Big Island Uke Fest!

AndrewKuker

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I gotta stay at Waikaloa resort this weekend, B.I. Ukulele festival. You know me, always workin'. I'll suffer through it, might have to get a beer and sit at the pool if the stress gets to be too much.
So what, are you comin'?? C'mon lets do this! You don't even need a room, they have nice big canopy lounge chairs out at Buddha point right where you catch the epic sunsets. (you can put your luggage in my room) see u there :cheers:
 
Awww man I would love to go! Tell Chuck that Damon says "Hi!"
 
Hey Andrew If its too much stress I'll go for you lol....Nay Have fun



Hey Mike if too much stress for you I go for you.. Haha
 
So it was pretty cool... no vendors...but some good players...

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and some nice activities like..srubbing your own ipu

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& making lei's

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nothing too spectacular...but a little inspiration sometimes takes your playing to the next level!

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after moving back to Hawaii..i now know what I really missed.. the laid back ,low key life style is the only way to live
 
To tell you the truth I was pretty bummed at the end. I was pretty sure I was gonna run into Chuck and he would happen to have a totally gorgeous uke available. And my wife would be like, well obviously it's worth 6 grand, grab it now. So I should be posting glorious pictures of my new MB...but none of that even happened! God....why do you hate me?
 
Hey Andrew if you ever bump in to Chuck try to get 2 beautiful MB's okay one for you and one for me Haha..I still on his waiting to get on his wait list,list..

next time go visit him at his house/shop I hear it is pretty cool place..
 
next time go visit him at his house/shop I hear it is pretty cool place..

Ha, ya right. Those backwoods BI spots are dangerous! Show up at the wrong house with your camera equipment, they think your a fed trying to blow their sh*%. Next thing ya know you're just another BI missing persons report. It might be country but it's like the wild west out there. I bet Chuck sleeps on his koa stock with a rifle every night. That could also be dangerous, to wake him up like that….
 
Ok I be careful if I go visit Chuck..during the daytime for sure haha..if I go visit I try get you a uke too(wishful thinking)his stuff nice huh..
 
That's not too far from the truth Andrew. Although it's tamed down somewhat in recent years, there is still a scent of the wild west in the air here. Suspicious residents are why we still have no electricity and other services in many areas. I think it's left-over mentality from when dope growing was the main occupation. Those days are pretty much over now; the rich ones have move away and the dumb ones got sent to the pokie. But the lifestyle and the thinking remains the same.
As you've noticed, the Big island doesn't seem to support that ukulele event (or most events) very well. There are a few exhibitors who have been doing it for several years and they seem to have a lock on it. It attracts some tourists but not very many locals. I'm not sure why that is. I'm guessing it's because almost everybody either plays or builds ukes here or has a cousin or bruddah that does. There are some really good ukulele (and music) events on the east side. But since the BI is really two different islands in one (Hilo and Kona) and separated by a three hour drive, the two sides rarely intermingle. (Except to go to Costco of course!)
I was at the Ulu Festival in Puna on Saturday. It was a 10 minute drive so a no brainer for me!
Hope you had a good time. Mr Sakuma puts on a good event anywhere!
 
Ya, I was sorta kidding. But my sister and her husband live in Puna. No electric. There's some wild ones out there. Mostly aloha spirit and good people though. I would love to come to your shop though. You like when people come and distract you from your work, right?

The fest was less than what I had hoped but I can see why with BI, the nature of it's spread. Plus I think Kona is only 50 or 60 thousand, and Waikaloa is a drive from there even. Ukulele is for playing at the backyard bbq. Not really something they need to drive to experience. Now put a Raggae concert there and people will come out of every corner but.. I am glad we went. The kids see cousins and all that too. Next time I'm gonna see if I can't drop in on you, that would be awesome.
 
Ok I be careful if I go visit Chuck..during the daytime for sure haha..if I go visit I try get you a uke too(wishful thinking)his stuff nice huh..

Approach slowly walking backwards and don't make eye contact.... Actually, just watch Gorillas in the Mist beforehand and do as they do :)

I want to move to the BI just to be neighbours with Poncho, the guitarist from Neil Young and Crazy horse. I think he lives up north, next to Neil's own house.
 
I drove east along the 137 (I think...it was somewhere out along the South East)) to the point where it just turned into a dirt track through forest. The only sign of habitation were the occasional gate posts with weird things sat on top of them. One had a couple of Cat in the Hat heads.
 
I drove east along the 137 (I think...it was somewhere out along the South East)) to the point where it just turned into a dirt track through forest. The only sign of habitation were the occasional gate posts with weird things sat on top of them. One had a couple of Cat in the Hat heads.

That's the road through Wa'a Wa'a, that goes from Kapoho to Hawaiian Beaches. It's an awesome bit of forest just a few miles from me, running several miles and almost kissing the ocean in a couple of spots. Wild and rugged, there's an ancient Hawaiian village tucked amongst the trees (noted by all of TABU signs. Very sacred. Very peaceful.
 
Approach slowly walking backwards and don't make eye contact.... Actually, just watch Gorillas in the Mist beforehand and do as they do :)

I want to move to the BI just to be neighbours with Poncho, the guitarist from Neil Young and Crazy horse. I think he lives up north, next to Neil's own house.




Hey Beau..
I am a huge Neil Young fan too..I used to live in San Mateo Ca..Neil young lived up the mountain from me in La Honda(his ranch) he wrote Old Man about the ranch's caretaker when he moved in many years ago..

I saw him at the movie theater with his son once..one of the Star War films..
 
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