Festival keeps Auntie Josie’s memory alive [Honolulu Star-Advertiser (HI)]

Tim Dela Vega

The late Josie Chansky created a tabletop decoration, above, out of seed pods from an African tulip tree. At left, the holiday bling created by Chansky made up the original pieces in Kauai's Festival of Lights.

Tim Dela Vega

Courtesy Ron Kosen/Photospectrum

Kauai'sCounty Building during the Festival of Lights.

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For 20 years during the holiday season, "Auntie" Josie Chansky's home in Kapaa was one of the biggest attractions on Kauai. The brightly lit "Christmas House," as it came to be known, was filled with beautiful, whimsical decorations she had fashioned by hand from bottle caps, egg cartons, pine cones, toothpicks, Styrofoam cups, soda cans, seedpods and more.

Crowds gathered each year to admire the extraordinary wonderland Auntie Josie had created from ordinary things. Among them were Kilauea resident Elizabeth Freeman and her young son Wyatt.

"Auntie Josie and her husband, Joe, worked tirelessly to get things ready," recalled Freeman, an artist who has worked in graphic, textile, furniture and interior design. "Their house was floor-to-ceiling bling! Everything sparkled and twinkled, from the wreaths on the walls to the wishing well in the yard to Santa and his reindeer on the roof. The display was open every night in December from sunset until the last visitor left. The Chanskys welcomed everyone like family, and if you looked in their guestbook, you would see entries from people from all over the world."

In the fall of 1996, Freeman ran into Auntie Josie while grocery shopping and asked if she was getting ready to put up her Christmas decorations. "No," Auntie Josie replied in a subdued voice. "Joe died this year, and I don't have the spirit to do it. I'm going to sell everything at a garage sale."

Realizing a special tradition would be lost if that was done, Freeman offered to round up volunteers to help with the setup, but grief-stricken Auntie Josie declined.

"I was sad and concerned," Freeman said. "In an attempt to keep the decorations together, I called some nonprofit organizations to see if they would purchase them, but none of them could act quickly."

So Freeman paid more than $3,000 for 50 pieces - close to half of Auntie Josie's collection - and told her she planned to donate them to the County of Kauai. When Auntie Josie realized Freeman was serious about keeping the decorations together, she gave the rest of them to her along with raw materials to use for repairs.

Soon after that, Freeman met with then-Mayor Maryanne Kusaka and presented her idea of perpetuating Auntie Josie's "Christmas House" cheer. Kusaka enthusiastically accepted the donation, and with support from her and Kauai'sCounty Council, the Historic County Building was chosen as the venue to showcase the display.

Thus, the Festival of Lights was born. Freeman has been the art director and producer of the event since its inception in 1997. From then on, it has been a highlight of every holiday season on Kauai - except for last year, when the county building, constructed in 1913, was being restored.

Over the years, attendance has skyrocketed to 5,000 from 500. Until her death in 2009, Auntie Josie was at the Festival of Lights every evening it was open - greeting old friends and making new ones, just as she had for many years at her Christmas House.

"She was the queen of the scene," Freeman said. "I was happy she received the recognition she deserved. Now, docents welcome people, describe the displays, talk about Auntie Josie and explain how the Festival of Lights came to be."

Freeman has organized "Santa's workshops" to repair and refurbish Auntie Josie's creations, many of which are more than 50 years old. Decorations are rotated in and out of the exhibit, based on their condition.

In addition, people have donated pieces from their personal "Auntie Josie" collections to the Festival of Lights. And every year, four to six new displays, featuring decorations crafted by volunteers in Auntie Josie's "trash-to-treasure" style, also add to the festive ambience.

Initially, the Festival of Lights reflected a "white Christmas," but in 2004, students from Kauai High School'sAcademy of Hospitality and Tourism pointed out that since it doesn't snow on Kauai, the display should have a Hawaiian look.

The theme "Santa's Gone Kauaian" was adopted, and Freeman holds annual brainstorming sessions with academy students to expand on it. The teens have dreamed up a host of fabulous creations, including a tree made of Spam cans, roosters pulling Santa's sleigh, and a hale tree decorated with miniature huts made from lauhala mats.

Freeman has made dozens of Festival of Lights decorations herself. She also sketches ideas and invites the event's volunteers to bring them to fruition with their personal touches.

"I've worked with people who swear they're not artists," Freeman said. "Nothing makes me happier than showing them they can make something gorgeous out of 'nothing.' Many of them come to the Festival of Lights with their family and proudly point out what they've made."

Tevita "Manu" Fonua has served as Freeman's right-hand man since the event started. "He's in charge of the installation for the interior exhibits and the exterior lights," Freeman said. "He's also an amazingly creative person who has designed and built many of the decorations. He not only comes up with concepts, he's a wizard at construction."

At 6 p.m. on Friday, as they've done for the past 15 years, Freeman and Fonua will be orchestrating the opening ceremony for the Festival of Lights, which will feature the Kauai Chorale, an islandwide community chorus; the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus; and holiday greetings by Mayor Bernard Carvalho, who is Auntie Josie's great-grandnephew.

Santa will lead the "lighting countdown" promptly at 6:30 p.m., and when the crowd shouts, "Zero!" the doors of the Historic County Building will open, inviting everyone to enter a wondrous world of Kauai-style Christmas magic.

Craft fair and parade usher in the holiday spirit in Lihue

The Festival of Lights is one of three holiday events held annually on the first Friday of December in Lihue.

Also on Dec. 2, Kauai Museum, 4428 Rice St., will hold its annualChristmas Crafts Fair from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Featured will be more than 30 vendors selling jewelry, artwork, wood products, Christmas ornaments and more. There will be a silent auction of antiques, designer clothing and collectibles in the museum's gift shop from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 245-6931.

The Lights on Rice Parade starts at 6:30 p.m. that day at the intersection of Rice and Hardy streets. The route goes down Rice Street to the Historic County Building. More than 60 units - including floats, marching bands and bikes festooned with portable lights - will participate.

Free shuttle service will run from Kmart, 4303 Nawiliwili Road, into town beginning at 5:30 p.m. Call 652-4601 or check out lightsonrice.org.

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Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.

Credit: Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi