Hawaiian Entertainment at the Capistrano Library Friday

 From our cool Librarian, Teri Garza

 

"Na Kamalei: the Men of Hula"  7 pm   56 mins.  2006 Documentary. 

Film followed by a live Kahiko Hula dancing performance by the "Na Mele O Ke Kai" dance troupe.

 

San Juan Capistrano Regional Library, La Sala Auditorium  

$2 donation at door. Free popcorn

 

Aloha Film Fans,

    I'm warning you right now, this is going to be a long one!  I’ve just got too much  happening in my life at the moment.  This coming Saturday I will not only be attending my 40th high school reunion but I’m half of the 2 person committee. I swore to myself after the 30th reunion, which I also put on, that I wasn’t going to do it again. But it’s like childbirth.  One forgets all the pain & suffering and voila!  The next baby is on the way.  There was an attempt to turn it into a picnic but I’m sorry when you’ve reach 40 years of living beyond high school, if you want to present yourself in the best possible light, it needs to be artificial and not in the bright sun light of a hot August day.  And should you need a little support and lift to put your best foot/body forward, “Spanx” aren’t made for lounging at the park.  So I bit the bullet and this Saturday night, the St. Paul High School, in Santa Fe Springs, Class of 1970 will be gathering at an OC hotel that will remain nameless at this time.  That is because at the last minute, like last week, they informed me that the room we had booked wasn’t going to be useable since it was being remodeled.   Silly me assumed when you sign a contract to book an event at a hotel in a certain room, that’s what you’d be getting.   Seems the wallpaper hasn’t arrived from China and the floor is gone.   If I didn’t like the situation, well I could have my money back.  Never mind that 100 + people would need to be notified of the change or that there were 25 + rooms booked at that hotel for Saturday night.  Well, my co-committee person happens to be a bit more tenacious than myself so she told them they’d need to work something out for us that would let us still have our reunion at “the Hills”.  Oops, it slipped out.  Well, I left those negotiations to her and I did what I always do when I get a bit stressed,  and went shopping where I found not 1, not 2 but 3 cute pairs of silver shoes.  Yes, I purchased all 3 because they their total cost was under $20.  

 

I’m hoping that in my next reminder, I’ll be sharing how great everything was and that yes, I was cuter than that girl who thought she could steal my boyfriend.  Oh, to be 17 again and have those types of problems be all you had to worry about.  Enough about my stroll down memory lane and back to this Friday’s Film which coincidently, was selected because of the reunion.  Seems one of my classmates happens to be the director of a Polynesian dance troupe up in San Luis Obispo. She’s down here this weekend for the reunion, and don’t ask me why but she must travel with hula dancers and they were looking for a place to perform.  How fortunate for her that I just happen to have at my disposal, a lovely venue and would have an audience for such a performance. She told me about this film, Hula Men which could be screened first and then we’d “bring on the dancers”!   In my entire librarian career I’ve never had a Hawaiian theme event so I figured this would probably be my last opportunity to wear my coconut shell top at the library.   So, that’s what I have planned for your viewing pleasure this Friday night at 7 pm.   Movie first, dancers 2nd.   If all that wasn’t enough to worry about this weekend, my favorite Rotary Club in the entire world, the San Juan Capistrano Rotarians are holding their annual Ridge Walk/Run/Bike event this Saturday morning.   I mistakenly shared with them my talent as a “spiral balloon arch artiste” and how can you have a big event like that without a big spiral arch to mark the Start & Finish?  So this former balloon lady for “Mark & Brian” will give up a couple hours of vital beauty sleep Saturday morning to mark the Ridge Walk with Rotarian blue & yellow colors.   I might be a little out of practice but that’s the least I can do for the SJC Rotary Club  who have lent their sponsorship & funds to help finance our monthly film program. 

 

I’d like to think that once Sat. night is over it things would calm down but that’s not the case at all. October might mean Halloween to you but for me and the last 6 years it’s become getting ready for Day of the Dead.  It is a wonderful event where the library plays host to artwork, altars, music dancing, food and all the things that make up this celebration of life and those who have left it.  It will be Sunday Oct. 24.  This year’s is better than ever because I’ve decided that I’d add something new.  This year we are privileged to have the entire House of Skeleton exhibit that will be displayed 2 weeks later at the Bower’s Museum for our Sunday event.  Well, why not use it as a centerpiece for a fundraiser for the Friends of the Library?  I bet there are adult people who’d love to come down on Saturday night when there wouldn’t be 100’s of little kids with skeleton painted faces running around and all the extra commotion.  

 

I’m just now working out the details and will be sending out an email invite so mark your calendar for Saturday Oct. 23, library, “Evening of the Dead”, details to follow. 

 

Well, that’s it for now.  I’ve got to get this sent out now or you’ll be reading this after the fact.  If you do have any questions, reply back or call 949-248-5132.  

 

Aloha & hope to see you Friday night.

 

Teri Garza, Librarian/Balloon Artiste/Reunion Organizer