Pull out your earplugs, it’s time for the 49th Annual Waimea Christmas Twilight Parade! Starting at historic Church Row, down Mamalahoa Highway to Waimea Park, trucks of all sizes make their way through town, lit up with all manner of Christmas lights – and honking those big air horns. Semis, fire trucks, and construction vehicles will delight the keiki for sure. The parade starts after dark, roughly 6 pm. Onlookers are asked to stay on the curb for safety’s sake.

Don’t forget to come into town early, though, for the all-day Lokahi festivities. The day starts with the Waimea Hawaiian Homesteaders Farmers Market “First Saturday” where, beginning at 7 am you can enjoy fresh island produce and (this time) holiday wreaths by Roen Hufford and Bernice and Tootsie Berdon. Over at Parker School, breakfast and lunch items along with special activities are available at the Waimea Town Market from 8 am to 1 pm (say hi to my friend Claudette!). And from 10 am to 4 pm, the Christmas Fair at Waimea Center features over 40 Big Island artists and craft vendors along with free entertainment.

There will be plenty of opportunities to donate food, new, unwrapped gifts, and cash donations, too, making this a true day of “Lokahi Giving.”