Join us for the first event of the 10th Annual Ka‘u Coffee Festival on Saturday, April 21, at the Ka‘u District Gym, as Miss Ka‘u Coffee 2017, Jami Beck, passes the torch to the new 2018 Miss Ka‘u Coffee queen. The pageant starts at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets, $10 per person, are available through contestants and at the door.
The following four young women will compete for the title of Miss Ka‘u Coffee (2018-2019): Reishalyn Kekoa Jara, 16, Karlee Fukunaga-Camba, 16, Helena Nihipali-Sesson, 16, and Sheri Lynn Freitas, 18. Two 12 year old girls will compete for the title of Ka‘u Coffee Junior Miss; Jacie Umemoto and Cristina Kawewehi. Jadelyn Kekoa Jara, 10, and Tenielle Blanco, 8, compete for the title of Miss Ka‘u Peaberry. Three young girls compete for the title of Miss Ka‘u Coffee Flower: Kysha Manini-Kaupu, 3, Telia Espejo-Navarro, 5, and Lilianna Marques, 5.
Talents of the contenders range from hula and Tahitian dance to ʻukulele and singing, with costumes ranging from Polynesian to urban.
Each contestant will display their talents, intelligence and grace in the three main categories: Talent, Speech, and Evening Wear. Contestants will also participate in Miss Popularity, Miss Congeniality and Miss Photogenic contests. The pageant, directed by Ali‘i Hawaiian Hula Hands Coffee grower Trini Marques with Scholarship Chair Julia Neal, joins young women in performance, fashion, poise and knowledge to celebrate the Ka'u Coffee industry. It also raises scholarship money for the young women and girls. Miss Ka‘ū Coffee will represent the industry at public events throughout the year, with funding sponsored by the Edmund C. Olson Trust II.
All contestants must have either been born, have grown up, or now live in Ka‘u. Winners receive scholarships, trophies and crowns.
Leading up to the contest, the contenders will travel to orchards, mills, and markets to learn about coffee farming, processing, roasting and sales. They visit small Kaʻu coffee farmers, who have spent more than 20 years - since the sugar plantation shut down - to develop a new crop and penetrate major markets worldwide. On April 7, the contestants travelled to Hilo to represent Ka‘u in the 55th Annual Merrie Monarch Parade.
Scholarship sponsors are: Edmund C. Olson Trust, Kaʻu Mahi, Kaʻu Valley Farms, CU Hawaiʻi Federal Credit Union, Punaluʻu BakeShop, Pacific Quest, Kaʻu Local Products, Sen. Russell Ruderman, Sen. Josh Green, Rep. Richard Creagan, and Council member Maile David.
2018 Miss Ka‘u Coffee Pageant Judges:
- 2010 Miss Ka‘u Coffee Ulu Makuakane, a kumu hula, Ka‘u Hawaiian Homes Association member, and employee of Punalu‘u Bake Shop.
- 2016 Miss Ka‘u Coffee Rochelle Koi, a University of Hawai‘i-Hilo student working on a degree in Early Childhood Education, and a ranger at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
- Shara Ahia Kalanikuamaieiwilanie Keawe-Ako Dancel, a mental health therapist, director of a Tahitian dance studio and great-granddaughter of famed Hawaiian singer Genoa Keawa. She has deep family roots and is a graduate of schools here.
- MacKenzie Franklin, a singer and Special Education teacher at Ka‘u High & Pahala Elementary School.
Sound will be provided by Calvin Ponce and lighting by Volcano Lights. Many volunteers come together to decorate the venues with flowers donated by growers, and many farmers come together to present trophies to the contestants. Anyone wanting to volunteer on pageant night, call Trini Marques at 808-928-0606, email trinidadmarques@yahoo.com, or Facebook Trinidad Marques. To donate for scholarships, call Scholarship Chair Julia Neal at 808-928-9811 or email mahalo@aloha.net.
Photos by Pamela Taylor, Julia Neal and Trinidad Marques.
Admission is free with donations accepted for the Miss Ka‘u Coffee Scholarship fund. As such, the event features a presentation of the newly crowned Miss Ka‘u Court of 2018 who will reign over the upcoming festival. Enjoy local foods and taste Ka‘u coffee as you meet local coffee farmers, many of whom are award winners. 
