REMEMBERING LAHAINA

 Sorry I have not been posting updates for a while. I have been dealing with my hearing loss, and my “good” knee went out. Getting shots in both knees and doing lots of PT trying to gain flexibility and strength back. Making progress—but slowly.

For the last week, I have been grieving the loss of historic Lahaina Town. We visited Maui (and five other islands) on our first trip to Hawaii in 1978. The charming, historical town became one of my favorite places.

On that first trip, we stayed in the old whaling hotel, the Pioneer Inn. It was rickety and had holes in the floor, but it was also a charming and fun location. On one memorable trip, we didn’t notice that we had booked our room in the hotel on Halloween. Big mistake! People from all over Hawaii and the mainland gathered in town for a noisy all-night party. They celebrated along Front Street. Our room faced the street. Needless to say, we got no sleep that night. But, hey, Larry got the Halloween t-shirt. He still has it.

And we stayed there several other times, just not on Halloween!

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, we tried to visit Hawaii nearly every year, several times more than once a year. We always went to Oahu, but we usually went to at least one other island. At the time, several friends lived on Maui. We arranged to visit them whenever we were there, and we always made a trip to Lahaina, even when we didn’t stay there.

Before our first trip, several friends told us to eat at Longhi’s. At the time, Bob Longhi was there in person. They had a verbal menu, and Bob delivered it with annoyance, as though guests were putting him out just by being there. He was hysterical! We usually went there for breakfast and always ordered one of their cinnamon rolls to split. It was one of our “must go” places whenever we were in Maui. The last time we were there, we ate dinner upstairs at sunset. Great food and a fabulous view.

Unfortunately, the Lahaina location closed in 2019, but their Kaanapali and Oahu locations remain. Bob Longhi passed away in 2012, but the restaurants bearing his name remain.

Our friend from work, Steve Russell, who lived in Wailuku, passed away in 2016, and Suzi Osbourne, our high school friend, who had lived on Maui for many years, passed away in 2020. On our last trip in 2015, we stayed with her, and she often stayed with us when she was in California. However, we have several other friends on the island. We have heard from one, but we can’t contact the others. We pray for them and will send a written note to let them know we are concerned.

When we used to go with our close friends, we stayed at the Maui Islander Resort. It was a great location, just a couple of blocks from Lahaina Harbor. Larry and Bob loved it because they could walk down to the harbor and surf early in the morning. Bernie and I loved it because there was lots of shopping, historical locations, art galleries, and dining in easy walking distance.

There used to be a Hilo Hattie’s store couple of blocks over, and we always shopped there for island clothing. Unfortunately, it closed, along with the flagship store in Honolulu. However, it appears a new one had opened in Lahaina. It was probably lost in the recent fires.

Whenever we were in Lahaina on a Sunday, we attended the Lahaina United Methodist Church. We loved this charming place, where everyone was “ohana.” Visitors were presented with leis made by church members from flowers grown in their own yards. They had a wonderful choir, and the pastor was delightful. We always felt included and at home. I cried when I read that it had burned down. However, the congregants have stayed in touch and met for worship in small groups last Sunday.

Seeing the historic Banyan Tree smoking and burning hurt my heart. It was such a symbol of the old town. Hearing there is some hope of its survival gave me reason for optimism amid all the loss.

However, the museums and other historical sites are gone forever.

While I grieve all the loss of places and people, I am also grateful that we were able to spend so much time enjoying the very special and magical place.