Back in the early Covid days, work began on converting a space in downtown Hawi for Banana Leaf Coffee & Tea. I was interested in the project from the start. For one thing, it seemed not the best timing given that the number of visitors to Hawaii was hovering around zero with little prospect for change. Also, the location for this enterprise is across the street from Kohala Coffee Mill, a very popular stop for visitors and locals alike.

The project chugged along and seemed to be close to completion when this sign went up. But in the months since then, not much has happened. The building appears ready to go but the business hasn’t opened. I suspect it never will and one day I’ll be driving by and notice the sign has gone.

That’s a pity. I quite like the sign, in part because when I first saw it, my immediate reaction was, “Mmmm, jelly beans.”

A couple of days ago, my wife called to alert me to the presence of this truck in Hawi, so I scurried over there and took some photos.

The message was on both sides of the board, but what was it there for? Were they upset with one of the stores, but which one? Was it a court ordered sign for a terrible driver? Was the truck several steps beyond a lemon? Was it a Google Street View vehicle?

If I still had my truck and the necessary materials to hand, I would have fashioned a similar board, painted a word on it, and parked it across the street. One option was ‘Good.’ Another was ‘Knievel.’

It was a mystery, but I’m happy to report that when I passed by later in the day, the evil had been driven out of Hawi.