Guests filled the Polynesian Cultural Center’s new Hukilau Marketplace on July 4th to add a bit of extra island fun to this quintessential U.S. holiday. Features included a hot dog eating contest, a watermelon eating contest, barbecue cook-off contest, a side-walk sale, an evening concert under the gazebo by B.E.T.

Here are some moments from this exciting holiday event:

Javier didn’t just win the watermelon eating contest,

he dominated the hot dog eating contest too!!

And we can’t forget our Keiki Watermelon Eating Contest contest winner –

Congratulations , Abdoul Ahmed!

Tatum Bautista from Always Smok’n Sum’n 

Winner of our B’bq Cooking Contest – for his ono delicious bbq pork ribs!

There was a mini-concert by Hawaii musician Ron Artis II, and also free outdoor movies under the stars each evening from July 2-4.

The crowd enjoys the island sounds of Ron Artis II

No, not space aliens! Just our movie goers having fun with their glow in the dark sticks

The crowd is ready, let the movie begin!

Mike Foley, who has worked off-and-on

at the Polynesian Cultural Center since

1968,  has been a full-time freelance

writer and digital media specialist since

2002, and had a long career in marketing

communications and PR before that. He

learned to speak fluent Samoan as a

Mormon missionary before moving to Laie

in 1967 — still does, and he has traveled

extensively over the years throughout

Polynesia and other Pacific islands. Foley

is mostly retired now, but continues to

contribute to various PCC and other media.