Spreading the Aloha Spirit

On Sunday, October 23rd, there were no strangers at the Heritage Square Park in Arroyo Grande, CA.  The owners of Red Dirt Coffee House made sure of that!  Hosting Red Dirt's 2nd Annual Aloha Coffee and Cultural Festival, Jackye and Paul, with the help of countless family and friends, brought the spirit of Aloha and the tradition of 'Ohana to our quiet little town.

If you missed it, here is a brief glimpse at what is sure to become a yearly tradition for many (this will be the first in a series of posts, each highlighting a different aspect of the festival)...

Long before the first steps were taken to plan the Aloha Coffee and Cultural Festival, Red Dirt Coffee House embraced Hawaiian traditions and culture.  'Ohana, the tradition of family, made its way into our coffee shop from the moment we opened our doors.  Loyal customers quickly became dear friends who then grew into our very own 'Ohana.  Offering Hawaiian inspired drinks and delicacies, live Hawaiian music, and Baristas that treat each customer like family, Red Dirt has epitomized the spirit of Aloha.

Wanting to share these blessings with others, Jackye envisioned a day that would celebrate the Hawaiian culture, through song, dance, food, and Aloha.


On her journey to create such a day, she first sought out Halaus, both local and from afar, to share their stories through music and dance.  At the festival, we were treated to a day full of breathtaking, timeless performances from our beloved Keiki...

...to beautiful Wahine...

...to some rather silly guys...

...who made sure we weren't short on the entertainment factor!  Even though the day grew cold, warmth radiated from the stage with every performance (just wait for the next posting, where we will be featuring more of the amazing performers).

In addition to music and dance, Red Dirt provided a traditional Hawaiian style plate lunch, complete with steamed rice, macaroni salad, and your choice of Kalua Pig or BBQ'd Chicken.  All prepared and served up by a great group of guys (although you wouldn't know it from their picture :-)...

And don't forget our vendors!  We had everything from authentic Hawaiian lei, made by our very dear Hadassah (who flew in from Hawaii for the weekend, we might add)...

...to an all-time favorite, Kettle Corn.  As you will see, in a future post, we had many, many more vendors in our midst and we send a warm Mahalo to each one of them!  The festival wouldn't have been nearly as inviting without you.

Then, there was the inspiration behind the madness...coffee tasting!  This entire event was born from Jackye's desire to share the distinctive flavors of authentically grown Hawaiian coffees.  And who better to serve it up than Red Dirt's very own Baristas!  Oh, here are two of them now (keep an eye out for future posts where we feature the rest of our beloved Baristas)...

So, from Jackye and Paul...

...and the rest of the Red Dirt Crew (on payroll and off), we want to say...

"Mahalo nui loa na ho'olaule'a me la kaua"
"Thank you for celebrating with us"

But wait!  We're not done.  Remember to keep an eye out for future posts, featuring more memories and Aloha from the day.

Did you attend our Aloha Coffee and Cultural Festival?  Share your memories of the day with us!  We welcome all comments, even if you weren't there!