"The Life"
M a r c h -A p r i l ‘10
The Life of the Land Green Power Girl: Super Hero for Saving the Earth!
The Life of the People Hale Makua – Legacy of a Kahuna Elder New S.P.A.C.E. for a Circus and a Community Uncle Kala – Craftsman for the Sacred Drum
The Life in Art “Bio-Glass” Fused in an Eco-Kiln
The Kona Jazz Fest is Born
C O M P L I M E N TA RY
C O P Y
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The Life in Music
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Experience your pet deserves, experience you can trust.
www.keauhouvet.com
Dr. Jacob Head Dr. Jacob Head was voted Best Veterinarian in West Hawaii.
PIKES CORNER I am now officially 2 years young and counting. People island-wide keep telling me how lucky I am to be part of the action here at Keauhou Veterinary Hospital."What" I say "I am the action". Things here changed last March when "I" joined the staff. Actually, the amazing things the staff do everyday is what sets them apart. General care, fracture repair, orthopedics like the KYON TTA knee surgery, back surgery, oncology, soft tissue surgery, dermatology, and more. The staff is here to help your pets get well fast. My dads toy box is filled with things like ultrasound, digital dental xray, an in house lab, a full pharmacy, and orthopedic equipment from the leaders in the industry Synthes. If it is the best he has it. He knows that your pet is your family and his goal is to make sure he can provide the highest quality care available . My dad, mom and the staff go the extra mile, they are here when you need. Last March I needed a family, my eye was damaged and I had a wound on my side. The Head's adopted me patched me up and changed my life and I am so glad they did!
78-6728 Walua Rd, Kailua-Kona, HI
808-322-2988 / Fax 808-322-2303
M a r c h -A p r i l ‘10
The Life in Spirit: 13
Three Beloved Ali‘i Wahine by Kumu Keala Ching
The Life of the People: 16
More Than a Wooden Big-Top: Soaring High at S.P.A.C.E. in Puna
21
Walking in the Footsteps of a Kahuna Elder Hale Kealohalani Makua Lives On
33
Crafting the Sacred Pahu Drum “Uncle Kala” Willis
24
The Life of the Land: Who is That Woman Behind the Green Cape? Green Power Girl... Super Hero!
37
Hidden Treasures at Hilo Bay Café
40
Kava Culture – Facts and Fiction
The Life as Art: 28
Used Veggie Oil Fuels Fabulous Glass Art Hugh Jenkins and Stephanie Ross
The Life in Music: 42
10
A Dream to Reality The First Kona Jazz Festival
Viewpoint:
Investment Tips for a Regenerative Future
Ka Puana --- The Refrain: 54
Rooster & Papaya
From the Publishers...............................................................................08 Farmers’ Markets.....................................................................................44 Community Calendar............................................................................45 The Life in Business................................................................................53
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Departments:
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UA MAU KE EA O KA ‘AINA I KA PONO.
The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness. [Its sustainability depends on doing what is right.] Proclamation by Kona-born King Kamehameha III in 1843. Later adopted as the state motto.
Publishers
Barbara Garcia Bowman w Karen Valentine
Editor
Karen Valentine
Sales and Marketing Director
Barbara Garcia Bowman Barb@KeOlaMagazine.com w 808.345.2017
Creative Design
Michael Mark P., Creative Director, Mana Brand Marketing WavenDean Fernandes, Principle, Mana Brand Marketing WavenDean@ManaBrandMarketing.com w 808.345.0734
Advertising Design
Tahiti Huetter www.tahitihdesigns.com
Production Manager Richard Price
Ambassadors
Mars Cavers w Devany Davidson w Mahealani Henry WavenDean Fernandes w Marya Mann w Fern Gavelek Eric Bowman w Deborah Ozaki w Greg Shirley
Directors, New Business Development
Carolyn Greenan–Kona w 808.345.3268 Randy Botti–Kohala, Hamakua and Hilo w 808.558.9857 Mars Cavers–Art Gallery Consultant w 808.938.9760
Contributing Writers
Keala Ching w Ann C. Peterson Alan McNarie w Marya Mann Andrea Dean w Fern Gavelek Devany Vickery-Davidson w Kona Lowell
Photography
Andrea Dean w Fern Gavelek w Devany Vickery-Davidson
Editorial inquiries & calendar submissions: Editor@KeOlaMagazine.com Subscriptions: www.KeOlaMagazine.com or mail name, address and payment of $24 US/$42 International for one year to P.O. Box 1494, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745 808.345.2017 w Fax: 808.882.1648 © 2010, Hawaii Island Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved P.O. Box 1494, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745
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Professional Member ASID, LEED Accredited Professional
Kamuela, HI PH: 808-885-5587 www.trans-pacificdesign.com
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KE OLA is printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks. Hawaii Island Publishing, Inc., is a recognized member of the Kuleana Green Business Program of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce
From Readers...
From the Publishers Building a Community
A
s the Earth gets ever smaller and people are linked in so many new ways, we come to the realization that there are many ways to build a community. Geography becomes less important to satisfy our need to bond with our ‘ohana, in the broadest sense of the word – the world ‘ohana. We have our online communities, our workplace communities, our “like-minded” communities and our blood-tied communities. At Ke Ola, we still believe in a sense of place, in that the land where we live is our foundation in the literal sense of the word. Consider the Hawaiian words related to the land: our earth or land is our ‘aina; our world, Earth or foundation is honua; and in Hawaiian songs and oli, it is spoken of ku‘u one hanau, the “sands of my birth.” We also believe in ‘ohana, the community we are building composed of readers and businesses who are choosing to come together inside the pages of this printed publication. Yes, Ke Ola has an online presence, but as you can see by the feedback from our readers, they also love holding it in their hands next to their cup of Kona coffee. So, sometimes it’s better to stop talking and let others share their mana‘o, as they do on this page. Please enjoy reading the comments we’ve received in the last two months, and enjoy the stories in this issue of Ke Ola.
With gratitude and aloha,
www.KeOlaMagazine.com| |KEKE OLA 8 8| |www.KeOlaMagazine.com OLA
–Karen Valentine and Barbara Garcia
Cover Art: Glass vase, fired in eco-kiln, using vegetable oil, by Hugh Jenkins and Stephanie Ross.
✿ Dear Editor, This letter is a little bit late for your magazine but regardless, I needed to thank you for a wonderful article that Fern Gavelek had done for us. The article was about our little orchid club in Kona. It is actually the first one formed in Kona and it featured the remaining charter members. As the historian for the club, I feel Fern helped to “cement” the foundation of the club and we are truly grateful for her efforts. She really took the time to talk to all of us and came out to take the pictures for the magazine. Mahalo for your efforts in publicizing such a wonderful magazine featuring so many of the local happenings. – Carol Zakahi, Historian, Kona Daifukuji Orchid Club ✿ We got our Jan/Feb issue Friday, and read most of it over Kona Coffee, here on the mainland, Saturday morning. What a great magazine!!!!! We will be spending some time on the Big Island starting the end of this month, and the stories have got us in the mood. – Daniel C. Mundell, Fife, Washington ✿ Your artist profile articles are so informative and entertaining. Plus, our Big Island Arts Annual ad looks great! Ke Ola helps us show that advertising can be a beautiful form of communication. THANK YOU! – Alexis Morrison, Ocean View, HI ✿ Ke Ola sets standards for the deep awareness of the spirit of the island and life itself. In so many ways that is all that counts. Heaven is our state of mind, but we need to remember what to bring forth in that mind ....the magazine reminds me. Thanks for all you do. – Jim Channon, Hawi, HI
✿ Happy New Year to everyone at Ke Ola. Our Showcase Gallery ads are a success! Our former Keauhou customers are finding us in Kainaliu and the ads are drawing in new customers as well! Looking forward to the next issue! Thanks for your all your help and tips to create a successful ad! – Emily, Showcase Gallery, Kainaliu, HI ✿ Aloha– Thank you for your lovely magazine. This morning, I am reading the Jan-Feb issue of ‘Ke Ola’, which is jam-packed with juicy goodness ~ visually & newsily. I especially like the articles about growing & decorating ‘ipu’, and the Life & history of the Outdoor Circles. I had no idea about the library at Kona Outdoor Circle, where we can learn “how to grow virtually anything on the island.” Excellent! Mahalo for the good info. Oh, and I really appreciate the quarter-page ad showing ‘points of interest’ in Holualoa. Very helpful ~ it’s one thing to drive thru Holualoa, and see that there is good stuff there ~ it’s another to have a ‘guide map.’ – Rev. Dana St.Claire, Waikoloa, HI
{Letters continued on next page .................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Send us your comments and letters! We take email, snail mail, submissions through our website or posts on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter! Editor@keolamagazine.com Follow us:
✿ Hey Barb, I sure am a fan! I got a call from a prospective client last week as a result of our ad in Ke Ola!! Thank you for providing this outlet for us!! Aloha, Sue. – Susan J. Moss, Trans Pacific (Interior) Design, Waimea, HI ✿ Wow, Karen and Barb! I got to look over my new Ke Ola last night. It just gets better and better. Your layout and exquisite graphics make me want to devour every sensuous page. I can almost smell the uhiuhi blossom in Ann Peterson’s illuminating “Flower Power” and taste the mochi offered by Akiko’s weathered hands in the poetic “Zen Hostess.” In allowing the subtle, captivating quality of Hawaiian mana to permeate the magazine, you’ve done what so many Ke Ola stories remind us to do: share love, joy, excellence, and the deeper soul roots of Aloha. Brilliant, generous, bold and very needed in our world! Mahalo! – Marya Mann, Kailua-Kona, HI ✿ I love having KE OLA on my coffee table for my Florida friends to enjoy when they come to the Oasis. Now they know why I spend so much time on your beautiful island. – Bit Shaw, Boynton Beach, FL
–Harry Smith, Princeton, MA
✿ A friend sent me three back copies of Ke Ola and wow! What a wonderful publication you’ve put together. It transported me right into the heart of my beloved island and community. Thank you to Barb and Karen for all you are doing. –Judith Kahealani Lynne, Portland, OR
✿ I got Ke Ola in the mail today. WOW, WOW, WOW! Beautiful, interesting, just keeps getting better and better. And all the new advertisers as well. Kudos to Karen and Barb!! Loved the gourd article. I also love the backgrounds on the pages for the text. Very artsy. Truly a gorgeous, educating, and entertaining magazine.
