Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 04, 1 April 2003 — Hilo's Meme Monarch celebrates 40 years [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hilo's Meme Monarch celebrates 40 years

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By Manu Boyd In 1963, the Merrie Monarch was born — not King Kalākaua, the "merrie monarch" known for his love of culture and the arts, but the Hilo festival that bears his name. Originally intended to boost tourist travel to East Hawai'i and spark the sluggish economy, festival founders representing the Hilo Chamber of Commerce produced such events as a bicycle race and a mustache contest mimicking the festival's beaded namesake. But it wouldn't be for another eight years that the festival's premier event would emerge — getting to the heart of what King Kalākaua perhaps loved most of all. "The first Merrie Monarch Hula Competition was in 1971," recalled Kumu Hula Aloha Dalire, who won that year as the festival's first Miss Hula, now known as Miss Aloha Hula. "Unele

George Nā'ope and Aunty Dottie Thompson wanted to see the festival grow even more," she said. And now, with 33 years of the hula eompetition, Unele George and Aunty Dottie as kūpuna are still festival icons, although Thompson's daughter, Luana Kawelu, is taking over as festival chair. Without a doubt, the Menie Monarch Hula Competition has emerged as the premier hula event in the world with thousands of live viewers, and hundreds of thousands who witness the spectacle via statewide television, and through the Internet. Tickets are at a premium and are often difficult to get, even for Hilo residents. For those who are lucky enough to get in, they'll be treated to Hawai'i's finest hula with the solo division — Miss Aloha Hula — on Thursday, hula kahiko See MERRIE MONARCH on page 20

Mlss Aloha Hula 2002, Mōlla Peterson.

MERRIE MONARCH fiom page 12 (traditional/ancient) on Friday, and 'auana (modern) as well as group awards on Saturday. Always following Easter Sunday, this year's hula competition will be held Apiil 24-26 at the Edith Kanaka'ole Stadium in Hilo. The three-evening competition is aired live on KITV ehannel 4, and is a media magnet the entire week with regular coverage in statewide newspapers, magazines and through broadcast media. Eaeh evening, you will be treated to nearly five hours of hula by some of Hawai'i's top hālau as well as groups from the continent. In this competition, international hālau may participate in community activities, but not the hula competition. Some regular participants include Dalire and her Keolalaulani Hālau 'Ōlapa o Laka; Hilo's Johnny Lum Ho and Hālau o ka Ua Kanilehua; Olana Ai and Hālau Hula Olana, and the late Paleka Mattos' Hula Hālau o

Kamuela, to be led this year by Kau'i Kamana'o. Fifteen Miss Aloha Hula hopefuls make this the biggest solo competition yet. With the regal presence of the Menie Monarch Royal Court, colorful T-shirts, 'ono food, craft fairs galore and a festive Saturday parade through Hilo town, the 40th annual Menie Monarch Festival promises to be the biggest and best ever. For those interested in attending the 2004 event, tickets are available after January 1, 2004, by writing to the festival at the Hawai'i Naniloa Hotel, 93 Banyan Dr., Hilo, HI 96720. For information, eall 808-935-6198, but don't expect an answer right away, because the festival is still run Hilo-style with a minimal office staff and a cadre of hundreds of grassroots volunteers who ensure the festival's success from year to year. ■