Hula may have saved the Aloha Festivals, which three months ago faced extinction because of economic struggles.

Happily, life in the fest lane this weekend in Honolulu includes the usual — a Waikiki Ho'olaule'a tonight and the Floral Parade on Saturday — but a skosh downsized.

And while Neighbor Island communities may hold their own events, these will be staged without the statewide sanction of the festivals.

"It was a challenge all the way around for the festival this year," said Debbie Nakanelua Richards, president of Aloha Festivals. "We struggled; but in true Hawai'i style, it rose to the occasion when faced with the challenge impacted by the (visitor) industry and the (soft) economy."

The festival theme, "Hula: The Art of Hawaiian Dance," energized the community, she said, particularly among grassroots hula enthusiasts.

"Really, the theme had a lot to do with it," Nakanelua Richards said. "Hula is something quite large here; it provided one of those jumping-off points."

A dancer herself (she performs Sundays at the Halekulani hotel's Hau Tree Terrace), Nakanelua Richards picked the theme two years ago as an incoming festival chair. "Usually, the incoming chairs typically select themes based on personal choices. Mine was natural — hula, since I've danced all my life."

Nakanelua Richards said hula has been "the rudder that balances the ship in my life. Funny, in my younger days, it was the performance, the entertainment. Now, it's therapy.

"I tell people hula is my religion — only two people work on Sundays, God and me, so I'm in good company. I'm not sacrificing my Sunday when I can dance for two hours and share what I do for people."

With shrinking coffers and disappearing sponsors, the festival was nearly at the gallows when she got a call from the local Jaycees.

"They were one of the jewels that showed up, out of nowhere, in the middle of chaos," she said. "They asked, 'We're hearing the parade is not happening; can we help?' and my response was, 'Why didn't we call you sooner?' The Hawai'i Jaycees were founders of the (parade) tradition, starting it as a grassroots thing, and the event grew and grew ... until the organization (the festival) outgrew them. So they rolled up their sleeves, and came out one Saturday afternoon with fishnets, and asked for community donations. They're the ones that kick-started it all."

STEPPING UP TO HELP

Nakanelua Richards, who works in government and community relations at Hawaiian Airlines, became an Aloha Festivals volunteer about a decade ago. Her employer is a longtime supporter of the event and is sponsoring the lone corporate floral float this year.

"We didn't want to see the parade vanish, and while our budget is lower than previous years, a lot of people and organizations have stepped up to help," Nakanelua Richards said.

Hula halau will be a vital part of tomorrow's parade, thanks to Auntie Toni Lee, parade chairwoman, who also didn't want the parade to disappear. "People bank their vacation time on the festival, and with tourism down, we didn't want to disappoint those who came here for the events." She tapped numerous halau to decorate their own floats to enhance the parade with Island dance.

And Mike Rossell, producer of the ho'olaule'a tonight, also promises "a certain amount of hula" on the five stages. He had two months to recruit entertainers and halau, along with food and craft vendors.

"When you get the right people, like Mike and Auntie Toni, they share the love of the festival. It was truly frightening when, several months ago, we thought it wouldn't happen," Nakanelua Richards said.

"When I first got involved with the Aloha Festivals, it was Manu Boyd (Hawaiian language and culture expert and member of Ho'okena) who told me I should jump in and participate. And my mentor was Lindsey Pollock (a savvy floral designer and a Hawaiian culture specialist, now deceased), who inspired me in the organization. So this festival is part of my gift back to him," she said.