DAY D AY
FAIR
at k e a u h o u Free FUN for the entire ‘Ohana Environmental & Kuleana Conferences & Fair Friday April 23rd
10:00 to 3:00 • Saturday April 24th, 2010
Keauhou Beach Resort & Kahalu‘u Beach Park Opening Ceremony & Hula Performance by Na Wai Iwi Ola - Kumu Keala Ching
Free Bike Valet Parking Flag Contest, Alternative Energy Solutions, Reef Theatre Lectures, Films & Slide Shows, Recycling Information, Tide Pool Adventure, Humu, the Walking Talking Fish, ReefTeach Fish for Knowledge, Lauhala Weaving, Kapa Cloth Making Pohaku Manao, Ono Food & Entertainment Games and activities by many organizations including:
The Nature Conservancy • Kohala Center/ReefTeachers • Malama Kai Foundation • Big Island Invasive Species • Hualalai Academy • Manta Pacific Foundation • West Hawaii Explorations Academy • Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary • Hawaii Preperatory Academy • Kona Underwater Photography Society • UH Sea Grant College Program • DLNR • Sierra Club • NOAA Fisheries • West Hawaii Fisheries Council • Kealakehe Intermediate School
–Deb Sims, Honaunau, HI
Presented by Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce & University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program
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✿ Two perspectives on the latest Ke Ola issue: ours and that of Henny Hodges, formerly of Honoka’a. Henny has most of her family on the island still. She told me that she got chicken skin as she leafed through and that it started when she saw it was sent from Kamuela. Chicken skin speaks to the magazine’s evoking strong emotion. Is there higher praise for any literature?
Our perspective, in a word, is “boffo!” I disdain show-bizspeak, but don’t know any Hawaiian or Pidgin equivalent. Photography & graphics are the best ever as is layout; thus: superbly professional presentation of content and ads. Ke Ola is a far superior showcasing of the Big Island than anything we saw less than a year ago. It has been superior since the first issue. Ha’ina ia mai ana kapu’ana: “yaaaay and hana hou,” “hele on,” imua.” May the mynah bird of fortune fly slowly over your mai tai and deposit gold in it.
Viewpoint
Investment Tips for a Regenerative Future
By Michael Kramer, M.Ed, AIF® Managing Partner & Director of Social Research, Natural Investments LLC
W
ith climate change and peak oil now widely accepted, in the past few years we have witnessed the proliferation of investment opportunities under the green, sustainable and socially responsible umbrella. As the public considers issues in making purchasing decisions, socially responsible investment (SRI) funds and managers have responded to these preferences in the design of their programs. As there aren’t universal social and environmental criteria used by managers to select the underlying holdings, there are “many shades of green.”
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For some, SRI involves screening out those sectors they may find objectionable: tobacco, alcohol, firearms and gambling are common exclusions, followed by nuclear power and military contractors. Business practices across all industries are also evaluated as part of environmental, social and governance analysis by many managers. They may look at issues such as EPA violations and major contributors to global warming, child labor, sweatshop conditions, workplace diversity, corporate disclosure, human rights, community relations, product safety, unnecessary animal testing, offensive and deceptive marketing, and executive compensation.
While most fund companies apply exclusionary screens, some differentiate their approach to social research by looking proactively for companies with specific sustainability programs and other exceptional policies and practices. While no major corporation has achieved sustainability, many are taking it seriously by examining their supply chains, focusing on renewable energy and efficiency, and implementing “care of people” policies. Yes, greenwashing does exist, but we are now able to distinguish the pretenders from the committed. Visit naturalinvesting.com to see the NI Social RatingSM, the nation’s only social and environmental rating of socially responsible mutual funds. The recent popularity of renewable energy and other green sectors has led to the emergence of many new mutual and exchange-traded funds in these areas. Green investments, however, may have nothing to do with social responsibility, which is an important distinction. For example, if a company that makes a green product happens to treat its employees and communities poorly, is it worth owning? Manufacturers of green products can also cause toxic pollution through the production process, so there are many levels of behaviors to evaluate. Given the lack of public companies in Hawaii, there are few investment opportunities here for retail investors, but accredited
Community investing is also gaining in popularity, given the recent challenges of the conventional banking and financial services industry. Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) operate lending programs in communities of need that continue to address access-to-capital issues for marginalized domestic populations and low-income communities worldwide. By directly addressing economic empowerment and ecological preservation, CDFIs are considered high-impact but low-risk investments that act as suitable replacement for money market or other cash equivalents positions within mutual funds. Community banks, credit unions and loan funds, as well as international microfinance programs, offer investors modest returns, in some cases with federal insurance, while making a difference in people’s lives.
For more information on ethical investing, visit: www.socialinvest.org, www.socialfunds.com and www.communityinvest.org. To find green businesses, visit: www.betterworldshopper.com, www.goodguide.com and www.greenamerica.org. Here in Hawaii, green businesses can be found at the Kuleana Green Business Program at www.kona-kohala.com, the Sustainability Association of Hawaii (www.sahawaii.org), www.hawaiihealthguide.com, www.hawaiigreenpages.com and www.manifestaloha.com, while www.sustainhawaii.org is launching an array of green business initiatives called Walk Story and Ainability as a chapter of the Business Alliance of Local Living Economies. Unified Field Bank, a sustainability-focused lending institution, is also in its formative stage here on Hawai‘i Island (www.unifiedfieldbank.com). IN spirit
investors have funded dozens of start-up companies in emerging green sectors such as biofuels, aquaculture, biotechnology, and wind, solar, and hydrogen power. Two of these – Hoku Scientific and Napo Pharmaceuticals – went on to become public companies; while the likes of Sopogy, which recently installed a facility at NELHA; Kona Blue (also at NELHA); Ocean Network (digital channel 349); Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning; and deep-ocean ahi farm Hawai‘i Oceanic Technologies remain privately held.
The Life
Community investing is also gaining in popularity, given the recent challenges of the conventional banking and financial services industry.
Michael Kramer is a Managing Partner and Director of Social Research at Natural Investments LLC, an investment advisor with offices in Kona and four other states, exclusively managing portfolios of socially responsible investments for individuals and institutions. He founded the Kuleana Green Business Program of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce. Michael can be reached at 331-0910, Michael@NaturalInvesting.com, and www.NaturalInvesting.com.
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Spots caused by sun damage can be lightened with treatment. A lifetime of chronic sun exposure encourages degeneration of skin tissues, resulting in irregular pigmentation, blotches, patches, freckles and sometimes, pre-cancerous skin changes. Some experts estimate that while 50 percent of sun damage occurs before 18 years of age, the consequences often do not become apparent until middle age. The good news is that innovative treatments and procedures are now available to reverse this damage, leaving your skin fresher and more youthful looking.
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= Skin before Obagi Nu-Derm treatment.
How excessive sun exposure causes spots and blotchiness.
Over time, ultraviolet light darkens the skin, causing excess production of melanin, as well as a breakdown of the mechanism which protects (tans) the skin, causing the melanin production to go into overdrive. This process is a reaction to the sun’s damaging UVA radiation, especially in fair-skinned individuals, and can be especially pronounced on the left side of the face due to driving.
Skin after three months using Obagi Nu-Derm Skincare products. The patient had tried many different products for many years without results.
=
Regaining healthy skin using a combination of treatments.
Patients seeking to address hyperpigmentation and spots can get excellent results from a number of options. They start with a skin-care regimen such as the renowned one developed by Dr. Zein Obagi, combining it for faster results with IPL, FRAXEL or Active Fx lasers. Gradual improvement occurs over a four-to-six month period by using this special line of Obagi products that combine Retin A, (proven to stimulate the growth of collagen) alphahydroxy acid and prescription-strength hydroquinone. After the initial therapeutic stage, patients move on to maintenance, and are often are astounded and satisfied with the results. (Spots that are raised or suspicious are biopsied and surgically removed if necessary.) Learn more. Visit our Web site today to view educational videos and read more about the various treatment options for addressing spots caused by excessive sun exposure. A complimentary VISIA complexion analysis—along with a detailed individualized treatment plan to help you achieve your goals of repairing and maintaining healthy skin—comes with every consultation. Call today to schedule your appointment. It’s time to reverse the effects of sun damage on your skin.
Four Specially Priced Packages. For treatment of spots, we have bundled up just what you need in four, non-surgical packages. These combine laser skin resurfacing, injectables (including Radiesse, Perlane, Restalyne, Dysport and Botox), as well as products from the renowned Obagi Skincare line and more. Choose the one best for you. Four packages, four prices. Visit www.DrJohnStover.com/spots2 for all the details.
John D. Stover, DDS, MD, PhD Board Certified in Facial Cosmetic Surgery and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dr. Stover is one of the most highly trained and imminently qualified cosmetic surgeons in Hawaii. Dr. Stover continually updates his knowledge, skill and practice in the latest surgical and non-surgical procedures and techniques.
