Hula La La a great success
By JOANNA BRAZIL
Main Street Director
Did you miss the Hula La La? If you did, I would be delighted to describe some of the highlights for you. We enjoyed the tasty grilled meats and vegetables, chatting, buying goodies to take home, and admiring Marilyn Jones' spectacular tropical attire. It is not too late to see how much fun it is to visit the Farmer's Market — it will be in Santa Fe Park every Saturday morning until Labor Day weekend.
As volunteers set up the park for the day's activities, we caught our breath and an ice cold tropical drink on Main Street with Nancy McLeod and Sheila Carroll. They didn't fan us with palm leaves, but we can hope it will happen next year.
Meanwhile, the savory aroma of the hog roasting in the park teased people's noses. Duke Eldridge, Larry Weir, Patricia Neddleton, Lance Koslowsky, and Cynthia Gibbs dutifully manned the hog, seeing that it would be a delectable entree later that day.
The kids' games and activities were a blast. And speaking of blast, I would like to thank the Peabody Fire Department for hosing us down and keeping us cool. Jimmy Philpott, Tim Peterson, Steve Rose, Lance Koslowsky, Ty Schreiber, and Kelly Cook saw to it that no one overheated. Thank you, David Brazil, for initiating the hose sessions.
The high school students saved the day in running the kids' activities. Kids painted their faces, went "fishing," did the Limbo, broke Hula records, made balloon animals, and won prizes for their efforts. Andrea Jones took pictures of those who wanted to poke their heads through Stephanie Ax's bodacious painting.
Meanwhile, Judy Brazil, Shirley Davis, Cindy Tapphorn, and their good sport misters dazzled us with their fabulous tropical decorations for the luau. Palm trees, parrots, tiki torches, grass skirts, starfish, and pineapple dressed Santa Fe Park into a tropical paradise.
More students helped serve the dinner and did a fantastic job! Accompanying the delicious hog roast was authentic Hawaiian dancing. Gary Jones stole the show when he got up to hula. All he needed was a grass skirt to match his suspenders.
Jesse Hilliard was the grand winner of the coloring contest although I have heard that the judges had difficulty deciding — all were done so well!
To top off the evening, people enjoyed the outdoor movies on the Marshall warehouse wall. Peabody State Bank makes great popcorn! Good job, Annette! I finally had time to sample some of Carol Smith's famous ice cream. Yumm!
I cannot believe how many people took part in this event! Students, parents, businesses, friends, and Peabody Main Street promotion committee members worked collectively to turn a regular hot summer day in Peabody into a wonderfully fun, creative, and enjoyable Hawaiian block party. Job well done to all of you, and THANK YOU for a great day!
