Celebrities of International Market Place - Honolulu, HI - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

"The original International Market Place was a legendary shopping destination located in the heart of Waikiki. But what attracted visitors here from all over the world was not only the shopping, it was also the area’s entertainment and surfing celebrities.

Local musical favorites like Genoa Keawe, Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman, Kui Lee and The Surfers became stars in the 1950s and ‘60s. But without a doubt, Don Ho was the most iconic Hawaiian entertainer of this era. Ho ran his mother’s bar, Honey’s, and moved it from Kane‘ohe to Waikiki. He was invited to play at Duke’s of Waikiki, where he impressed a recording industry executive. In 1965 he released his ?rst album, “Don Ho Show.” A year later came the smash single, “Tiny Bubbles,” which put his second album on the Billboard Top 20 for an entire year. Ho made guest appearances on several popular television shows, and in the late ‘70s he landed his own daytime comedy-variety series, “The Don Ho Show.”

At the same time, Waikiki Beach was becoming a preferred venue for “beach boys” from all over the world. Rabbit Kekai, one of the founders of the Waikiki Surf Club, had been sur?ng and giving surf lessons for thirty years by the time International Market Place opened in 1956. Olympic champion Duke Kahanamoku, who singlehandedly de?ned the period, was an iconic ambassador of the Waikiki oceanfront.

The area’s distinctive music and surfing culture helped garner international interest in Waikiki as a unique tourist destination. Locals and visitors have been converging on this mecca of entertainment and sport ever since."

Group that erected the marker: International Market Place Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 2330 Kalākaua Ave Honolulu, Hi USA URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.