While we packed a lot into day two, the pace did not feel too rushed, and we have to thank Cole H-V again for the relaxed schedule. So far there has been a lot of time to enjoy the island. Our call time for the bus was not until 11:00 a.m., so singers had time to sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast (complimentary at the hotel) and get in some beach time if they were so inclined. While our hotel is not right on the beach, it is an easy walk. Waikiki Beach is beautiful.
Our school visit on day two was to the St. John Vianney Parish School in Kailua. Our bus took us away from the “makai” (water) to the “Kailua” side (windward) and “mauka” (mountain) side. The terrain was lush and beautiful. St. John Vianney is a co-ed, private, catholic school. It was the second catholic church in Kailua, dedicated in 1962 and opened in 1965. The setting is absolutely gorgeous. We were looking at the view of lush mountains from the playground and thinking – Wow! What a place to play!
We had a little bit of unexpected excitement after we arrived. While we were rehearsing, some announcements came on the intercom and we discovered the school was in a lock down. Apparently, an armed man had robbed a nearby McDonald’s and was still on the loose in the area. The principal let us know there was a police presence on the grounds and we continued to rehearse. Eventually, still under lock down, they let the children come in quietly and we were able to perform for them, thankfully. The school was still under official lock down when we left, but it felt as if the concern had lessened somewhat.
Our concert was very well received. The elementary through middle school audience sat quietly and all seemed very interested and perceptive. There was happy interaction between our students and their students. It was a timely assembly for these children as it likely distracted them from what could have been for some a scary and stressful situation. The principal and teachers were gracious and really seemed to appreciate our visit.
After our trip to St. John Vianney, we returned to our hotel for some down time prior to the evening concert at Kawaiha’o Church. Once again, Krystal took a large group on a walking excursion for some of her favorite island food. This time it was Chun Wah Kam, which is kind of like Hawaii’s version of Panda Express, and in many of our opinions, much better. A favorite choice among many students is a pub right next to our hotel called Cheeseburger in Paradise which has really good food, smoothies, specials, and island food such as Kalua Pig, Teriyaki Cheeseburgers, Ahi Tuna etc. Other students used this time to shop for souvenirs to take home, and Cole H-V turned some of the singers on to an island treat called Coco Puffs. These are NOT the sugary cereal. These are a bakery treat consisting of the most wonderful, light, soft, round baked dough, filled with a light, creamy, chocolate pudding and chantilly cake on the top.
The bus departed for our evening concert at the church at 5 p.m. It was a beautiful evening. Very warm, but with some wind and interesting storm clouds, to make the partly sunny evening sky gorgeous and colorful. After a short warm-up/rehearsal, we walked over to the Iolani Palace to explore the grounds (which are beautiful) and to take a group shot. The palace is sacred and the stairs to it were roped off with a notice that there was an alarm that would sound if you trespassed, so we took our photo in a beautiful gazebo on the grounds just before sunset. There is the most incredible tree on the grounds, and certain Oregonians could not resist the desire to get their tree hugging on!
We had a small but very appreciative and receptive audience for the evening concert, and our students sang beautifully. We had some Beaver Believers in the audience who had heard about the performance through an email newsletter the Alumni Association sent out. Krystal and Cole H-V both had family in the audience. The setting was lovely and it was a special evening.
