SHARING MANA‘O

Katchi-katchi music Makawao,

Where the children love to sing,

And the music, joy it brings;

Everybody does their thing.

Play the music up in Makawao …

Willie K’s voice echoed joyously through my head as I strolled through town before last Saturday’s Makawao Parade. Truth be told, it was more of a strut than a stroll, stepping to the beat of the music in my mind.

I retraced the steps I took daily as a child, from Makawao School to the center of town; only this time, instead of continuing to Japanese language school, where Makawao Buddhist Temple now stands, I stopped at the crossroads to assume my duties as parade announcer. The judges and I had our traditional spot on the porch of the old Matsui Store, which is now a century old, two years younger than my mother, who was born and raised just down the street.

Mom remembers being sent to Matsui Store to buy the special rice from Japan, the kind used to brew sake. During Prohibition, my grandmother made sake every week, so that my grandfather could continue his evening tradition of two little cups with dinner. Somehow, Mom says, the two town policemen always knew exactly when the fresh batch was ready. The officers would visit after dark, and Obaban would give each a bottle to take home. They said hers was the best sake in town.

In my mother’s day, Japanese school was held on Saturdays. She fondly recalls stopping at Komoda Store & Bakery to buy a half loaf of bread for a nickel. “Saturday mornings, the bread was still warm, and

Mr. Komoda would cut a slit on top and put a stick of butter inside. That was our lunch!”

On my own walks to Japanese school, Komoda’s was the third and final stop.

The first was Iwaishi Store, one block up from the elementary school, with a soda fountain and big glass jars of penny candy. My usual was a 6-cent chocolate Coke, though sometimes I opted for a Green River, and a couple of Mary Jane peanut butter chews or red cherry candy lipstick. I quickly learned that the large, 12-cent soda was too much for me to finish, and besides, I had to budget carefully.

If I limited myself to a dime at Iwaishi’s, I could cross the street half a block up for a Popsicle at Ichiki Store, and still have enough money to get a 10-cent package of Yick Lung li hing mui at Komoda’s. Or two boxes of Tomoe Ame rice jelly candy. Back then, each box contained a prize, like Cracker Jack popcorn. But instead of making you eat or dig through all the sticky stuff to retrieve your prize at the bottom of the Cracker Jack box, Tomoe Ame packages consisted of two boxes glued together, with openings at each end. We really appreciated that, because the toys were much better than the candy: cars and trucks with wheels that actually spun, shrill whistles on colorful cords, and — my favorite — miniature wooden kokeshi dolls. Nowadays, the “prize” is a sticker and it doesn’t even have its own compartment.

Although Komoda’s is the only one of those institutions that has survived, the old buildings still stand, including mom’s childhood home. Last Saturday, I stopped in front of each one, allowing myself a few moments of reminiscence. And because we’re in the middle of Makawao Stampede Fest week, I look forward to more flashback fun.

Tomorrow (Thursday) from 4 to 8 p.m., as the song says, they’ll “play the music up in Makawao,” on the lawn next to Designing Wahine Emporium. My favorite Reggae Rhinestone Cowboy, Marty Dread, will perform from 6 to 7 p.m. and I’m sure he’ll play all the tunes from his 2014 album “Upcountry Boy,” his first venture into country-western music. ‘Ohana Island Grindz will offer free vanilla ice cream to keiki, which is an even better deal than the 5-cent Popsicles of my youth.

Up at the Oskie Rice arena, the Makawao Stampede Rodeo begins Friday with a country concert featuring Waylon Nihipali at 5 p.m. and the Bull Bash at 7 p.m. Saturday’s rodeo action will be preceded by a performance by Kaina Kountry, and Danny Estocado will perform Sunday before the rodeo championship round.

Country concert, Bull Bash and rodeo tickets are available at ETIX.com, or call Maile Masada at (808) 268-2322.

With apologies to Willie for the paraphrasing, I’d like to encourage “everybody, get together, clap your hands and sing this song” of gratitude for history, tradition and the community of Makawao.