I must correct a factual error in an Oct. 3 letter concerning Halloween in Lahaina. The town most definitely was not "originally a whaling town." Lahaina had existed for more than a thousand years prior to the 40 years or so that whalers spent partying there.
Whatever you think of the current Halloween controversy, there's no doubt that Lahaina has a long and noble past as the headquarters of chiefs and kings. The whaling years were just a blip on the calendar, only a tiny part of the story of Lahaina.
Jill Engledow
Wailuku