Marné CarMichael Walsh, M.S., PAC, Physician Assistant Physician Assistant Ms. CarMichael Walsh teams with Dr. Stover to perform treatments that address wrinkles and other effects of sun damage to the skin. Ms. Walsh was educated at U.H. Manoa and at the Chicago Medical School and is a board-certified Physician Assistant.
DDS, MD, PhD
Cosmetic Centers of Hawaii
www.DrJohnStover.com/spots2 Kona 323-2600 • Waimea 885-4503 • Hilo 969-1818
KE OLA | www.KeOlaMagazine.com | 13
The Life IN spirit
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D
riving through the sleepy little village of Wai‘ōhinu, tucked into a lush, green valley near the larger village of Na‘alehu, it’s hard to believe that it was once the economic hub of Ka`u. Rich in early settlement and historical references, it was described by Mark Twain as one of his favorite places to visit on the Big Island. ‘Wai‘ōhinu’ means “water shining like oil” in Hawaiian, and it is this natural resource that helped shaped the village’s destiny. In the time of the early Hawaiians, a series of mountaintop springs named Ha‘ao branched out at the base of the steep pali over a series of terraced taro patches that were encircled by villagers’ homes. Some say that Wai‘ōhinu’s name described the sun’s bright reflection on this water, but there are also a few legends attributed to the naming of the town. Two of the naming legends involve Tahitian kupua, or supernatural beings. In the first, a cruel ogre came to Ka`u and dwelt with his wife and son just below Ha`ao, causing all kinds of death and havoc to those visiting the springs. They hid the corpses in the tall grasses and when a heavy rain brought the oil (hinu) from the bodies down the stream, villagers realized what had been happening, captured the ogre and his son with a clever ruse, and cooked them in an imu. In another legend the kupua were stones— a black male stone named Ka`uloa and a red female one named Wai‘ōhinu. Legend states that these stones liked to talk to each other, and as they conversed, they kept going deeper and deeper into the ground until Ka`uloa became the whole district of Ka`u—with its black lava landscape, and the female stone became the red-dirt land of Wai‘ōhinu. The earliest-known, written account of Wai‘ōhinu was made by Archibald Menzies, the surgeon and botanist on Captain George Vancouver’s voyage in 1794. Their “Voyage of Discovery” landed at Waio`ahukini—a sandy beach just west of Ka Lae (South Point), and after a day’s travel found Wai‘ōhinu, “the most populous village since Kealakekua.” Menzies noted that the “neatness with which they cultivated their little fields made the whole valley appear more like a rich garden than a plantation;” and he goes on to describe “a stream of water which fell from the mountain, though the middle of it was ingeniously branched off on each side to flood and fertilize the most distant fields at pleasure.” Perhaps because Ka`u is the most remote district on the island, it was the last to experience a western religious influence. At one time the district had approximately 10,000 inhabitants, but those numbers have declined since then due to many factors. In 1841, French Catholic Father Marechal settled at Wai‘ōhinu, and while Congregationalism and Protestantism were the more popular religions in the other districts, Father Marechal “wore his shoes out before he could repair them,” and by 1846, two-thirds of Ka`u’s inhabitants were Catholic.
Without a doubt, the most famous early visitor to Wai‘ōhinu was Mark Twain, who arrived in 1866. Landing at Ka`alu`alu Bay he traveled on horseback the six miles to the village as the “surroundings fast improved,” and they were “soon among green groves and flowers and occasional plains of grass.” He was enchanted with the trees, particularly the mango and orange trees that “will live in my memory as the greenest, freshest, and most beautiful I ever saw—and withal, the stateliest and most graceful.” Twain stayed with Captain Charles N. Spencer, who later served as Minister of the Interior for King Kalākaua, and the two each planted a monkey pod tree along the roadway. Twain’s tree was blown down in
Phot
o by
Tom Q
uinla
n
The colorful mural on the side of the Wong Yuen store tells the story of Wai‘ōhinu.
the late 1950s, but a shoot survived and has grown into a beautiful shade tree with a historical marker claiming its fame.
Photo by Ann
C. Peterson
On April 2, 1868, Mauna Loa erupted and a subsequent 7.7 magnitude earthquake killed seven people in Ka`u, injured 40 and damaged 550 houses. Every building in Wai‘ōhinu was destroyed. It was also in 1868 that Alexander Hutchinson established the first commercial sugar operation in Na`alehu. Water was critical for the early cane fields—to move the cane along the flumes to the harbor. The beautiful Ha‘ao stream was diverted for this use, and the source of Wai‘ōhinu’s celebrity disappeared from the lower lands. In March of 1877, the Hawaiian Gazette noted, “for a small village, Wai`ohinu has a large number of stores – at least 10, which supply the wants of the inhabitants residing in the Ka`u district, 20 miles in either direction.” The article gives a glowing review of the community’s “neat appearance” and the resident’s “habits of industry,” and states that there “is no good reason” that a “substantial wharf not be built” at Ka`alu`alu Bay. However, the decision to instead build a new wharf at Honu`apo—also known today by some as Whittington Beach Park—seems to be a turning point for the village. As the burgeoning sugar industry was developed further east, in Na‘alehu and Pahala, Wai`ohinu’s heydays as an economic hub were over. Wai`ōhinu made the switch from urban to rural with gentle grace. The beautiful green backdrop of rolling hills is fertile pastureland and lush with a myriad of trees and vegetation. In the center of town, Wong Yuen Store, retains the name of the Chinese immigrant who began its operations in 1914. Shopping there takes one back to a more personable, slower time. Outside the store, on the northeast side of the building is a mural that depicts scenes from the 1800s. Here you can see how the stream branched out over the land, you can see the church, and of course, Mark Twain is there amongst the villagers.
KE OLA | www.KeOlaMagazine.com | 15
Reverend John D. Paris also arrived in Wai‘ōhinu in 1841 and built Ka`uaha`ao Church— the first of eight churches he was to build in the districts of Ka`u and Kona. He built this church of lava stone and white mortar, with a thatched roof, and “big enough to hold a thousand or more people but generally with 300 – 400 in attendance,” according to an early traveler. In 1888, following its destruction in the great earthquake of 1868, the church was rebuilt of wood with a tall steeple painted white with green trim. A historic landmark at Wai‘ōhinu, it was a scenic treat to all who saw it, and its controversial destruction in 1998 is still a sore topic among Wai‘ōhinu residents and preservationists throughout the state.
Ka‘uaha‘ao Congregational Church was a distinctive landmark along Hwy. 11 before the historic structure was dismantled in 1998, in spite of much opposition by its parishioners and local residents.
The Life OF THE PEOPLE
Sixteen 20-foot-tall ‘ohi‘a posts support trusses that were hand-painted in rainbow colors before raising them to support three tons of tongue-and-groove lumber that make up a ceiling that’s high enough for trapeze artists. Here, Stella Javier leads a class at Hiccup Circus Winter Camp.
Graham Ellis, who founded Puna’s Hiccup Circus Jinuggler 1984 to educate and inspire local kids through circus arts,
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longed for a home base. For nearly two decades, Ellis, his performer friends and students had performed in schools and put on circus extravaganzas in various venues around the island, as he says, “creating magic in the most difficult circumstances.” He needed a permanent “Big Top.” “We were always on the road,” he sighs, sitting in his new office. And when at home, practice and training sessions were held outdoors, in the jungle, at the mercy of the elements. After ten years in the planning stage and ten weeks in the building, Ellis’ brainchild, Seaview Performing Arts Center for Education, or S.P.A.C.E.., opened in November of 2007. Standing in the jungle above Kalapana Seaview Estates, deep in Lower Puna, this unique building is perhaps Hawaii’s best kept cultural secret. Designed as a permanent Big Top for Hiccup Circus, it has been embraced by the community and rapidly become much more. With a soaring, two-tiered roof, high enough to host circus acts featuring locally trained kids performing alongside world-class talent from troupes such as Cirque Du Soleil, the 5,000-square-
foot structure offers space for many more functions as well. It houses a community theater, musical performances by local artists, a night bazaar with live entertainment, a farmer’s market, after-school programs, various community classes and workshops, and serves as home for a charter school. S.P.A.C.E.. is a model of sustainable living: the building is entirely solar powered — it often generates more electricity than it needs, so it’s being connected to the island’s power grid to send off the excess — with features designed to funnel in the area’s trade winds for natural ventilation and to provide a maximum of usable natural lighting. Every October, the center is the finish line for the Race to S.P.A.C.E.., featuring human-powered vehicles that have ranged from regular bicycles to a pedal-powered, nearlife-sized whale.
Ellis is happy to report Hiccup no longer tours. There’s no better performance space in the state for a circus than the one just beyond his new office door. Sixteen 20-foot-tall posts, made from 100- to 300-year-old ‘ohi‘a trees that were salvaged on the site support trusses that were built and hand-painted in rainbow colors before raising them to support three tons of tongue-and-groove lumber that make up a ceiling that’s high enough for trapeze artists. Every post and board has been hand-sanded and double varnished, because people are meant to look up at that ceiling a lot. The special “sprung floor” has a layer of hardwood flooring riding atop gymnastic foam. It’s the perfect setting for S.P.A.C.E.’s annual circus extravaganza, Le Chic, directed most recently by Cirque Du Soleil founding member Dolores Leonard and featuring many of Hiccup’s own students performing alongside internationally-known circus talent such as Cirque Du Soleil veteran and three-time world champion twirlsport artist Annetta Lucero. Twirlsport, for those who don’t know, is baton-twirling taken to the level of professional art. Lucero has been doing it since she was three years old, and rose to the top of her profession despite being born with three missing vertebrae and being diagnosed with systemic lupus and epilepsy. In addition to performing at S.P.A.C.E., she also teaches private classes in twirling there every Friday. A rare Cirque Du Soleil miscue allowed professional aerialist Wailana Simcock to join the cast of Conference of the Birds, the latest production of S.P.A.C.E.’s resident Stargate Theater Company. “The opening of Cirque Du Soleil went soft on Maui, so we were able to hire him. He was a gift—that fact that he was available here in Kalani,” says director Kate Viehl. A former professor of performing arts at Michigan State University and a 30-year theater veteran, Viehl says she first saw Simcock diving at a local pool and thought, “That’s the most finely tuned body I’ve seen since I left the mainland.”
