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Lahaina Plantation Days celebrates West Maui’s plantation heritage

By Staff | Sep 20, 2012

This entertainment lineup for the 2012 Lahaina Plantation Days includes The Brothers Cazimero (above), Nuff Sed, Da Braddahs, Na Hoa, Kory Kukahiko, Maui Taiko, Na Kupuna Ohana Serenaders and the Kamehameha Schools Maui-Hawaiian Ensemble.

LAHAINA – West Maui will again celebrate its rich plantation heritage during the fourth annual Lahaina Plantation Days on Oct. 18-20.

Presented by Lahaina Restoration Foundation, this three-day event will be held at the old Pioneer Mill site surrounding the historic smokestack on Lahainaluna Road.

Event hours are 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 18 and 5 to 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 19-20.

“Ono food and great entertainment continue to be the big draw for attendees, and this year’s event is no exception,” said event director Anela Haina.

“A variety of award-winning restaurants will prepare popular menu items such as Sansei’s Dynamite Shrimp, Leoda’s Mac Nut Chocolate Praline Pie and Maui Portuguese Clubs’ Melting Malasadas. Legendary performers will share the stage with Maui’s most talented artists, making this celebration a culinary and musical treat. The Lahaina Plantation Days is definitely the place to be.”

The festivities will begin on Thursday, Oct. 18, with a Movie Night featuring Kayo Hatta’s decorous film “Picture Bride,” a touching film about the American dream as seen through the eyes of a Japanese mail-bride living in Hawaii in the early 1900s.

The film shares the trials and tribulations of Asian women married to plantation laborers and how they coped with their new lives. A performance by Maui Taiko precedes the film. Gates open at 6:30 p.m.

On Friday and Saturday, the public will enjoy a myriad of restaurant food booths; beer and wine garden; coffee tent; keiki carnival games, game booths and horse rides; a Portuguese cultural tent; farmers’ market; historical displays; plantation exhibits; and island music.

Admission to Lahaina Plantation Days is $3 per night or $5 for a three-day pass. For tickets and more information, call Lahaina Restoration Foundation at 661-3262 or visit www.LahainaRestoration.org. Tickets will be available at the gate. Parking is free.

Lahaina Plantation Days pays tribute to Lahaina’s plantation era from 1860 to 1999. A prominent feature of the event is the Pioneer Mill Company Smokestack. A brick walkway encircles its base with individual bricks engraved with the names of community stakeholders.

The public may purchase bricks during the October event or make a donation online at www.LahainaRestoration.org.

In celebration of LRF’s 50th anniversary, the nonprofit organization is offering until the end of this year a two-for-one special: buy one brick, get one brick free.

Lahaina Plantation Days is supported in part by Kaanapali Land Management Corp., the county Office of Economic Development and Hawaii Tourism Authority.