‘Koreatown’ idea seems a bit tacky

There’s something a tad unseemly about trying to label districts ethnically. Especially in melting-pot Hawaii, any move to officially impose an ethnic name onto a particular neighborhood seems so … unnecessary.

Nevertheless, there’s a state legislative proposal to dub a cluster of blocks that cater to Korean customers near Kalakaua Avenue and Makaloa Street as "Koreatown."

Spurred by economic motives, it’s an attempt to capture a collective character for the area and attract more tourists from Korea, one of the fastest-growing visitor groups to Hawaii.

But any such designation would require funding and support staff, both of which are in short supply nowadays. And, frankly, any ethnic identity artificially created for marketing purposes is a far cry from an organically grown one such as Chinatown, which has deep roots in Hawaii’s history.

Here’s something to be merry about

For regulars on the Merrie Monarch Festival circuit, the end of Easter signals the start of an annual hula marathon. The week-long celebration of Hawaiian culture in Hilo culminates Thursday through Saturday with the event’s solo and group hula competitions.

Besides the traffic, there are lots of things that veterans have come to expect of this event, but there’s almost always a big surprise of some kind by Saturday night.

And even though the competition happens under the shelter of the Edith Kanakaole Stadium, it’s open to brisk winds on all sides, so the weather does matter.

The forecast for Hilo is solid rain through Sunday. No surprises there.