Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 3, Number 2, 1 February 1986 — Na Mele ʻO Maui Slated Nov. 7-9 [ARTICLE]

Na Mele ʻO Maui Slated Nov. 7-9

Na Mele 'O Maui, staged as a tribute to the culture of the Hawaiian people, plans to embark on a new phase in 1986 by presenting key moments of the three-day festival on statewide television. This year's events are planned for the weekend of Nov. 7-9 at virtually the same facilities in Kaanapali. Dick Bacon, general manager of the festival, said the video deal is in the planning stages and expressed optimism it will be a reality. He explained that this is being done "so that all of Hawaii could join with us in viewing this spectacular festival." Talent for the 1986 program, Bacon added, "is already lined up and will feature some of the very biggest names of those entertainers who, through the years, have kept Hawaiian music in the foreground for resident and visitor alike to enjoy." Highlights of the festiva! are four major events:

• Grade School Song Festival whieh features over 700 grade school students from Maui competing for cash awards in the singing of songs in the Hawaiian language. With great support from the Department of Education, this annual event draws upwards of 2,500 students and adults. • Displays of Hawaiian arts and crafts (one day only ) at all the Kaanapali hotels. • Emma Farden Sharpe Hula Festival — This highly successful, non-competitive night of hula, named after Maui's own Auntie Emma, invites eaeh year 50 of Hawaii's foremost hula dancers. • Luau and Stage Show is the biggest source of scholarship money and features from six to nine of Hawaii's outstanding entertainers in a three-hour stage show. A history of the festival and why it was established will be detailed in a subsequent issue of this newspaper.