May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii.

And this past Lei Day, the City of Honolulu made the world's longest lei.

Arriving after the mile-long-lei activities were pretty much over, my companions and I were there at the tail end of the lei's 15 minutes of fame. We were able to pick up sections of it to take with us. Not a mile long anymore, no, but certainly longer than any leis we'd ever had. I picked up segments of plumeria, dendrobium, and tuberose. Mmm...

This was the first year I'd made it down to Kapiolani Park to check it out. They display the winning leis that were entered in competition, there are many local craftspeople demonstrating their skills (coconut palm frond woven hats, yarn leis, quilts), and of course there was music and hula and vendors of all kinds. It was quite charming, all around, with some of the same elements of other festivals here, but also reminding me of the county fair from when I was growing up. (Hey, remember that dried flower arrangement stuck to a chunk of wood 4H project I entered one year?)

It was a hot day, and leis lose their freshness quickly. The winners -- and these were really amazing and creative -- were all on display in the shade and were being spritzed regularly by volunteers.

I could have used a spritzin' myself. Even with my broad-brimmed hat, I got a little too much sun.

So I thought I'd better get a bigger hat. (Buy bigger hat. Check.)