Justin Williams at S.P.A.C.E. Night Bazaar.
journey in search of their god. Performing in S.P.A.C.E. allows the “birds” to fly. “We’re working on scaffolding, so the birds are moving on ropes and leaping from platform to platform,” says Viehl. Because of the difficulty, the cast rehearsed for seven months before opening. The three-dimensional performance S.P.A.C.E. posed a special challenge for lead actor Raj Kumar Olson, a classical guitarist who also composed the play’s score. He has to “fly” and play guitar at the same time. “Classical guitar players don’t usually swing,” jokes Viehl. The play may have an ancient source, but it’s hardly stuffy. Adapted by Peter Brooks and Jean-Claude Carrier, both dramatic and farcical and paced, as Viehl says, “like a Tarantino movie,” the play covers topics as modern as date rape and drug addiction. It opened to a sold-out house last New Year’s Eve, and has been performed twice a month since then. The next play dates are March 12 -13 and April 16-17. A glance at March and April calendars on the office wall illustrates the range of other cultural events at the center. Groove Temple, an electronic dance event, is happening on March 19 and April 9. On March 27, the wooden big top will host a Trash Fashion Show. On April 3, island kids 18 years old or younger are invited to show off their eclectic talents in the East Hawai‘i Youth Showcase. S.P.A.C.E.’S apparent deep talent pool comes, in part, because it’s also the hub of a unique performing artist’s cooperative. Founded in 1987, Belly Acres is a 12-acre garden that holds a collection of homes, temporary shelters (most with jugglerfriendly high ceilings) that serve as residences for 20-plus circus performers and their families, as well as assorted chickens,
{Continued on page 19
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Simcock became the play’s choreographer, allowing the theater cast to take full advantage of S.P.A.C.E.’S circusheight ceiling. The play, based on a 10th-century Persian Sufi poem, is about a flock of birds who
Saturday farmer’s market is only one of many community events at S.P.A.C.E. in Puna.
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“It’s just become a sort of community gathering place. The personal connections that people are making are just as important as the commerce. “Monday morning, somebody’s hired somebody that they meet at the market on Saturday morning,” elaborates Ellis.
The special “sprung floor” at S.P.A.C.E. has a layer of hardwood flooring riding atop gymnastic foam in this new space for Hiccup Circus and other performances.
{Continued from page 17 cats and horses. Some of the co-op members come for just part of the year, but S.P.A.C.E. manager Jenna Way notes that there’s “less of a fluctuating population now than there used to be. People who are pursuing that lifestyle realize that it’s not compatible with transient behavior. Like S.P.A.C.E.. itself, Belly Acres has the goal of being as selfsustaining as possible. The electricity is from solar cells, the water comes from rainwater catchment tanks, the toilet facilities are composting. Most of the collective’s food comes from its own fruit trees, vegetable gardens and chickens — with coconuts, jellies and jams left over to sell to the community. “We are en route to becoming one of the most sustainable, if not the most sustainable, art centers in the country,” says Ellis. It’s a long-term goal that, he notes, has “become an immediate necessity,” because of the bad economy.
As well as their performances, the artists are sharing that paradigm of self-sufficiency, with the community. Shortly after S.P.A.C.E.. opened, says Ellis, “We realized that this facility could offer much more than a home for the circus.” It could, and did, become the cultural and economic hub for this poorest of Hawai‘i’s communities. One of the center’s first moves toward this broadened mission was the Saturday farmer’s market, which features only locally-grown produce and local products and services. It opened in November of 2007 with only two vendors’ tables. “We’re now having anything from 30 to 40 vendors every week, and 300 to 400 customers.” But beyond that, she says,
And then there are the classes, both circus and otherwise. Hiccup holds three circus camps a year, instructed mainly by Lucero and visiting performers (but also, increasingly by Hiccup’s own graduates). There are evening circus workshops on Monday and Thursday afternoons, and “Music Exploration” on Tuesdays. The Puna School of Arts and Sciences, a Pahoa-based charter school, has a satellite school at S.P.A.C.E.. (One of the classroom spaces is watched over benignly by the Whalecycle, which hangs from the ceiling.) The long term goal, says Ellis, is to establish a “Performing Arts High School” at S.P.A.C.E.. In the meantime, the 2.5-yearold center seems off to a grand start. “We’re out of the breast-feeding,” believes Ellis, “and into the adolescent stage...well, maybe not adolescent. But we’re toddling.”
Learning aerial techniques at Hiccup Circus Winter Camp.
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“Grants have all but died out,” he says. “We have gotten only $4,000 in the last 12 months. We are not alone in this, but we are not going under. We are embracing this new economic paradigm.”
The success of the farmer’s market was followed by the Wednesday Night Bazaar, which is even more of a social gathering, with featured musicians, an open mike (which often includes both musicians and circus performers) and an international smorgasbord: Ukrainian pirogis and stuffed cabbage rolls, Italian pizza (from an oven built of recycled materials) Middle Eastern, Japanese, American barbecue... The latest community enterprise is the Second Saturday Swap Meet, where residents can set up tables to hold their own mini-garage-sales.
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The Life OF THE PEOPLE
“Most people who knew Makua just couldn’t resist being in his presence,” says visionary social architect Jim Channon. “(When I painted this), I tried to capture how he fully occupied the field of energy that he was a part of. He was a much beloved friend to all who had the good luck of knowing him.”
—Kupuna Hale Kealohalani Makua, Native Hawaiian Elder Elder’s Council Meetings in Bali & Hawaii, 2002-2003 You want to know. You want to feel, see, and learn the teachings of Hawaii’s people, the wisdom of the ancients, to better understand our place, before the wisdom could be lost. You want to hear the secret whispers of teachers like Hale Kealohalani Makua, who by most accounts was the big Kahuna, one whose words have endured on the Big Island because wise people never stopped listening to their ancestors.
He began his journey at Pukalehua, the “Doorway to Heaven,” where people who loved him planted a tree above his placenta in an ancient Hawaiian birth ceremony. Among the mingled scents of jasmine and tuberose, they prayed that Hale Makua’s life, like the tree growing above Ho’okena in South Kona, would connect heaven and earth. Through his mother, Makua was a seventh generation direct descendent of King Kamehameha. Through his father, he descended from the beloved Keoua Kuahu’ula of Ka’u— the high chief murdered and sacrificed by Kamehameha himself in Kohala—clearing the way for Kamehameha to become ka mo’i—the King. Hale Makua’s rare bloodline made him a high chief, lani, or heavenly body, and his courage led him through three tours of duty in Vietnam before he landed in a Texas VA Hospital for five years, trying to heal his wounded leg.
{Continued on page 22
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“There is no separation between one lifetime and the next lifetime, so therefore, it’s time for all of us to wake up.”
Though he joined his ancestors in 2004, Kahuna Nui Makua was gifted with an almost mythic life.
{Continued from page 21 Throughout these trials, he was visited by his ancestors daily. With their help, he became a different kind of warrior, a spiritual warrior. You wish you had known him, and then you find him on youtube, sporting a long gray ponytail down his back He leans forward on his ko’oko’o, a walking stick that one of his ancestors brought in a double-hulled canoe from Rarotonga 300 years ago. “When you give sovereignty to yourself, you’re free,” he says, “because the key to sovereignty is sharing.” He shrugs his shoulders. “So once you start sharing, you’re sovereign.” How can this Hawaiian kupuna, with his bushy white beard and great heart flashing, be e-blasting this Polynesian passion and brilliance over the Internet? He dances there, materializing on the computer screen, electron by swinging electron. Where is the protective silence, the squeeze around sacred teachings to keep them pure, hold them for the elite? The big Kahuna teaching on the Internet? Culture shock and halleluiah all in the same breath.
