While the exact origins of any true Hawaiian torch-lighting ceremony are unknown, the use of this incarnation of Hawaiian culture, performed at many Hawaiian hotels, began at the Coconut Palms Hotel, with Grace Buscher making the first call. The ceremony would become a big part of the Coco Palms story. Hawaiians dressed in a traditional "malo" would blow a conch shell and beat a drum, as the call was answered by one man running across the coconut grove, lighting torches on his way until the entire lagoon was lit. In the book "Kauai: 100 Years in Postcards", author Stormy Cozad states that while the torch-lighting ceremony was synonymous with the Coco Palms, it was not a true Hawaiian ceremony but a dramatic call to dinner for guests using bits of Hawaiian culture displayed as parts of Hawaiian history were narrated during the lighting. Postcards from the time depict a number of local Hawaiian residents performing the ceremony, including Sebastian Alalem blowing the conch shell, Willie Carrillo beating the drum, and John Keleohi lighting the torch. The event would be followed by an hour-long Polynesian-themed show in the dining room. Bruscher had a firepit built for roasting a pig in full view of guests to entice them into the Lagoon Dining Room, one of three dining areas at the hotel, helping to distract them from the passing train. Another longtime employee was entertainer Larry Rivera, who began at the hotel as a waiter before it became the Coco Palms.