KPUP’s legion of dedicated fans and supporters provided the secret sauce for another successful fundraising luau on May 11 at the Patagonia Lumber Company.
On a warm and breezy Saturday night, the luau attracted a standing-room-only crowd of old, young, and everything in between.
Brokedown Palace supplied the live music. Black Market BBQ supplied the grub.
Common threads: Hawaiian shirts and skirts.
Common thread: Townsfolk who understand there’s no community radio without community.
In the days leading up to the event, Jan Herron, Kama Koontz and Mark Berg again worked their magic hawking the Hawaiian apparel that provides the bulk of KPUP’s fundraising.
Heidi and Zander Ault stepped in this year to host the luau at Patagonia Lumber—removing the logistical burdens from KPUP’s board—and donated the $3 cover charge from each attendee to KPUP.
Mark Nicholson, KPUP’s de facto programming manager, estimated the turnout at 200-plus. “Some people said it was the most they’ve ever seen at one of our luaus.”
The crowd size, coupled with the lower overhead related to staging the event, resulted in an uptick in fundraising.
“We raised more than last year,” Nicholson said. “The bulk of the money comes from the shirt sale, which is why we are so grateful to Jan Herron and Mark Berg and all those who help with that. But we also raised more from the luau than we did last year and without all the work and expense of doing it ourselves.”
The change of venue did create a few wrinkles that the KPUP board hopes to iron out for next year.
“We think it was a win-win for everyone involved—KPUP, the Lumber Company, the food truck and the band—and we greatly appreciate everyone who helped and who came out to support us,” Nicholson said. “We realize that the lines to the bar and food truck were long and (we) will try to handle that better next year. We’ll also try to have a porta potty or two as well.”