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Both of her parents are longtime employees of the luau, which started in 1986.

At a church luau, my dad took one look at my mom in her floral Hawaiian dress and “fell in love with me right then,” she said.

Akaka, who has been playing Hawaiian steel guitar for more than 50 years, was not initially drawn to the instrument, despite hearing it at parties and luaus while growing up.

Other luaus around West Maui have also reopened, or will reopen soon, offering visitors beautiful visual storytelling.

It warms my heart to see the uptick in foot traffic and downtown come back to life – more smiles, more laughter and more luau plates for the hungry, hard-working people in this city.