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Barefoot Hawaiians to march in Pearl Harbor parade

The Barefoot Hawaiian, Inc., has recently announced the invitation received from the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade Committee to participate in the parade and celebrations this Dec. 7 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Barefoot Hawaiian, Inc., is the only hula group from the mainland invited to take part in this celebration of the 74th anniversary of the end of World War II.

This small mom/daughter business began in 1983 when Gwen Kennedy, owner, had a vision and dream to offer the community something that she had spent a lifetime doing - hula dancing.

"Taking part in this occasion is by far the most honorable appearance The Barefoot Hawaiian, Inc., has received in our 32-year history," Kennedy said.

The company has begun fundraising via many different avenues to insure the 40-member dance team makes this journey.

The Barefoot Hawaiian, Inc., is the home of one of the Midwest's largest Polynesian entertainment companies featuring more than 50 entertainers. Musicians, dancers, fire dancers, lei greeters and their spirit of Aloha creates "paradise" right here in the mainland states as well as across the seas.

The Barefoot Hawaiian shows have been seen by thousands at the Chicago Wolves games, the Chicago Bulls games, WTTW Channel 11, ABC-7 190 North, Channels 2 and 9 feature segments, Oprah's anniversary party, Chicagoing with Bill Campbell, Chicago's Thanksgiving Day Parade (going on 17 years participation), Navy Pier and other venues.

The show has appeared internationally as well, including Shanghai, China, and coast to coast on the mainland.

The Barefoot Hawaiian is home to award-winning fire dancers and Tahitian dancers. The group is one of the featured Hawaiian companies in the color book "The Spirit of the Hula," and the only one from Illinois,

Performing in more than 500 shows annually, the Des Plaines-based entertainment company and retail shop celebrates 32 years of operation in July.

For details, contact The Barefoot Hawaiian, Inc., at (847) 699-7336 or barefoothawaiian@sbcglobal.net.

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