The threat of steady rain didn’t stop the BYU-Hawaii and Polynesian Cultural Center ohana, community members, and visitors from dancing and cheering at the PCC’s 50th Anniversary Parade, in Laie Town on Saturday, Sept. 7. The event marked the gathering of families and friends and the end of the PCC anniversary celebration, said Kella Miller, the Laie Community Association vice president.There were about 10 colorful and well-decorated floats that snaked down Kulanui Street, represented by VIP’s including Elder Russell Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, his wife Wendy and BYUH and PCC administrators. The PCC village groups, local folks, PCC alumni, labor missionaries and other special units also joined the parade.The two-hour parade featured Kahuku High School marching band, American Savings Bank, National Principal winner Sheena Alaiasa, Christmas in Polynesia crew, BYUH student chapters such as the Indonesian and Samoan clubs, PCC maintenance crew, Hawaiian Reserves, ‘Hukilau Beach Boyz Club,’ canoe boys, Hauula 5th and Laie 9th wards, and Laie Elementary School cheering group. Some of the groups that stood out in the parade were the Gunstock Ranch’s cowgirls and cowboys, PCC workers on horses, local residents and students wearing super hero costumes, BYUH original rugby team and the Iosepa Electric and Constructing company, which had a roasted pig on the back of its float.Viewers and attendees, who lined the streets of Laie, endured downpours and shared their thoughts and favorite parts of the parade. Bob and Susan Gourley, former service missionaries at PCC from Bountiful, Utah, traveled to Laie to be part of the center’s anniversary. “As far as the parade goes this morning, we had a little rain but no one had left. We really enjoyed the parade,” Bob Gourley said.“I’ve never seen a float with a roasted pig on the back of the float. It looks that it’s about ready to be eaten. When they get down at the end of the parade route, they probably dive in to that pig,” he said with a laugh.Sister Gourley expressed her experiences at the PCC and said, “You can go out of the islands but the islands never go out to you.”Robert “Pati” Schwalger, one of the parade-goers and a BYUH and PCC alumnus from San Diego, Calif., also commented, “We’ve enjoyed it a lot. It’s been a lot of fun. We’ve been able to see a lot of people that we knew in the past, a lot of friends, a lot of families that are here… The fun about the parade part was just walking and seeing everybody that we know on the street, just singing some songs that we knew growing up back in Samoa and also here at the BYU-Hawaii. We really enjoyed this place. This is Polynesia.”Towards the end of the event, PCC coordinators led VIPs to an elevated booth on Naniloa Loop where they could view the performances of some parade participants. One of the highlights of the parade was the offering of the roasted pig to Elder Nelson, where he humbly accepted it, and said, “I can share it with my family,” when people joked that he needed to eat the whole pig.Miller commented on the success of the event. She said, “I think one of the best things that has ever happened is that the mission that was set in PCC 50 years ago is the same mission that has been fulfilled as I speak as of today. One of the highlights is to see that a lot of these people have come from back home to help their people and that I’ve seen it happened that has come true, what the mission is for PCC and for BYUH and for the community.”Alfred Grace, the PCC President, also shared his words of appreciation and gratefulness to the center and to those who became part of the celebration. “What a wonderful experience. Everyone has just pulled together as we expected to… This [PCC] is a place where we met our eternal companions. This is a place where we started our families and gained our educations. The PCC helped put all of this together and provided us with a wonderful environment to grow and to nourish each other and to be examples to everybody who came and visited the PCC.”“We are just so grateful for Logo Apelu, the chief operating officer for PCC and chairman of 50th Anniversary Committee. He had done a fabulous job pulling all this together,” Grace added.
Writer: Ma. Vis O. Taguba~Multimedia Journalist
