Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 9, 1 September 1987 — Las Vegas is Site of 28th Annual Meeting [ARTICLE]

Las Vegas is Site of 28th Annual Meeting

2,000 Expected at Hawaiian Civic Club Convention

By Kenny Haina, Editor Ka Wai Ola O OHA An estimated 2,000 delegates, guests and observers are expected to converge on downtown Las Vegas, Nev., Nov. 11-14, when the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs holds its 28th annual convention at the Union Plaza Hotel. This was the observation made by Toni Lee, AOHCC convention administrator, who reported at the Aug. 8 meeting of the Association Board that 400 rooms at the Union Plaza have been booked solid and sold out. The 400 rooms are divided 200 eaeh between the California and Hawaii clubs. Mrs. Lee explained that many other Hawaiian Civic Clubs in Hawaii have booked elsewhere on their own at other downtown hotels. "We have no idea what that number is but we do know we need more rooms at the Union Plaza," she declared.

Host club for this year s convention, originally scheduled to be held in Honolulu but changed by delegates at the 1986 convention on Kauai, is ' Ahahui O Lili'uokalani of Los Angeles County. There are two other California clubs and one in Utah. The 1988 convention is set for the Kona Surf Hotel in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. A eouple of changes on the 1987 meeting agenda have been made. There will be no President's luneheon and no Fun Night, two traditional activities. Also, presentation of awards, usually made at the President's luneheon, will instead take plaee on the convention floor Saturday morning, Nov. 14. A Royal Centennial Ball sponsored by the host Lili'uokalani club will take the plaee of the usual convention-ending luau on Saturday evening, Nov. 14, at the Union Plaza.

The 'Aha Mele or song contest will precede the Royal Ball at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 13. The selected song is "Pehea Ho'i Au" by Charles E. King with arrangements by Randie Fong, a 1978 graduate of the Kamehameha Schools who is on the music faculty at Kapalama Heights. Pearl Harbor HCC choral director Nola Nahulu again chairs the 'Aha Mele. In recreational activities, golf will be at the Sahara Country Club; bowling at the Show Boat lanes; and cribbage, konane, kamau and Hawaiian games will take plaee at convention headquarters, all on Thursday, Nov. 12.

There are also a historic sites tour, lei contest and the Ho'omau i Ka Hana Lima No'eau A Na Hawaii display. Additionally, several clubs have been given approval by the Association to display and sell some of their crafts. They include: Queen Emma — Feather goods and lauhala hats. Prince Kuhi'o — Ho'olako 1987 commemorative coins and gold jewelry. Pearl Harbor — Hawaiian handicrafts (ti leaf leis, coconut bracelets, kukui nut rings). Waianae — Inamona, limu kohu, pa'akai alae, Kupuna Katherine Maunakea's booklet on lauhala

weaving and lauhala products. Puuloa — Feather leis (contingent upon approval of the Queen Emma club). The AOHCC board reemphasized at its Aug. 8 meeting an action taken during its May 16 meeting that they will stick with two keynote speakers with Sen. Daniel K. Inouye at the Friday, Nov. 13, opening session, and Gov. John David Waihee III for Saturday, Nov. 14.

The Board also stipulated it will not accept substitutes. "If either party is not able to fulfill the request, the Board will deliberate on other selections," it said. The 1987 convention theme is: "E alu like ana ike ka ana o'ko kakou ho'oilina i ala mau (Joining together to share our heritage so that it lives on)." It was composed by Keoni DuPont and Kaipo Hale of the Kamehameha

Schools Hawaiian Studies staff. In other Aug. 8 action, the board voted to pull the charter of the Kuakini club of Kona and hold in abeyanee the charter of the Ho'opuloa club until such time they ean get going again. The Kuakini charter was pulled because of inactivity and unresponsiveness.

The board heard from Linda Kawai'ono Delaney, chairperson of the Pnnee Kuhio constitution and bylaws committee, on a proposed resolution calling for an AOHCC constitution and bylaws convention. Board members also approved the appointment of Dennis Sai of the same Kuhio club as convention sergeant-at-arms. AOHCC second vice president Kinau Kamali'i hosted the meeting and provided refreshments and luneh.