Maui AJA (Americans of Japanese Ancestry), Veterans Inc., with co-sponsorship by the County of Maui, will hold their 55th Annual Chrysanthemum Festival at the Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center in Pukalani on Saturday, Dec. 1, beginning at 6 p.m.

The annual event is a fundraiser and celebration of Japanese culture which includes coronation of a queen, a ballroom dance performance by the court, buffet dinner catered by Ichiban Okazuya, entertainment, demonstrations and displays.

The festival will include ballroom dancing. Court members and their escorts will perform during the coronation portion of the program. The court’s dance is a tradition at the event. They attend weekly practices under the direction of Jeff and Lydia Dela Cruz. Court members help represent the Maui AJA Veterans Inc. at community activities during the year.

Contestants for the Queen sell tickets and solicit donations to the AJA Veterans programs. The one who raises the most money is crowned queen of the festival. This year’s contestants are Jaime Kane (Kamehameha Schools Maui, grade 11), Kelsey Naruse (Seabury Hall, grade 11) and Abcde Shibao (Lahainaluna High School, grade 12).

Proceeds from the event go to Maui AJA Veterans Inc.’s civic projects, especially those that support the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center and scholarships for college-bound students of all ethnic backgrounds from Maui.

Admission is $15. Call 878-3831 by Tuesday, Nov. 27, to buy tickets, for more information about the event or to make a general donation.