So many sleepy towns that peaked decades ago. Honokaa survived and thrived, a true hub and center of the region with its high school, stores and restaurants — Tex Drive In has some good malasadas — and youth sports. No community survives without a new generation, so the growth of youth teams, or at least a consistent level of participation by coaches and keiki, is crucial. No family wants to live in a town that doesn't have youth sports, let alone a shrinking elementary school.
I have a ton of memories of covering high school sports at Honokaa. The competitive spirit of athletes, alums, generations of supporters is surpassed by none on the Big Island. Those were and still are some loud, rambunctious and passionate fans cheering for the green and gold. Over the years, Honokaa began to absorb students who would have attended Laupahoehoe, but their sport(s) of choice were available at Honokaa, not Laupahoehoe. But there were students from Waikoloa who opted to attend Honokaa instead of Konawaena until Kealakehe opened.
It was on this visit that I found out, finally, whether Kukuihaele Post Office had shut its doors permanently or not. The clerk at Honokaa said, yes, Kukuihaele is open, but only between 11 in in the morning until noon. It was well past noon, so I missed my chance. I was relieved to hear it was still in existence. But getting what I wanted, I would have to skip it or make a new plan for the next day.
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