Because of Covid we had almost no luaus until mid-April….when SoCal’s desire to party suddenly exploded! Then we had the challenge of training a very large staff of new workers, since we had lost nearly everyone during 2020’s pandemic. It was a pretty sharp learning curve, but our new workers did their best and we successfully pulled off 197 luaus in the next 8 months. We ended the year having put together more luaus than we have ever done. We are exhausted and ready for the slow season!
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Because of Covid, nearly all of our December luaus cancelled, so we were free to perform for our church's Covid-safe Drive-by Christmas Party. Our grand-daughter, accompanied by the Chief, warmed the hearts of over 200 people who drove up to our house to see the show. We decorated our front yard with a Mele Kalikimaka theme, and encouraged folks to take an Almond Joy bar (with some hand sanitizer) on a curbside table.
Panesi Afualo was the lead musician for the Islanders back in the day! He was an amazing guitarist and lead vocalist, wrote and arranged songs for us, and accompanied all of the dances with live music. He was a masterful emcee who always had guests roaring with laughter. He was a self-taught guitarist who started his musical career with a garage band in Santa Ana California, back in the 60’s. He went to BYU-Hawaii where he played volleyball and was voted MVP of the National Championship Tournament. To make ends meet, he worked at the Polynesian Cultural Center where he became the lead musician for the their famous night show. After graduation his sister, Susiana, hired him as the lead musician for her Islanders show, which kept him busy for the next 30 years. When we realized that customer's often didn't have the budget for a full band, he recorded all of the parts for his music, part by part, into his synthesizer, and he became a one-man band. Our kids affectionately called it the Pan Band. Panesi trained his children musically and often brought them along to back him up. He was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, but continued performing for us for another 14 years while he battled the cancer. His last show was only a few weeks before he passed in the summer of 2015. He is a legend in our family and in our business.
A little over a week ago we were in Fiji for a 13 hour layover, so we hired a taxi and packed our schedule! We enjoyed a 100% authentic show at the Fiji Culture Village. We discovered a new dance that our customers will love, and we found that Fijians are incredibly friendly and wonderful people. We Bring the Islands To You! #LuauEntertainment