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Hearing his words, you want to know more, to dust for Makua’s fingerprints on the visionary doorways he helped open for others, people like transpersonal healer Jill Kuykendall, paleoanthropologist and author Hank Wesselman, social architect and visionary consultant Jim Channon, and sound healer Judith Kahealani Lynne, to mention only a handful. You trek along the coastal lava fields, past Pu’ukohola Heiau at Kawaihae, where Makua’s ancestors shed blood, to meet another warrior with a passion for peace and waking people up. Jim Channon, a buoyant 70-year old with a magical grin, credits Makua with introducing him to “the whole notion of my soul’s relationship with the galaxy.” Surrounded by gentle bridges, painted statuary, forest food and flowering plants on his eco-homestead in Hawi called, “Artesia: A Footprints Project,” Channon says, “Makua was the keeper of an extraordinary and possibly unequaled body of knowledge.” Like Makua, Channon, began to have extra-sensory perception when he was a solider in Vietnam. “I met him at Jill and Hank’s Visionseeker workshops where Makua presented. I attended in the capacity of the artist taking notes. That’s where we became extra good brothers, in the shamanic tradition.” Channon notes that Makua’s teaching was all about sharing, and in his very presence, which is what inspired him to paint such a vibrant portrait. “I think he shared most
purely at an energetic level. You have to do a lot of things in a given space, with a kind of gestural, open presence so that you can in fact get that intermingling of the cells and atomic structures.” The Visionseeker seminars organized and led by Jill Kuykendall and Hank Wesselman, who now live on their organic Ho’omaika‘i Farm in Honaunau. They brought together Makua, the Na Ao Koa Spiritual Warriors, and traditional ‘awa ceremony as part of their week-long trainings in which the participants were brought into connection with their inner sources of wisdom and power. Hank’s autobiographical book Spiritwalker, (Bantam, 1995), had chronicled a series of ongoing spontaneous visionary experiences he had in Hawaii between 1985-89. “In writing about this indigenous perspective, Hank was sensitive to the fact that he could be trespassing into an area that did not exactly welcome outsiders, especially anthropologists,” says his wife, Jill. When Hale Makua read the book in 1996, he loved it, and stepped into their lives wanting to be of service to them. “We found ways to be of service to him in return,” says Jill. “A wonderful friendship blossomed and flourished during the last eight years of his life.” “Makua came to offer his mana’o at our Visionseeker groups here in Hawaii,” continues Jill, “and through these gatherings, he experienced our teaching of the ancient shamanic journeywork method of meditation. He realized that we were bringing non-tribal Westerners into the authentic visionary experience and he said to us, “Keep spreading the word. You’re making my job easier.” As one of the founders of the Worldwide Indigenous Science Network, Makua saw that old “colonial” myths were no longer serving us, and that the Hawaiian understanding of the soul could help spawn a new view of who we are, who we are becoming, and what our purpose is. Sound healer and founder of the global Frequency Keepers, Judith Kahealani Lynne, met Makua after she called him on the phone. He had no airs, immediately inviting her to meet him the very next day on the edge of the Kilauea Crater; at a special place he affectionately called “Makua’s Office.” As they walked together along the northwestern edge of the vast crater, an area known as ‘Uwe Kahuna, Makua was very low-key. “There was no overt pageantry. He began to speak to his grandparents as though they were right next to him, but on the other side of the veil.” He prayed and chanted, calling in ancestral spirits to witness their meeting. “Then he said I should pray too. I let
loose a siren call with harmonics and sounds within the sounds. He said that I open portals and, through his teaching, I learned that frequency plus feeling equals manifestation,” says Judith. You learn that Makua’s feelings touched into primeval sources like his 18.5 million-year-old Whale Clan ancestry. “He remembered and could recite 1,260 generations back,” says Hank. “He had every name of those ancestors in his oral tradition, in his memory banks. It was the story of human migrations that went back 25,000 years and included Tibet, Asia, India, Egypt, and Africa.” “Makua said in order to know who you are, you need to know where you came from,” says Judith, “and that will tell you where you are going. That was the first assignment he gave to me, to discover my ancestors. To understand the whole, to understand our mission in life, we need to see the starting point. Then we can see the trajectory.” Did he consciously concentrate on the future, dreaming a coming age of equanimity? “One of the signatures of our consciousness age,” offers Jill, “is the awareness that each of us possesses an energetic aspect—our energy body, or our kino aka in Hawaiian. Western science is only beginning to understand this as well as its relationship with the physical body, but the indigenous peoples know a great deal about it, and so did Makua.”
“I extend to each of you the light and the love of the ancestors, the source of life,” Makua offered. “Rejoice in the power and the peace, braided with the cords of patience, revealing the tapestry of the strongest force in the universe, your aloha. Aloha, Hale Makua.” You say, “Mahalo, Hale Makua!” RESOURCES: Jill Kuykendall, RPT, and HankWesselman, Ph.D. Spirit Medicine: Healing in the Sacred Realms www.sharedwisdom.com Worldwide Indigenous Science Network www.wisn.org Judith Kahealani Lynne www.frequencykeepers.com Jim Channon and Artesia www.jimchannon.com
Jill, who specializes in a transpersonal healing modality called soul retrieval, adds, “Our personal energy field carries the pattern of our lives, the ‘breathprint,’ as well as the net effect of the balance or imbalance between the dimensions of our soul cluster.”
The most powerful impression Makua made, says Channon, was that “he physically carried the aloha spirit in his being state. He was the walking, breathing archetype of the giant, generous Hawaiian teacher.” You realize he walked in the tradition of great mystics of all time, tapping a source that can never be lost, because Makua left clear footprints for us to follow.
Hale Makua, Jill Kuykendall, and Hank Wesselman teaching Visionseeker One at the New Millennium Institute, Waimea, 2000. Hank’s new book, Awakening to the Spirit World: The Shamanic Path of Direct Revelation, explores the oldest, most reliable human technology for accessing the realms of spirit. Still in manuscript stage is his Kahuna Dialogues, a book about his profound conversations with Makua.
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Makua encouraged others to know themselves, to know the truth, and to engage their ancestors, for the past never really dies. It’s inside us as cellular memory, in the ocean where the Whale Clan cavorts, and fluttering in the soft leaves of Makua’s birth tree.
of the LAND
Illustration by Michael Zittel
The Life
Green P ow Hero Ple er dge:
Our mis sion as Green P ower He roes is to sus tain life on this pla net for a ll children of all creature s for all time .
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T
he day started like any other. Gigi Starr got up in the morning, ate breakfast and went to school. She was the new girl at Goodall Middle School and was already feeling like the lone wolf of environmentalism at school. Just that morning in science class the other kids were making fun of her paper about global warming, “Global warming? Yeah right, sounds like global whining,” sneered the class bully. After school Gigi saw the bully and his friends trying to fry a frog with the sun through a magnifying glass. Gigi’s compassion for the creatures of the earth was immediately activated and without a thought of her own safety she jumped right in to tussle with the boys and saved the frog. But the bad boys didn’t like being one-upped by a girl and turned the magnifying glass on Gigi. She surprised both them and herself by somehow deflecting the sun’s rays back and shattering the magnifying glass. Not that Gigi didn’t have it all handled, but just
then Buddy Biomass rode up on his veggie-oil-fueled motorcycle and told the little frog burners to pick up their trash and skedaddle. “You’re that new girl. You got power, kid. It’s in you.” It had been a long, hard day. Scuffed up, dirty and holding a frog, Gigi wasn’t feeling very powerful at that moment. She sighed and thought to herself “If only he were right. I wish I could see my power.” Little did Gigi know that at that very moment Mother Nature was lamenting about how humans had lost their connection to nature and were polluting the earth by overusing fossil fuels. She called a Council Meeting of the earth animals and the Green Power Heroes- Jah Wind Power, Mercury Man, Marina Del Ray and Crimson Tide. On the meeting agenda: to look for a young human hero to fight the Fossil Fools (headed by Mr. Moo Goo of Earth Acquisition, Inc.) and lead
the humans into a new age of green power. Gigi was walking home with her frog when suddenly she was caught up in a huge wind storm. It was Jah Wind Power sweeping through on his way to the Council. He scooped her up and brought her along. Jah had been on a mission to acquire the Renewable Energy Cape. Imagine the surprise of the earth animals and Green Power Heroes when Jah unfurled the cape and a human girl and a frog fell out! The frog spoke up for Gigi and told the story of how she had saved him, he told of her passion and bravery. Fulfilling Mother Nature’s wish for a human hero, Gigi was elected by the animals and the Green Power Heroes to be a champion on earth for green power. Jah gave her the renewable energy cape so she could fly, Marina Del Ray gave her the solar scepter that makes things grow exponentially, and Green Power Girl was born. “It’s a mistake, I’m just a regular girl” she protested. “Yes,” said Mother Nature, “and we need all the regular boys and girls to wake up to their Green Power Mission.’ Big Island resident Susan Cox is the real-life Green Power woman whose imagination has created Gigi Starr, Green Power Girl, and the Green Power Heroes.
Susan showed up for the first time in green hair and cape representing the Dept. of Water and Power at a middle school career fair. The feedback from students, teachers and her surprised employers was immediately positive. Susan began developing Green Power Girl and the Green Power Heroes as a teaching tool and found that it was empowering for her as an educator and much more interesting for the students and teachers.
When Big Island resident Susan Cox, creator of the Green Power Heroes, comes to a school as Green Power Girl, the students don’t relate to her as a teacher, adult, or another Obviously a result of the powers of the “solar scepter,” child, but rather as a superhero. Here she addresses students the Green Power Heroes at the Hawai‘i Gateway Energy program has grown expoCenter Voyager School. nentially—it has been in hundreds of schools and touched more than 150,000 children in Hawai‘i, California and Louisiana. Green Power Girl has taught elementary students from 25 island schools through the Hawai‘i Gateway Energy Center at NELHA. The Green Power Heroes program includes school assemblies, an energy card game, curriculum and teacher workshops. The genius behind the Green Power Heroes program is in using the power of storytelling to engage students in the real human
{Continued on page 27
Obviously a result of the powers of the “solar scepter,” the Green Power Heroes program has grown exponentially—it has been in hundreds of schools and touched more than 150,000 children in Hawaii, California and Louisiana.
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Susan woke up to her Green Power mission in early 2000 when the Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power hired her to develop an educational program on energy conservation for school children. At that time, California was experiencing rolling blackouts and energy conservation was top of mind. Global warming reports were implicating CO2 emissions and industry was responding with aggressive disinformation campaigns to discredit climate science, even calling global warming “global whining.” In her role as an environmental educator, Susan was feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem and the power of the corporate forces. She started to think, “What can I do? I’m just a girl. This is a job for a super hero, a job for Green Power Girl.” Susan began to develop the character of Green Power Girl and the GP Heroes to tell the story.
