Auntie Genoa Keawe
THE VALUE OF UNPLUGGING
The other day while running errands with my sister we began talking about the memories of our childhoods when the discussion turned to Auntie Genoa Keawe. As I shared earlier our Nanny was a huge part of our social life and while I was more of a spectator, my sister was actually a dancer at many of the gigs. For anyone whom has visited Auntie Genoa at her home in Papakolea you know what I mean when I say, “The stairs!” Auntie Genoa has more than 60 steps winding down from the street to her front door, and luckily I was an active child during my visits because the NEENZ of today would need a rest and some water every 20-steps or so.
After checking the mail, my sister thumbed through the current issue of the Lahaina News, and discovered an advertisement announcing a free concert at the Ka’anapali Beach Hotel with special guest, Auntie Genoa Keawe! We immediately decided we were attending, and I called Lilinoe to book flights for her and the children. Since the airlines recently announced an increase in airfare we hesitated to make such a frivolous financial decision, but after learning of the traumatic tragedy, we knew not only did we need to continue to live life, but we needed to be together as a family.
We had dined at the Tiki Terrace at the Ka’anapali Beach Hotel for Christmas, so we knew to valet park our vehicles and arrive early, but the crowd that had gathered for the concert far outnumbered that of the holiday. The entire atmosphere catapulted me back to the days of sitting on a table poolside at the Ala Moana Hotel, sipping on a Shirley Temple and watching what I considered the greatest live show.
As Auntie Genoa serenaded us all, I saw a familiar face in the crowd, Noe Keawe-Aiko, a former dancer for my Nanny, childhood friend and granddaughter of Auntie Genoa. She was being beckoned to the stage by her Uncle Eric, Auntie Genoa’s youngest child, or as I affectionately remember him as, Kaleo to dance to one of my all-time favorites Papalina Lahilahi. During a break, I had finally agreed to walk Jayden and Taimane to the stage area because they were pleading to dance. We stood stage-right when Kaleo’s daughter came off stage and said, “Eh, Coach.” I looked up and realized that Auntie Genoa’s granddaughter whom if you’ve ever heard her sing you could’ve sworn it was Auntie herself was Mandy a supporter of my youth basketball team and parent at the halau Chelsea is a member of. Small world? Wait it gets smaller.
I felt I needed to reintroduce myself, I mean I only knew her as Mandy and she knew me as Coach Neenz, but when I 
connected myself to my Nanny she was as surprised as I. She began sharing her memories of dancing for my Nanny and pointed out that her fondest was the regular gigs on the Independence and Constitution ships. I looked at her oddly and asked if she remembered Lilinoe, and she began describing her. And I told her that Noe is the same Lilinoe from her childhood!
Auntie closed the show with her signature song Alika, and the crowd joined in with Hawai’i Aloha. We introduced Auntie to our children hoping they had realized they were in the presence of a legend and shared in an experience that we hold dear to our souls.
