MANCHESTER – Residents and visitors were transported to Waikiki recently for “A Night In Paradise” but in reality, they only had to travel as far as Harry Wright Lake.
One of the most popular programs of the Township Recreation Department’s summer series of free events is an annual Luau which this year featured a new group that provided some familiar favorites and their own spin for a highly entertaining Hawaiian Night.
Featured was hulu dancers who did their best to get attendees off their beach chairs and in front of the stage where they got a grass skirt and leis to fit the atmosphere for a hulu lesson.
“The hands tell the story,” a member of the Luau Band said, noting the meaning of words like “lima” and “aloha.” The band provided a number of island songs while Tahitian drummers added to the beat of the night. The fire knife warriors lit up the evening at dusk for the big conclusion of Paradise Entertainment’s big show.
Anita Mathis doesn’t live in Manchester but “my sister used to live here and we come here all the time.” She even brought along her own grass skirt for the event along with a Hawaiian shirt.
The event had been postponed from earlier in the month due to weather but a large crowd came out on the evening of August 19 including Township Mayor Robert Hudak and members of his family. The mayor even sported a Hawaiian shirt for the occasion and nearly got coaxed up in front of the stage to join in on the hula lessons but got a little shy of doing that.
The mayor was however very pleased to see so many people attend the event which had to be socially distanced last year with circles on the grounds denoting a safe distance for seating and dancing.
“Our concerts are doing very well and we’ve been getting a lot of crowds this summer,” he said regarding the Recreation Department’s weekly summer concert series.
“Manchester Day was probably the best we ever had. Every single vendor called us the next day and said they want to come back so we are very excited about that for next year. Our summer concert crowd is bigger than ever,” the mayor added.
Recreation Director Tracy Lynch has been with the department for 23 years now. “We were one of only a few towns who were able to run safe, socially distanced events and we had our Luau Night in 2020 and 2021. We moved it from Pine Lake to Harry Wright Park because it was easier to establish the social distancing circles that we had. The people have really enjoyed this event and Manchester Day had a great crowd this year.”
Concertfest began on July 13 with Wednesday night shows. The series kicked off with Stilleto and the Saxman along with the Cameos. The following week were the Jukebox Legends and the British Invasion Years. This month featured Rock N’ Rhythm and the Sensational Soul Cruisers. The series concluded this past week with Akua & Kavon with the last show being Legacy. WJRZ opened each show with DJ music.
Lynch said, “we have the movie “Encanto” showing in September and (the animated) Addams Family II in October. Further details about the two free movie nights and other upcoming events are available by calling the Recreation Department office at 732-657-8121 ext. 5102 or visiting the township website at manchestertwp.com.
