The Laie McDonald’s converted its parking lot into what more closely resembled a carnival than an eating establishment for its grand opening party on Feb. 13.
The Saturday night celebration was part of a week-long opening ceremony where the Laie McDonald’s awarded patrons with a different prize every day.
The Laie McDonald’s officially opened its doors in September, but owner Susan Smith said she wanted to wait to have the grand opening in February because it’s around the same time the previous store closed its doors two years ago to make room for the Marriott Hotel.
Smith said, “We want people to remember this is about the community. The community has been really supportive of us reopening so this is our way of thanking everyone.”
In the week building up to the big party, McDonald’s had specials every day, including deals like 99 cent hash browns and pancakes, arts and crafts events for kids, and even an hour-long visit from Ronald McDonald himself Friday night.
Activities included a beanbag toss where winners earned a free ice cream cone, a prize wheel that dispensed anything from McDonald’s coupons to free T-shirts, and a Kahuku-clad deejay spinning a mix of electronic dance music that could be heard all the way from the BYU–Hawaii campus.
A McDonald’s employee and freshman in psychology, Shelby Kitchen, said, “This kind of thing just wouldn’t ever happen back home in Utah. I love the aloha spirit here.”
At 6:30 p.m. the music was muted and a sacred blessing ceremony was performed by Kahu Kordell Kekoa, chaplain of Kamehameha Schools.
In the ceremony, Kekoa blessed every individual employees’ hands with pure Hawaiian rain water collected from the mountains 25 years ago.
After the employees received their blessings, the white-robed reverend retreated outside under the deejay tent to explain the significance of the blessing he had given to the employees, and then he began to bless the building itself.
He draped a green maile lei across each of the two doors and blessed the business to be a place of nourishment as he anointed the entrances with the rain water using ti leaves. After the ritual, Kekoa explained the significance of each of the items he used.
He said, “The maile lei is generally only used at really important events. They’re usually reserved for high-ranking or high-class people.
“The ti leaf was used as a symbol of protection, safety, and nourishment,” he continued. “The rain water is also a symbol of nourishment since this is a place for people to be nourished.” After the blessings had been bestowed, guests sat in rows of white plastic chairs and were treated to three hula performances done by the Halau Hula o Kekela from Laie.
The first two hulas were harmonious with the Valentine season, both with messages of love and appreciation for loved ones, while the third hula was accompanied by the singing and ukulele playing of the group’s kumu hula, Kela Miller.
Miller said, “The third song was written about Laie and how it was so barren until the birds, trees, and flowers showed up when people started to move there. It’s also about how we were promised this land would prosper if we are obedient and we listened to the prophet.”
After the halau finished, the party resumed in full force with the addition of employees distributing cups of pineapple and berry sherbet, diced pineapple, and musubi.
“This is a pretty typical community gathering,” said Janessa Purcell from Laie.
Children were given gift bags containing a mix of McDonald’s goodies like key chains, stickers and cardboard headbands with a picture of Ronald McDonald with his arms spread wide for a great big hug. Throughout the night, each guest was given a blue raffle ticket for a drawing held at 7:30 p.m. Prizes included dinners for two at Gateway and Pounders at the Polynesian Cultural Center, quilted pillowcases, T-shirts, and more miscellaneous McDonald’s merchandise. After 15 minutes of calling raffle tickets, the grand finale of the night began.
Dancers from the local fireknife group, Vaimatina, set the parking lot ablaze with routines derived from both traditional and modern Polynesian culture.
Acts varied wildly with dances derived from “Star Wars,” Michael Jackson, and even “Napoleon Dynamite.”
The traditionally male art form was graced with the talents of several local girls who many observers pinned to be some of the strongest dancers of the evening.
At the finale of the fiery showcase, a dancer by the stage name of “Funky” seized his moment in the lime light to ask a girl named Lexie to his senior prom. She said yes.