Shortly thereafter, Susan and her daughter were shopping for Halloween costumes and her daughter spied a 1950sera green satin cape with matching green hair. Perfect!
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{Continued from page 25 and environmental issues of climate change. All of the Green Power Heroes are based upon a real-life person or friend of Susan Cox’s that has inspired her in some way. Jah Wind Power, for example, was inspired by William Kamkwamba from Malawi, Africa, who at 14 years old, created an electricity-producing wind turbine for his family home from a book. His project inspired international action and led to additional water and energy projects in his village. Jah Wind Power captures the energy of the wind, his dreadlocks have power and he flies with the birds. Jah Wind Power is from Africa where desertification from climate change is severely affecting the lives of the people, animals and ecosystems. The Green Power Hero curriculum always has three elements: a character’s back story, a standards-aligned science or writingbased activity, and an eco-action. Students learn about Jah Wind Power’s story and are then tasked with researching, creating, building and writing. They might build a wind turbine, study wind velocity, learn about green jobs and wind power, as well as the impact of desertification on people and ecosystems. It has been Susan’s experience that when she comes to a school as Green Power Girl, the students don’t relate to her as a teacher, adult, or another child, but rather as a superhero. They suspend disbelief and enter the “Green Power Hero Universe,” where magical powers, imagination and creativity abound. Green Power Girl fosters a creative, solution-oriented learning environment. Children aren’t the only ones who enter the “Green Power Hero Universe.” Green Power Girl recently inspired her reallife environmentalist friends (including the author, a.k.a. Crimson Tide) to become Green Power Heroes for the KailuaKona Christmas Parade. “It’s great to see how excited and engaged people got assuming their Green Power Hero identities,” says Cox. All of the Green Power Hero outfits were made from recycled and found materials. The next live performance of the Green Power Heroes will be March 13th at the Kona Brew Fest and other Earth Day festivities. Got a green power hero waiting to come out?
Cox sees the game encouraging research learning and storytelling. “Our creative solutions will get us out of our problems. If the game fosters creative thinking, then action will follow. I like to think of children becoming not only critical thinkers but critical dreamers and critical DO’ers.” Green Power Girl has been asked to appear at Earth Day Tokyo. A student who met Green Power Girl in New Orleans became so inspired that he created his own Green Power Hero, a robot-like character called “Renew-A-Bot” and he wants to accompany Green Power Girl to Japan. “They come up with wacky and wonderful ideas. The Green Power Heroes encourage children to envision solutions through the characters and their powers.” Inspired? Maybe you can become the next Green Power Girl! Susan will continue to be the green fuel behind the curriculum, teacher training and cards and wants to create a GPHero cartoon series, but is ready to pass the solar scepter to a new, young person who is passionate about working in the schools with children. Maybe you’re saying right now in your mind, “It’s a mistake, I’m just a regular girl.” Then you will feel the wind swirling, Jah Wind Power’s strong arms around you. You will don the satin cape, straighten your green hair, pick up the solar scepter, and know that you are the Green Power Girl and anything is possible. Check out all of the Green Power Heroes at www.greenpowergirl.com and www.greenpowerheroes.com. Become a fan of Green Power Girl & Green Power Heroes on Facebook and Twitter.
Green Power Girl recruited local residents to assume “Heroes” identities for the Kailua-Kona Christmas Parade. From left: Michael Kramer as Green Flash, Deborah Ozaki as “Back to the Green” and Andrea Dean as bad girl Crimson Tide.
KE OLA | www.KeOlaMagazine.com | 27
The Green Power Heroes concept has also been developed into an educational card game which teaches kids about energy. The cards feature the Green Power Heroes who battle
the Fossil Fools. Players collect Green Power Hero points to stay away from extinction. The cards are a part of the teaching curriculum and are used in a number of ways. Typically a student from each class becomes a game master who then teaches the other students in her class. A student can also pick a card and write a story about a character or an issue that the card suggests. “One of the biggest challenges,” says Susan, “has been to simplify the complex environmental challenges that each of these characters represent while making the game fun and interesting.”
AS ART
The Life
n their studio on the Hamakua Coast, glass Jblowing artists Hugh Jenkins and Stephanie Ross move around each other in an intricate dance done with hot glass on the end of metal pipes. They pull clear glass from the crucible, turn it, add color, fusing it together, layer by layer, all the while blowing it into colorful, sculptural bowls and vases.
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This is one hot art form! Glass blowing takes pellets called “batch” and turns them into glass pieces by melting them in a furnace at 2300° Fahrenheit. Beautiful art is created along the way, beginning with visions, reflections, drawings and color chemistry, then applying muscle and lung power while “painting” and sculpting with this medium that is first fluid and then fragile. Teamwork comes into play with Stephanie, the colorist whose background includes printmaking and fiber art, and Hugh, who began as a chemistry, oceanography and biology major, then “stumbled into glass blowing by hanging out with the wrong crowd,” he says.
Mesmerizing colors flowing down a black glass background and a lava vent-like opening on this vase are unmistakable volcanic references.
A knowledge of chemistry is helpful in many different art forms. And in Jenkins’ case, there’s physics, economics and environmental science, as well. One doesn’t normally think of art as being a field of endeavor that consumes a lot of energy or contributes to global warming, either, but it takes a tremendous amount of heat to melt glass and fire ceramics. When propane costs went from $1.40 to $4.95 per gallon, Hugh and Stephanie were faced with an energy crisis. They realized that they would not be able to continue as glass blowers with a propane bill of $5,000 a month. Necessity is the mother of invention and Hugh got busy. He started with inventing a heat recuperation system for the furnace that reduced their fuel consumption by 70 percent. Committed to an environmental ethic, Hugh wanted to further reduce their reliance upon propane and use an available, local fuel source. Bring in the french fry grease! Jenkins began experimenting with running the furnace on used, straight vegetable oil (SVO) collected from local restaurants. After much trial and error,
Hugh perfected the system last year. It may sound easy, but there are no instruction manuals or parts for a veggie oil glass furnace with a heat recuperation system. Hugh created his own burner system and hand fabricated many of the parts. “Lowering our costs using heat recuperation and veggie oil has made the difference between survival and being able to do the kinds of things we want to do. We can be more artistic and not worry so much about sales,” he said. Jenkins, who taught glass blowing and metal work at Punahou School on Oahu for 26 years, first saw an opportunity to fuel the glass blowing program at
taught art in high school and elementary school. She was introduced to glass in1995 and has worked in collaboration with Hugh Jenkins since 1996. In 1999, the couple moved to the Hamakua Coast, where they found a house and studio combination that fit their workingartist lifestyle perfectly. As a team, Jenkins and Ross have evolved their glass art over the past few years. Hugh admits that he was at first “very technical and tight about my forms. I insisted on symmetry in creating the bowl and vessel shapes.” Now they are moving into more natural shapes, in synch with the reflections of nature that they have incorporated into the colors and decoration styles of their pieces.
Punahou with malasada oil. He helped the school build a small furnace for melting glass colors which runs on the 180 gallons of malasada oil that is left over each year from the malasada booth at the Punahou Carnival. He’s become something of an authority on glass kiln design. His article entitled “Bioglass, Green Studios Benefitting Artists and the Environment,” appeared in the Glass Art Society Journal. Ross, who earned her degrees first at California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, and then received her graduate degrees from the University of Hawai’i, Manoa,
“We’ve decided to loosen it up,” Jenkins says. “Looking at shapes like stones, you see they take softer, more gentle forms. How did nature create them? How do they relate to each other? Rocks come in groups and we’re thinking of creating glass arrangements and selling them in groups. We want to feel like they’re part of their environment and reflect what’s around them, too.” The colors seen in Jenkins and Ross’ glass pieces are obviously reflections of nature. In an impressionistic sense,
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Hamakua artists Hugh Jenkins and Stephanie Ross blend their talents in the creation of an impressive collection of glass art.
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{Continued from page 29 the reds and blacks remind you of volcanoes, while frothy blues and white are very ocean-like, and multi-colored dots arranged among darker stripes remind you of flowers and trees.
Although dramatically cheaper than propane, vegetable oil has its own challenges for the glass artist, says Hugh Jenkins. “It’s not for everyone.”
As word has spread about Hugh’s eco-furnace, he has gotten inquiries from other artists with high gas bills and an environmental bent. But veggie oil isn’t for everyone, he cautions. “Picking shrimp tails and pieces of malasadas out of your fuel before you can use it is a bit messy.” Not to mention the fact that vegetable oil attracts critters that want to eat it, spoils quickly and gets gummy, kind of like the salad dressing that drips on the outside of the bottle. Additional time must be spent in continuous filtration and keeping the lines clean. Jenkins had to design the burners for the fuel, as they have much smaller orifices than those used in vehicles and industry. Fortunately, they no longer have to go around to restaurants and collect the oil, as now there are businesses that deliver it to them. “Propane is a beautiful fuel,” he says. “But if we weren’t on vegetable oil, we wouldn’t be blowing glass.” The kiln takes several days to heat up to the right temperature and cool down when it’s finished, so the couple works daily during periods of four to five months each. That’s also a deterrent to part-time glass blowers.
Jenkins’ and Ross’ glass art may be found in Honoka‘a at Big Island Glass, as well as Volcano Art Center, Kailua Village Artists’ Co-op, Pura Vida Gallery in Kapa‘au, Isaacs Center and Wishard Gallery in Waimea. Visit their website at www.bigislandglass.com. A sensuous They are planning an exhibition at the complexion of Volcano Art Center during August, 2010. complementary colors in a simple, calabash-shaped bowl.
