Honokaa Western Week is back full force after a three-year pandemic pause.
Riding into town today through May 29, the 10-day event series celebrates the community’s paniolo heritage with a roundup of friendly competition, ‘ono food, music, dancing, storytelling, keiki games, and Hamakua’s special breed of cowboy culture.
Grand marshalls this year are longtime Hamakua and paniolo people, Waltham and Bernadette Johansen.
On Saturday, Mamane Street closes from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. for the much-anticipated Western Week Parade and Block Party. Thousands of folks mosey into town from near and far to enjoy the colorful cowboy parade, Saloon Girls and Cowboys Got Talent Contest, along with food trucks, vendor booths, and boot-stompin’ music by the Saddle Road Band.
Another event that folks are hungry for, the Portuguese Bean Soup Contest, returns on Tuesday, May 23, at Ahualoa Family Farms Mac Nut Factory.
New this year, the Smoke Meat Contest challenges one and all to put their recipes to the test in a friendly, and tasty, competition. Prizes will be awarded in a number of categories, and guests will get the opportunity to sample some family recipes from our historic town.
There also is a Silent Auction as a virtual online event, from today through May 29. Over the last three years, the Silent Auction has been the Western Week’s most successful fundraiser, which helps connect the island community of today with its agricultural and paniolo roots, and to support scholarships for local youth.
The bidding site will open at 7 p.m. today and close at 7 p.m. May 29.
Except for a nominal charge for rodeo admission, Western Week events are free, and everyone is encouraged to join in the fun. Collectible Western Week buttons will be available to purchase for $5 as a show of support, as well as “insurance.”
Although buttons are not required for admission, attendees receive fair warning that those without buttons at the Block Party risk being thrown into the hoosegow by roving sheriffs (all in good fun).
Honokaa Western Week is a volunteer-driven project supported by the Honokaa Business Association, Hamakua Kohala Health, and many other sponsors and supporters celebrating the area’s paniolo heritage and unique cultural blend.
For more information and a schedule of events, follow Honokaa Western Week on Facebook or visit www.honokaawesternweek.org.