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;ptYCF ......... COUNTY OF HAWAI`I +: ' '''�•�.' 1• STATE OF HAWAI`I BILL NO. 97 ORDINANCE NO. 18 20 AN ORDINANCE NAMING A BUILDING LOCATED AT THE HO`OLULU COMPLEX, COVERED BY TAX MAP KEY: 2-2-033:016,AND AMENDING CHAPTER 15,ARTICLE 8, SECTION 15-68.1 OF THE HAWAII COUNTY CODE 1983 (2016 EDITION,AS AMENDED) RELATING TO THE PARKS AND RECREATIONAL FACILITY SCHEDULE. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII: SECTION 1. The purpose of this ordinance is to name a building located adjacent to the Aunty Sally Kaleohano's Luau Hale at the Ho`olulu Complex, situated in Hilo, District of South Hilo, County of Hawai`i, State of Hawai`i, in honor of Dorothy Thompson, affectionately known as "Aunty Dottie." "Aunty Dottie" was born Dorothy Mae Elizabeth Soares May 16, 1921, in Hilo and died March 19, 2010, in Hilo. A renowned multi-sport athlete in her youth, she was an employee with the Department of Parks and Recreation for more than 30 years, retiring in 1980 as head of the culture and arts division. Planning for the first Merrie Monarch Festival, in 1964, began in 1963 under the direction of co-founders Helene Hale, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, her Executive Assistant Gene Wilhelm, and Promoter of Activities George Na`ope. The festival was established to honor the late King David Kalakaua, and to support Hilo's recovery from a devastating tsunami in 1960. Due to a change in executive administration, from 1965 to 1968, the festival became a project of the Hawai`i Island Chamber of Commerce. Declining interest in the festival after 1968 led the Chamber of Commerce to consider discontinuing the festival, when Aunty Dottie stepped up to form and lead a nonprofit organization dedicated to the Merrie Monarch Festival. The early years of the festival featured live entertainment, a King Kalakaua beard competition, and a barbershop quartet contest. After reaching an agreement with the leading hula masters of the time, she introduced the first hula competition in 1971, which took place at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium (formerly the Hilo Civic Auditorium). The Merrie Monarch Festival grew slowly at first, but exploded in popularity following the Second Hawaiian Renaissance in the 1970s, the addition of the Kane Division in 1976, the move to the Edith Kanaka`ole Multi-purpose Stadium (formerly the Ho`olulu Tennis Stadium) in 1979, and the first live television broadcast in 1981. As the popularity of the festival spread, hula gained respect as an art form that is now practiced around the world. For the last 47 years of her exceptional life, Aunty Dottie led the festival as executive director. She was a strong leader who resisted pressure to raise ticket prices or move to a larger venue. Her wide-brim straw hat, bedecked with lei, was a constant presence at the side of the competition stage, but she always redirected attention from herself to the performances on stage. The Merrie Monarch Festival, now led by Aunty Dottie's family, continues her legacy.