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North Kohala-based artist Peter Kowalke, whose company Art In Sight has a focus on fine art and ecology education, had been delaying building his kiln because of the disconnect between burning fossil fuels while teaching children about ecology. Hugh re-designed the kiln with a super efficient heat recovery system and in March 2008, he and Peter led a kilnbuilding workshop. What emerged was the 36-cubic-ft. “Mana Mama” community kiln. The kiln is currently being tested on propane and will be converted to veggie oil in the future.
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The Life OF THE PEOPLE
T
Kumu Hula Aloha Victor of Halau Kala‘akeakauikawekiu recalls when he purchased his first pahu (drum) from Rodney “Uncle Kala” Willis as if it were yesterday. It was October, 2005.
drum that selected me—not I selected the drum. She called to me and glowed in the light as if there were a spotlight on her.” Kumu Aloha says he named the drum “Naupaka,” for the beautiful carving of “half-shaped” flowers on the pahu’s base. “I appreciate all the extra work Uncle Kala puts into his drums,” he continues. “No two are alike…”
“We were having our first ho‘ike (show) and I forgot my pahu at home in Waikoloa,” he shares. “I didn’t have enough time to go back. In desperation, I prayed as I drove down to the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel that Uncle Kala would be there. He was. I tested several drums and fell in love with the
The Hawaiian pahu—which is made from a hollowed-out trunk and characterized by a very full and low sound—dates back to the stories of La‘amaikahiki, the son of the voyaging chief, Moikeha, who supposedly brought a pahu to Hawai‘i from Tahiti around 1200-1300 A.D. Kumu Hula Keala Ching,
he drum selected him—not vise versa.
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The pahu come in different sizes. Uncle Kala puts a piece of koa on the exterior base of all his drums, saying it’s his “signature.”
“All the trunks have a story or history,” says master carver and pahu drum maker Rodney “Uncle Kala” Willis. “I always let the wood talk to me, especially when I’m carving.”
“I do what I know,” says Uncle Kala, 64. “I’ve always been fascinated with drums. I love the sound.” When growing up in Waikiki, Uncle Kala remembers watching his father and grandfather fashion souvenirs for tourists on Kalakaua Avenue. “They made jewelry, carved small canoes and small drums,” he recalls. “I would sit and watch, not touch anything. I helped sand, but my job was to gather nuts, seeds and shells.” An interest in woodworking resurfaced in Uncle Kala’s life in 1994 after illness ended his tenure as a Kona school bus driver. He decided to help “pay the bills” by carving wood souvenirs. While making a turtle on a canoe, his work caught the eye of the late Bernard “Papa” Kimitete, a well-known Kona canoe builder and wood carver. “Papa said he’d show me the tricks of carving wood and took me under his wing,” details Uncle Kala. “But he said I needed to be myself and I knew he was talking about me being myself as a Hawaiian.”
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co-founder of Na Wai Iwi Ola Foundation, says the pahu was first used only at Hawaiian heiau. After the temples were destroyed, pahu went underground, kept by Hawaiian families, and “became part of each family’s tradition.” Today, hula halau accompany certain dances with pahu of different sizes. “Hula movements mimic nature,” describes Kumu Hula Micah Kamohoali‘i of Halau Na Ki Pu‘upu‘u. “The swish of the hips depicts the wind or ocean currents and the drum is said to be an echo of the heartbeat of Mother Earth. The drum entices the earth to interact with the dancer.”
To that end, Uncle Kala carves what he thinks is appropriate on a drum. “All the trunks have a story or history, so I know what to do with them,” the master carver shares. “And sometime people request an image, but I won’t do just anything.” Case in point is a snake. “There are no snakes in Hawai‘i—eels yes, but no snakes,” he laughs. As Uncle Kala works on a requested design of a rainbow and butterfly on a pahu, he defends the art, saying, “We sing and dance about rainbows and butterflies.” The artist also creates abstract designs by depicting things in nature, like shark teeth. “I always let the wood talk to me, especially when I’m carving,” he muses. “I often walk away from my work, particularly if it’s a face, to see the image differently.”
Uncle Kala, a third generation la‘au (wood) artist, says these drums have long been sacred to Hawaiians. “We feel the maker of the drum puts his mana (spiritual power) into the drum,” he explains. He adds that drums are important in many cultures for signaling peace, love, healing, war and “to call people together.”
Niu (coconut) wood is the medium of choice for the pahu drum as it yields “a better sound.” Getting the wood to make the pahu is “half of the drum-making process.” People often phone Uncle Kala and his wife of nearly 50 years, Aunty Leikini, with offers of segmented tree trunks. Trees that have been felled for the right reasons—like storm damage or old age— are accepted. The wood that makes the best drums is from trees grown near the ocean, he says, as they grow more slowly and “do hula everyday in the breeze, so they are stronger.” As the tree ages, the wood also gets denser, which is preferred.
Uncle Kala carves an assortment of items—tapa beaters, nose flutes, traditional Hawaiian weapons and hair sticks— at his outdoor workshop on Hwy. 190 in mauka Keauhou. His business card, however, reads “Drums of Keauhou” as creating Hawaiian drums is a passion that has become Uncle Kala’s specialty.
Wood is dried for about six months and protected from the sun to prevent cracking. A dousing of diesel fuel keeps the bugs out. Uncle Kala begins each drum with a pule (prayer) before taking off the bark and hollowing out the interior to form a resonance chamber. The bottom of the chamber acts like a sound reflector.
“The sound hits the bottom and comes back out,” Uncle Kala demonstrates, while tapping on a pahu. Ever since visiting the renowned Bishop Museum archives in the late 1990s, Uncle Kala has been shaping the insides of his drums in the Hawaiian way. “I went to the museum to display my Hawaiian weapons and while there I saw all the Polynesian drums,” he recalls. “I noticed the Hawaiian drums had a round, rather than flat bottom inside, so I’ve been making drums that way ever since.” To do this, Uncle Kala hollows out the top resonance chamber about two thirds of the way down and then flips the trunk upside down and chisels out a convex or bowl shape that is separated from the top chamber by a fibrous wood wall or septum. The septum divides the two evacuated sections. The late Kumu Hula Master “Uncle” George Naope, who cofounded the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, told Uncle Kala the septum was the drum’s piko (bellybutton) and without it, “a pahu isn’t a pahu.” Uncle Kala puts a piece of koa on the exterior base of all his drums, saying it’s his “signature,” adding, “In Hawaiian, koa means ‘foundation, the pillar.’ ” The head of the drum is capped in cowhide, as it’s closest in feel to the sharkskin that was used by ancient Hawaiians. The skin is secured to the drum by nylon cordage. The artist finishes the pahu with a light epoxy to seal the wood, which is left in its natural color to “warm with age.”
Saying he’s always learning, Uncle Kala’s eyes shine when he talks about meeting carvers from New Zealand, Australia, Madagascar, Africa, Canada and the western U.S. at celebrations like the 2007 PIKO Gathering for Indigenous Artists. He shares his wood carving expertise as a teacher with the Hawaiian Ohana For Education in the Arts (HOEA), a three-year native Hawaiian pilot art project. [See article in Sept.-Oct. 2009 issue of Ke Ola.] Kumu Keala says plans are also in the works for Uncle Kala to teach an upcoming drummaking workshop. While Uncle Kala says he’s taught about 40 students to make drums, he adds, “I have 10 grandchildren and I’m hopeful to be able to pass my knowledge on to one of them.”
While Uncle Kala’s drums are sure to be gracing the Merrie Monarch stage April 7-10 in Hilo, you can also see them in action at upcoming Big Isle events: • “Mauliauhonua-The Descendants” a hula drama about the legends and kuleana of the people of Waipio Valley, presented by Halau Na Ki Pu‘upu‘u at Honoka’a People’s Theatre 7-9 p.m. March 6. For info, email nakipuupuu@ gmail.com.
Kumu Hula Aloha Victor of Halau Kala‘akeakauikawekiu with his large pahu, named “Naupaka.” The smaller drum, was also made by Uncle Kala. Photo courtesy of Halau Kala‘akeakauikawekiu.
• “Mama My Mama…I Love You…A Mother’s Day Celebration” presented by Hula Halau Kala‘akeakauikawekiu at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa 5:30 p.m. May 8. For info, phone 989.4616 or visit www.halau-k.com.
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The pahu at Drums of Keauhou come in different sizes. The larger, temple pahu are tall enough to play while standing, while the hula pahu run from 14 to 30 inches tall and are comfortably played kneeling. Also available is a puniu, a drum made from a hollow coconut shell that’s tied to the knee. Drums range in price from $25 to $2,500. They can be purchased at his workshop, which is open by appointment, 938.3192, or at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort through the Huaka‘i cultural office, 324.2537.
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Hilo Bay Café
By Devany Vickery-Davidson
Photos by Devany Vickery-Davidson
H
The restaurant is a collaborative effort birthed by a group of Island Naturals (a Big Island natural food store) employees who wanted to do something interesting and different for the people of Hilo. Owner Kim Snuggerud is not a typical restaurateur. She does not schmooze the customers or micromanage the staff, instead remaining in the background, orchestrating the operations and allowing her exceptional staff to efficiently run the show. Kim questioned the original group about their ideas and eventually the master plan of Hilo Bay Café (HBC) was born as a wine bar that served interesting food with a regional spin. In 2003 the small, 70-seat restaurant opened under the creative tutelage of Chef Joshua Ketner whose skills were being underutilized at the deli of Island Naturals. He is still at the helm and has matured and developed into one of Hawaii’s premier chefs. With the help of a consultant team, the restaurant became one of Hilo’s foremost dining venues and today they set the bar in Hawai‘i for creative food made with local, mostly organic ingredients. The restaurant also strives to meet a sustainable ideal, recycling and using compostable products whenever possible.
