Host of Keep it Aloha Podcast Kamaka Dias welcomed attendees Sunday morning to the inaugural Keep it Aloha Card Show, which ran over the weekend at SALT at Our Kakaʻako. He spun a colorful wheel and handed out free Pokémon card packs available in a variety of languages, including ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, to keiki who had formed a line outside The Barn venue space filled with more than 50 vendors.
Also featured at the event were balloon artists, Hawaiʻi musician Dillon Pakele, and comedian Tumua, who launched new merchandise with help from The Standup Life co-host, Rachael Ostovich.
"I couldn’t have imagined this kind of turnout for our first event at @saltourkakaako," Dias said in an Instagram post. Mahalo to my favorite app @getcollectr for helping us make this a free event for the vendors and the public!"
A couple days later, Dias took it to Instagram to announce that Keep it Aloha Events' card show would be back on June 5. “We have locked in dates [at SALT at Our Kakaʻako] for the rest of the year,” it was announced Tuesday.
This event, like the first, is hosted by Hawaiʻi Collectibles, which added on its website: "Our first show was a huge success with over 5,000 attendees and 70-plus vendors! Thank you for everyone who participated and we've just secured SALT for another show in June." Vendors can now enter the waitlist for upcoming card shows at hawaiicollectibles.com.
Sponsors for the inaugural Keep it Aloha Card Show included Waiakea, Aloha Card Shop, Kōkua Initiative, Pakele Entertainment and MerchLabs, per its flyer.
Dias recently shared his love of ripping Pokémon packs with Kenji Lee and Taisei Lee for Oʻahu-based podcast Brotherlee Time. On his own podcast, Dias enjoyed the hobby during an interview with Gov. Josh Green. He even created a separate Instagram account @kamakarips.
Dias is the president of Keep it Aloha Foundation whose mission is “to unite traditional and modern Hawaiʻi, leveraging contemporary tools and inherited wisdom from our kūpuna.” The means in which the nonprofit operates is through education, online media and specialized programs that preserve Hawaiian culture and strengthen community.
According to his bio, Dias is a Native Hawaiian from Hilo, who attended Hawaiian Language Immersion schools until his senior year when he moved to Oʻahu and graduated from Kaiser High School. He later graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and joined the Peace Corps to serve in Madagascar for three years. He returned home in 2019 and aims to give back to the local community.
“ʻKeeping it alohaʻ to me means living with intention, humility, heart and authenticity no matter where you are or who you’re with. It’s about showing up with respect, kindness, and care, even when it’s hard. It’s not just a greeting or a goodbye; it’s a way of being,” Dias said in a statement. “ʻKeeping it alohaʻ means knowing who you are, where you come from, and letting that guide how you treat others; with love, understanding, and Pono (righteousness).”
Dias could not be reached for comment prior to the publication of this article.
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
