First Friday Lights Up Kaunakakai

event coordinator Mercy Ritte, left, with son Ōla’i Ritte and parents-in-law Walter and Loretta Ritte. Photo by Léo Azambuja

By Léo Azambuja

A small barter-and-trade event has recently evolved into a much larger affair, bringing a bustling vibe with live music, food vendors and several cultural activities to the heart of Kaunakakai once a month. 

“This event is called First Friday,” event organizer Mercy Ritte said. “We’re continuing our Ko Koā Uka, Ko Koā Kai event, now held on the first Friday. We’ve expanded the event from our barter-and-trade table.” 

For more than a year, Ko Koā Uka, Ko Koā Kai (those of the uplands share their crops, those of the seaside share their catch), served as a hub for residents to trade and share produce on the lawn fronting Molokai Public Library once or twice a month in the middle of the week. 

Since March, the event sponsored by the nonprofit organization ‘Āina Momona and supported by various organizations changed its day and format to include, besides the original barter-and-trade table, live music, several food vendors, food contests, art classes, cultural workshops and clothing exchanges. 

On April 3, the second First Friday held, the attendance increased considerably, bringing a lively buzz to Kaunakakai from 5 to 8 p.m. There was hardly a parking spot available on Ala Malama Avenue from the intersection with Kamehameha V Highway all the way to Friendly Market.

“We’re integrating a theme each month. So, this month’s theme is banana, or maiʻa,” Ritte said, adding each monthly theme will be a Hawaiian cultural food. “We’ve invited Kyle Franks from (University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources) to come and teach a banana stalk propagation workshop.”

Franks was giving away apple bananas cultivated in a special way to keep the trees disease-free.

“These are tissue-cultured bananas, so they’re free of banana bunchy top and pest and disease,” he said, pointing to a bin full of bananas free for the taking. 

He and his wife, Malia Blissard Nolan, brought grafted avocado trees and fruits for sale from their farm, Emergence Permaculture.

“I’ve gathered all these different varieties of avocado trees,” Franks said. “I really enjoy the art of grafting. There’s an art aspect to it.”

The event’s organization brought two guests, sponsored by Molokai Arts Center, to teach two different art classes utilizing banana stalks.

Leimana Ritte-Camara taught a print workshop. Léo Azambuja

Leimana Ritte-Camara taught a colorful workshop on printing with cut-up banana stalks, which was popular with kids. Kaulananapua Dudoit taught how to make roses using the dry outer layer of the banana stalk.

“I’m teaching my workshop, my banana roses,” Dudoit said, adding people would look at the finished roses and get discouraged because they looked difficult to make. “But I get them to come in, sit down and talk story and make something.”

Ling Santiago won the banana bread contest. She was humble when questioned about what she used to make it so delicious. 

“There’s no secret to it, just love,” Santiago said while receiving her award from Ritte. 

Hoʻolehua homesteader Cammie Purdy was looking at the free used clothes with her granddaughter, Patience Purdy-Avelino, at the Free-Cycle clothing stand.

“People drop off their stuff, and you can grab whatever you want,” Purdy said. 

Next to the Free-Cycle stand, there was a large table full of free produce and fruit. People could bring their produce and take some, or they could just take if they didn’t have anything to leave.

The event was also a venue for many micro-entrepreneurs on Molokai. 

Gavin Apiki, owner of the “one-man operation” Apiki Bakery, was selling his brioche breads in many different flavors. 

“I’ve got banana, caramel and custard brioche tart,” Apiki said. “Here, I’ve got a blueberry, lemon, cream-cheese brioche tart, and over here I’ve got a chocolate babka.”

Lanre Kekoa, owner of Kekoa Butters, had seven varieties of flavored butters, strawberry, guava, ube, mango, lilikoi, kalo and coconut.

“You can put them on toast, pancakes, bagels and waffles. They make great gifts,” she said.

Kekoa’s stand was a friends and family affair. Her cousin had dry ahi and deer jerky in garlic or teriyaki flavors for sale. Her friend, Pualani Horswill-Carroll, sold furikake and wasabi shrimp chips. Next to them, Kekoa’s auntie, Jozann Rapanot, sold her Cookie Mama cookies.

The English ‘ohana sold pickled mango and plate lunches.

“We have meatloaf, baked huli-huli chicken, and then honey walnut shrimp, and we serve it with rice, mac salad and cornbread.” Fumiko English said.

Kahakuhaakoi Hamakua Laemoa was selling kulolo and kalo paʻa, products made at her family’s homestead farm.

“We grow it up at the farm in Hoʻolehua. We have a bunch of land that we use, and we plant (kalo) almost every month, about 200,” she said. The kalo is made into kulolo, a Hawaiian delicacy the resembles mochi, but more consistent and “a little more squishy,” Hamakua Laemoa said.

The kulolo sold out really fast, but she still had some kalo paʻa, a fully cooked and cleaned kalo root cut into firm chunks.

“Kalo paʻa is just a different variety of kalo that we grow up at the farm. We harvest it, we cut it, and we steam it before peeling off the outside, and then cube it,” she said.

Next month, First Friday falls on May 1, which is May Day. As such, the event will focus on flowers and how to propagate them, Ritte said. There will also be a lei-making contest.

Ritte said it was nice to see Kaunakakai come alive on a Friday evening. Usually, Kūʻono Fish Co. food truck a block away is the most happening town gets on those nights. 

“They normally have music and food, but I see people coming to both. They’re so close so they can walk right in between events,” Ritte said. “That’s really cool.”

When the Ko Koā Uka, Ko Koā Kai event first started more than a year ago, it was just two tables during the day in the middle of the week. A few farmers would come to share their homegrown produce and barter. 

“It’s grown a lot since then,” Ritte said. She wants even more people to come by in upcoming events.

“If you’re looking to enjoy a fun evening with your family and have a fun, wholesome evening under the stars in the middle of town, come out to the event,” Ritte said.