Who Loves Liliha?

Corinne Ching, 27th District representative, thinks the
same thing could work in her neighborhood. She’s organizing the first ever “I
Love Liliha” Festival this month, patterned on the Kailua event that has been
so successful on the other side of the Pali.

Photos: Michael Keany

“It’s easy to love Kailua; it’s
another thing to love Liliha,” Ching says. “Liliha conjures up, for most kama’äina,
the Bronx, a place you don’t go late at night. Really, it doesn’t have to be that
way. Liliha is very interesting, and it just needs a sense of its own identity.”

Part
of the problem is that, unlike Kailua, which is relatively distinct, geographically
speaking, Liliha blends into the surrounding urban neighborhoods, making it tricky
to define exactly. Ching favors a generous, cultural interpretation of Liliha’s
borders, which includes Nu’uanu, Pu’unui, ‘Älewa Heights and Kapälama, and hopes
that the festival will get residents and local business out on the street and
talking to each other. “We want to create a sense of township in Liliha that has
not existed in most people’s lifetimes,” Ching says.

From left: Liliha Street, Liliha Bakery cocoa puffs and Masu’s Massive Plate Lunch.

To
that end, local historians will be on hand, recounting old stories and facts about
Liliha that even residents may not know. Liliha, for example, was named for a
real woman, a governor of O’ahu in the early 19th century, who clashed with Queen
Ka’ahumanu and was exiled to Lahaina, Maui. The governorship was turned over to
Ka’ahumanu’s brother Kuakini, whose name also lives on as a street and a medical
center in Liliha.

Kuakini Medical Center and other area hospitals will be
participating with a health fair, and schools will be out promoting local Parent/Teacher/Student
associations.

“I
Love Liliha” won’t be all hospitals and history. As anyone who’s tackled a Masu’s
Massive Plate Lunch could attest, the quickest route to the heart is through the
stomach, and an abundance of local food favorites will show off Liliha’s sweetheart
status. This is, after all, home to the inimitable Liliha Bakery cocoa puffs and
the original L&L Drive-In, not to mention the birthplace of saimin.

With
any luck, all the food, music and fun will translate to a long-term love affair,
and the festival will become an annual event. “I think it’s going to bring a sense
of history and pride to this district. People will start to flock here,” Ching
says. “I think Liliha will be cool, because it already is cool, it just doesn’t
know it.”