Rides, games, entertainment, food and wholesome family fun are just around the corner.
Rides, games, entertainment, food and wholesome family fun are just around the corner.
The Hilo Jaycees 65th annual Hawaii County Fair is Thursday through Sunday on the grounds of the Afook-Chinen Civic Center in Hilo.
“Basically, this project funds all the other projects that we do throughout the year — the Easter egg hunt, our scholarship program, basically our whole administration runs off the fair,” said Kelton Chang, one of the Jaycees’ fair organizers. “We also run this fair for over three dozen different organizations in the community who need our help to fund their year.”
This year, the fair is a bit earlier than usual, Chang said.
“We had to move it up a week,” Chang said. “When E.K. Fernandez set up their barge routes (to ship rides and games interisland) this year, that’s what was available.”
Donna Smith, executive vice president of E.K. Fernandez shows, said bumper-car aficionados will notice an upgrade this year.
“We have brand-new bumper cars, and they’re beautiful,” she said. “We just brought them in from Italy. … We had them in Kona, and they’ll be brand new for the people in Hilo.”
Smith also noted an upgrade to LED lighting where fluorescent or incandescent lights were the earlier standards.
“We have a lot of LED lights on the midway, on our games, even on some of our food wagons. It makes it so much brighter,” she said. “It just makes everything bright and beautiful. At night, people love the lights. It just gives everything a little more excitement. Plus, I think it saves money.”
“All of the classic rides, the Zipper and the Ferris wheel, they’re all redone, so they look really nice this year,” Chang added. “They’re spectacular.”
Admission each day is $6 for adults, $2.50 for children and seniors 60 and older are admitted free. Saturday is wristband day, with a 10-ride wristband selling for $30 between 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and wristband ride tabs good until 6 p.m. Sunday is half-price admission at the gate, and between 10-11 a.m. the Hilo Jaycees Food Drive allows fairgoers free entry with three cans of food for an adult and two cans for a child. Expired cans will not be accepted.
A plant, fruit and vegetable sale is from 5-9 p.m. Friday and a craft fair is from 5-9 p.m. Saturday at the Waiakea Butler Building.
Keiki Day is from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday with Keiki IDs, car seat demonstrations and preschool information. During the same hours Saturday, it’s Kupuna Day, a first for the fair, Chang noted.
“It’s a program that was developed in cooperation with the county’s Elderly Activities Division,” he said. “It’s to help the kupuna understand the activities and the programs that the county provides for the elderly, informational booths on health and being an elderly person living independently.”
The main attraction in the entertainment tent is Da Braddahs, the comedy duo of James Roche and Tony Silva, the stars of “Da Braddahs & Friends” on OC-16 television. Music is also on the bill, with notables including Sean Na‘auao, Mana‘o Company, Darlene Ahuna, Bruddah Waltah Aipolani and Sudden Rush.
Another first is the Sweet Thunder Hot Poke Contest at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
“It’s a poke that’s very, very hot. They use ghost peppers and everything,” Chang said. “They have it every month at Sweet Thunder, and I actually won that thing. There’s only about three or four people who’ve actually finished it.”
And, of course, there’s the food. Fair fare includes funnel cakes, cotton candy, popcorn, corn dogs, pretzels, lemonade — and for those unafraid of cardiac arrest, deep-fried Oreos and Twinkies.
Since this is Hawaii, there are also local favorites such as Hawaiian food, Thai food, loco moco, Braddah Pops and a first, Stacy’s Poi Balls.
The fair is a rain-or-shine event, although with the number of tropical cyclones this hurricane season, the Jaycees will be monitoring the weather with an eye toward keeping everybody safe.
“Hopefully the storms will stay on their (projected) path so we don’t have to have a last-minute cancellation,” Chang said.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
65th annual Hawaii County Fair entertainment
Thursday, Sept. 10
6:30-6:55 p.m. Sweet Thunder Hot Poke Contest
7:15-7:45 p.m. Puna Taiko
8-9 p.m. Da Braddahs
9:15-10:15 p.m. One Rhythm
Friday, Sept. 11
6:30-7:15 p.m. Vaughn
7:30-8 p.m. Toa Here
8:15-9:15 p.m. Da Braddahs
9:30-10 p.m. Bruddah Waltah
10:30-11 p.m. Sudden Rush
Saturday, Sept. 12
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Kupuna Day Activities
10-10:45 a.m. Cooking demonstration by Derek Kurisu and George Yoshida
11-11:15 a.m. Line dancing performance
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Cooking demonstration by Roann Okamura
12:30-1 p.m. Puna seniors hula
2-2:45 p.m. A Way Out
3-4:15 p.m. Gone Country
4:30-5:15 p.m. N 2 Dance
5:30-6:15 p.m. Darlene Ahuna
6:30-7 p.m. Merah Productions
7:15-8 p.m. Ryan Hiraoka
8:15-9:45 p.m. Mana‘o Company
10-11 p.m. Loeka & The Boys
Sunday, Sept. 13
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Keiki Day (Keiki IDs, car seat demonstrations, etc.)
Noon-12:45 p.m. Lehua Hawaii Productions
2-2:45 p.m. Hi Pulse
3-3:45 p.m. Salsa Latino
4:30-5:30 p.m. Sean Na‘auao
5:45-6:30 p.m. Lions Isle
6:45-7:45 p.m. The Project