By: Janelle Kienast
Fort Collins, Colo-- Ho`olaule`a, means celebration in Hawaii and that’s exactly what the Colorado Aloha Fest was in Boulder. A complete cultural experience for the masses and an experience like no other. While lost in the smells of traditional Hawaiian cuisine, and entranced by the bright and beautiful colored leis, one cannot help but smile while dancing around the 29th Street Mall, just a short distance from the CU Boulder campus.
On Friday September 17, 2010 this event kick started a celebration like no other with a much talked about Hula Concert including Hula Master F. Hewett and famed Grammy Award winner Daniel Ho. This cultural celebration also included art shows, hula dance performances, concerts, and the promising nail bitter football game between the CU Buffs and the UH Warriors at Folsom Field .
While thousands of people attended this festival, many do not know the history nor the recognition this event gets from the state of Hawaii. While interviewing Tammie Wa'awina Chaumillon, Event director and founder of this cultural celebration, I found that her pure love for her culture and the drive to share that same love with her hula students was the force behind the Colorado Aloha Fest. In 2006, Tammie held a small event for her students to perform and show case their talents to the community of Northglenn, much to everyone’s surprise this event sold out, as well as similar events to follow organized by Tammie. With the success of these Hawaiian cultural events, came the growth and popularity of these Hawaiian Festivals. When asked what draws people to this event Tammie proclaims “Authenticity!” And this is not an overstatement by any means considering this is the only Hawaiian festival on the mainland that is backed by many Hawaiian Organizations, as well as the Governor of Hawaii; THAT’S BIG!
This festival took 2 years of preparation and every aspect of this event is pieced together through volunteer work. Because this was a non-profit event, it was completely free to the public, and all ages were welcome. With over 70 vendors and events planned for this festival there was truly something for everyone, including aloha workshops, hula lessons and even lei making lessons.
Another powerful contributor to this festival was Richard McEntee, Colorado & Hawaii Public Relations Liaison and self made developer who founded Black Diamond Park. When McEntee was presented with information involving the Colorado Aloha Fest, he immediately wanted to jump on board and help in any way possible. Through his commitment to spread the "Spirit of Aloha" Richard became a sponsor and teamed up with Tammie to make the 2010 Colorado Aloha Fest the biggest and best it could possibly be.
Tammie Wa'awina and Richard McEntee, and their hopes to pass on the Hawaiian culture, are an inspiration to all. Their hopes of spreading a culture that is truly unique and often inexperienced in Colorado can only bring a smile to the people that are privileged enough to attend this festival. We can only hope that the Colorado Aloha Fest continues to preserve Hawaiian culture through Colorado and serve as not only a source of entertainment, but also allows each and every one of us to appreciate the brotherly bonds that can be attributed to this cultural festival.
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