Aloha. Carolina Meadows residents who have been to Hawaii and those who have not have been moving toward a more nearly equal footing since late May. An exciting season of education about and celebration of Hawaii still continues.

It all began when the special events committee planned a June Luau featuring spectacular food, Hawaiian music, and surprisingly energetic and even polished Hula moves. “Good Hula dancing begins at the knees, not the hips.” So we were told by an expert Hawaii native, now living in Charlotte, who both demonstrated and applauded. He had brought to the dance his own Hawaiian band, the Tsunami Wave Riders. The Carolina Meadows Auditorium was packed with dancers and spectators, many of whom wore colorful Hawaiian dress.

Beginning in late May and continuing at this writing, an energetic team of residents displayed, in the Club Center, authentic Hawaiian memorabilia. On May 31st Judith Pulley, who read in preparation four (4!) books on Hawaii from the UNC library, brought to a packed Lecture Hall a brilliant 30-minute history of Hawaii. She then introduced UNC’s former Provost Dick Richardson, a Carolina Meadows resident, who, without notes, spoke for his own half hour about his visiting professorship at Hawaii when his “babies” were young and his wife Sue helped track down the only apartment anywhere in Hawaii that was available for rent. (Folks, come to Carolina Meadows and laugh uproariously at the humor effortlessly displayed by people who know their fields of learning well enough to play it straight and then some.)

I have not yet mentioned that the Saturday Night Movie on June 1st was “Princess Ka’iuilami.”

I rest my case. Carolina Meadows knows no Summer Slump. Aloha!

By CM Resident, Paul Hardin