival.

"Halau Hula 'O Kaleimomi" - Kumu Hula Sheldeen Haleamau

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.

 The so called 9th island of Las Vegas will be celebrating their 16th Annual Lei Day Las Vegas Polynesie Arts and Craft Festival in the spirit of Aloha on Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5, 2013.  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 (photo above) Manalani Mili Hokoana English, Miss Aloha Hula 2013 and 'Iwalani Kuali'i-Kaho'ohanohano, Miss Kahala 2013.

Katherine Pohndorf, is the 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, with a temperature of 80 degrees.

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, Mark Yamanaka "Na Hoku Winner 2011" and Na Hoa.  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, 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 some highlight video and photos. Youtube. Please check back. A Hui Hou Kakou.