Brooksby Village residents and staff didn't want to wait for Mother Nature to usher in the warmth of spring and summer as March slowly recedes into April.

Instead, the chose to celebrate Tropical Heatwave Day inside the Cider House on Friday afternoon with plenty of tropical shirts, leis and even a Hula dancer, Paki, to show them how to make a grass skirt sway like palm trees in a gentle breeze.

Paki, a.k.a. Patricia Viero, of Hula Aloha Dancers in Concord, demonstrated several Hawaiian dances as Brooksby Village residents sat dressed in their straw hats and Hawaiian shirts. She also gave some residents some quick lessons on how to sway from side to side and use their hands to motion to the song, "Pearly Shells."

Mary Landry, who serves as the residential complex's community resource director, said Brooksby Village has held a Tropical Heatwave Day for the last eight years on a Friday this closed to the first day of spring on March 21.

What follows is an image gallery and a video of some of the Tropical Heatwave activities, which included a hulu hoop, pie eating and costume contest. Aloha!