Lei (garland) the time, Blanding was employed by the "Honolulu Star Bulletin", and he shared his idea with columnist Grace Tower Warren, who came up with the phrase, "May Day is Lei Day". The Hawaiian song, "May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii" was composed in 1927 by Ruth and Leonard "Red" Hawk. At the 81st Annual Mayor's Lei Day Celebration at Kapiolani Park in 2008, Honolulu set the record for the World's Longest Lei. Unofficially, the lei measured 5,336 feet in length, more than a mile. All of the major islands celebrate Lei Day, and each island is symbolized in pageantry
Flowers Island Island was eventually vacated with the decline of the local fishery, the rise of the Labrador cod fishery, the seal hunt, and technological changes. By 1911 there were only eight people living there; eventually they all resettled. In the beginning, all the inhabitants of Flowers Island were Church of England, until Methodism was introduced to them in 1874 and the Salvation Army in 1891. There was no church on Flowers Island but missionaries from other areas visited the island to perform services, baptisms, burials, marriages, and visits to the sick. For example, the first missionary stationed in nearby Greenspond, Rev.