Boys: 6

Girls: 6

Other attendees: Miss Minnesota USA, Miss Minnesota Teen USA

Activities: Hawaiian music, ring toss, bowling, pin the coconut, tattoos, nails, makeup, tiaras, photo booth, snacks.

About a dozen kids attended, with several parents and other Ronald McDonald staff members. One little girl showed up as we walked through the doors, helped set up, and stayed with us for the duration of the event. She was excited to be a part of the Luau fun! All the girls spent time with Miss MN USA and Miss MN Teen USA, getting dolled up and enjoying the attention.

The boys did a combination of bowling, ring tossing, tattoos, and photo booths. Several kids were repeat attendees at the ‘Pin the Coconut’ station. They were blindfolded (not all), spun around a few times, and sent to place the coconut on the tree. One boy got a little close to the tree, and bumped his nose, and proceeded to laugh about the incident with mom the remainder of the event.

One little boy with a mask on came toward the end of the event, and was a bit shy. Within minutes, he stole the show, running around with the beach ball, dancing, singing, screaming and laughing. His shirt said “Be Fearless,” and it was more than appropriate. His mom took it all in and loved every minute of our team warming him up.

The weather that evening was perfect, and the events inside were just the same. Though the attendance was down, the liveliness was up, and those who did attend showed much appreciation and happiness throughout.

The event ended with a little boy who had much of his skin covered, and burns on his exposed skin, coming up to us with a very shy look on his face. He quietly asked – “Can I have that?” while pointing to the blow-up palm tree. Of course, we said yes, and he shouted with joy, grabbed it quicker than we could remove the tape, and ran off to his room with the large tree over his shoulder. We look forward to our next event here!