Help welcome fall with a fun-filled day Saturday at Waimea District Park during the second annual Waimea Fall Festival from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
This year, the family-friendly festival, hosted by Waimea Athletics with the support of the Waimea Community Association and Parker Ranch, will feature locally-grown pumpkins, a farmers market, keiki games and activities, entertainment, Hawaiian crafts and demonstrations, a craft sale, exhibits and lots of great food.
Keiki will enjoy a full day of fun with face painting, a climbing wall, outdoor field games, horseback rides and a petting zoo. There will be a wristband game zone featuring carnival games such as bean bag toss, milk bottle knockdown and a fishing wall. Wristbands also will be available for the inflatables and waterslides. Be sure to bring lots of sunscreen, a swimsuit, a towel and beach chairs.
Live entertainment will be featured throughout the day, with Ginger Bertelmann as emcee. This year’s music lineup includes Hoaloha, Lorenzo’s Army, Mana Christian Ohana Youth Praise Group, Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko (taiko drums) and more.
Food booths offering a variety of mouth-watering delights will be plentiful, with island barbecue, bentos and sushi, Chinese noodles and teriyaki barbecue sticks, Waimea greens and other local favorites, such as poke nachos and Hawaiian plates. There will be lots of beverages, Braddah pops, mamaki tea and shave ice to keep everyone cool. For dessert, check out the gourmet cupcakes and topping bar, and the wide array of fresh-baked goods, including malasadas and pumpkin pies.
The festival will host numerous community organizations, including Alex & Duke DeRego Foundation, Hawaii Wildlife Center, Family Support Services, The Mauna Kea Forest Restoration Project, North Hawaii Hospice, Parker Ranch, Pohakuloa Training Area Environmental and Recycling Programs and Thelma Parker Memorial Public and School Library. Learn about the wide variety of services and resources offered by these organizations and find out how you can help.
Scrip for keiki activities and food and beverages can be purchased in advance online at www.waimeapumpkinfestival.com. Scrip also will be available at the event. Wristbands for the keiki game zone are $10 each and for the inflatables/waterslides are $20 each. They will be available at the event.
Last year’s event attracted about 5,000 people, and organizers are planning for an even larger crowd this year.
“We’re very excited to bring this festival to the community again this year,” said Theresa Fernandez, the fall festival’s executive director . “Supporting our island community, businesses, education, organizations and youth are some of the goals we’re working on as we present this family-friendly, community event.”
Admission to the festival is free. Waimea District Park is located at 67-1315 Ala ‘Ohia Road in Waimea.
For more information, contact Fernandez at waimeapumpkinpatch@gmail.com, call 989-7182 or visit waimeapumpkinfestival.com.