Luscious Hilo Homemade Ice Cream (varying flavors) headlines the dessert section of the menu, which also features warm apple and caramel tart, molten chocolate lava cake with Kona coffee ice cream, sake poached Asian pear baked in a frangipane tartlet with pear sherbet, or marbled cake with pistachio gelato, chocolate sauce and pistachio mousse.
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Chef Joshua Ketner with a trio of appetizers.
Timbale of roasted eggplant with parmesan custard.
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Chef Ketner provides innovative creations for HBC and is constantly keeping his eye on food trends, some of which can be applied to local cuisine and some which just do not seem to work for the café’s clientele. While Kim Snuggerud supports her café’s local and organic philosophy it is not always easy to achieve, even on an island with so much agrarian history. Still, she finds ways to incorporate local fish, produce and meats into their menu. Processed goods take up surprisingly little shelf space in the pantry at Hilo Bay Café. Everything that can be made from scratch is, even if it requires extra time and attention from the back-of-the-house staff. Local breweries add to the mix of beverage choices, as do brews such as Guinness on tap. The house French onion soup, three-cheese fondue, blue burger, chicken salad, house-made sweet potato flax burger and the kalua pork sandwich remain on the menu and a customer outrage might ensue if they were removed. Local farmers and producers are encouraged to stop by the restaurant and show their wares by appointment. HBC would love to be 100-percent local. They are even instituting a new art and music policy to that local vibe.
of the LAND
ilo Bay Café sits in an unpretentious strip mall in a busy Wal-Mart shopping center, and regardless of what the location suggests, they are consistently producing some of the finest and most innovative food on Hawai’i Island.
The Life
Hidden Treasures
Hearts of palm crab rolls
{Continued from page 37
While many favorite dishes have a regular spot on the menu, customers also appreciate the specials so that they can dine at HBC over and over with a new experience every time. Daily specials include at least one cocktail, a few special brews, three to four appetizers, three or four entrees, including a seafood, meat and veggie option, plus a dessert or ice cream. Stars of the regular menu range from their $9 free-range blue bay burger to their $16 grilled kulana rib eye steak with tomato comfit, arugula, gorgonzola fondue potatoes and demiglace. The slow-roasted BBQ ribs with panillo bread pudding and local veggies are a mainstay of the menu and a favorite of the owner as well.
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During our interview, Chef Joshua took time to offer me a few of his favorite dishes, all of which were absolute winners. The king crab in rolls of hearts of palm wrappers with wasabi cream ($7) were incredible. The roasted eggplant with parmesan custard in a well-orchestrated timbale ($10) was both beautiful and delicious. The ahi carpaccio was something that can only be
found in Hawai‘i, where we have access to the best and freshest ahi. Other specials featured this week included king crabHamakua mushroom risotto with truffle oil and pea shoots; a mushroom Wellington-roasted portobello, gorgonzola and red pepper baked in puff pastry with mashed potato and asparagus; olive oil poached opakapaka with lemon, red salt, fried capers whipped potatoes and burre blanc; and petit filet mignon with saffron aioli, tomato comfit, arugula and gorgonzola. Many of the entrees carry a price point of less than $20. Even the keiki are included in the menu choices for only $5, which is rare for a fine dining restaurant. An interesting fact: Kim Snuggerud explains that there is a sort of magical component to the restaurant. Of the staff of 30 people, there have been 15 pregnancies develop in the last few years. And when an employee of Island Naturals was having problems getting pregnant she came over to Hilo Bay Café and did some filing, and the “magic happened” for her as well. Hilo Bay Café is located in the Wal-Mart Shopping Center on Highway 11 in the strip between Office Max and Wal-Mart. Because of the restaurant’s size and popularity, reservations are suggested. Call 935-4939. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. till 9 p.m. and Sundays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. You can also call for takeout in sustainable containers. More information about Hilo Bay Café can be found at www.hilobaycafe.com.
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KE OLA | www.KeOlaMagazine.com | 39
“Wayne sang duets with the surgeon who removed his left foot, attended his own funeral, embraced it all. His forgiveness of self and others led him deep in a forest to love-consciousness.” — Jim Ford, Ph.D. “Wayne saw the beauty of chance and he lived his passions.” — Scott Berry, Author
of the LAND
The Life
A drink made from the root of the ‘awa plant (Piper methysticum) has been used in Polynesian cultures for thousands of years as a relaxing beverage and also as an important part of ceremonies.....
culture, the herbal supplement Kava Kava, was popular IasnaWestern sleep aid and anti-anxiety remedy during the late 1990s, until the negative results of a European study were widely publicized. (Some say pharmaceutical companies initiated the campaign.) Liver damage, it claimed, could result from drinking a brew of this traditional Pacific Island beverage that has been used safely for thousands of years. Even so, kava is served in public “bars” here in Hawai‘i and elsewhere. It is a popular way to relax, without consuming alcohol. The plant called ‘awa in Hawai‘i, and also commonly called kava, is a member of the black pepper family and known in botanical circles as Piper methysticum. The early Polynesian settlers brought ‘awa to Hawai‘i in their canoes because it was so important to them they couldn’t imagine life without it. A tranquilizing beverage was made from the grated, crushed or chewed roots, and we now know that it calms feelings of panic and anxiety. ‘Awa was, and still is, used ceremonially to communicate with the gods and goddesses and to heal numerous ailments, ranging from insomnia to pain relief. No health problems relating to its use have been reported from areas such as Fiji or Hawai‘i, where ‘awa is commonly used. Today, ‘awa root is most
Kava Culture — Facts and Fiction
By Barbara Fahs
often dried, ground into a powder, mixed with tepid water and then consumed by the cupful. Kumu Dane Kahoe Silva, a Big Island kumu, or teacher, of lomilomi and integrated healing arts and sciences and an ‘awa drinker since 1971, has used the herb to enhance and teach meditation and says it is an important component of dream analysis. He says, “it affects the brain, reducing hyperactivity and inducing clarity, and enables the person using it to achieve a deeper state of meditation.”
North side, w est where you ar side, east side… no m atter e on the Big Isla able to try a taste of trad nd, you’ll be ition kava bar. “Fig hts don’t bre al ‘awa at a ak out at kava bars,” report s Th which also te e San Francisco Chronicle , rm unofficial ka s the Big Island “the va capital of Hawai‘i. Ther probably mo e ar re kava bars per capita th e than anywh ere ere else.” Mo st bar some have liv e music to ac s sell food and centuate you kava experie r nce into the wee . Closing time often exte nds hours, but yo uw up for a DUI after a visit to on’t get picked one of these bars!
Kanaka Kava 75-5803, space B6, Ali‘i Dr., Kailua-Kona, at the Coconut Grove Marketplace beside the beach volleyball court. Phone: 327-1660 www.kanakakava.com Kava Kafe 55-3412 Akoni Pule Hwy., Hawi Phone: 889-5015 www.kavacafe.com
Bayfront Coffee, Kava & Tea Company 116 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo Phone: 935-1155 www.organichawaiiankava.com Uncle’s Awa Bar In the old town of Kalapana in the rural Puna District where Highway 137 deadends into the lava flow.
Photo courtesy of Kanaka Kava.
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THE BIG IS LA KAVA BAR ND’S S
Silva uses ‘awa in other forms as well: a salve he makes from the root with oil and beeswax was responsible for taking the pain away from a young man’s broken arm. When the boy arrived at a hospital for treatment, he refused pain medication, saying he had no pain, much to the astonishment of the doctor in charge at the emergency room. In addition to the unsubstantiated claims of liver damage that were publicized, Silva counters many other commonly-held beliefs about ‘awa, including the opinion that it should not be mixed with anything but room temperature water when making the muddy drink. “Two of my kumu taught me to make a ‘hot soup,’ or decoction, from the fresh root. It’s not a typical soup because it doesn’t have any vegetables, but it makes a potent and delicious beverage that gives you very strong healing effects of the ‘awa. I think people who say cooking it is bad believe that the heat destroys the plant’s mana (spiritual power), which they believe makes it ineffective.” This hot beverage has helped many of his patients to survive high levels of daily stress, he maintains. The American Botanical Council (ABC) reported in 2007, “No convincing proof of an inherent toxicity of kava exists.” But the herb has been banned since 2002 in many countries, including Canada and Australia,
because of the 1999 news from Germany that ‘awa was responsible for causing “severe hepatic adverse effects” in 28 people involved in a German study. ABC went on to state, “This sudden appearance of a potential problem was not backed by traditional experience of kava drinking in the South Pacific, nor with the broad clinical experience with kava products in Europe.” In May of 2009, an Australian study, the Kava Anxiety Depression Spectrum Study, concluded, “a traditional extract of kava… [is] safe and effective for reducing anxiety.” In this placebo-controlled study, PhD candidate Jerome Sarris of the University of Queensland Medical School found that ‘awa was good for treating people with “chronic anxiety and varying levels of depression,” while reducing the side effects and risk of dependency that some pharmaceutical drugs might cause. Sarris hopes that his study will prompt the governments of countries where ‘awa is banned to reconsider their earlier decisions not to allow the herb inside their borders. “Ethanol and acetone extracts, which sometimes use the incorrect parts of the kava, were being sold in Europe. That is not the traditional way of prescribing kava in the Pacific Islands. Our study used a water-soluble extract from the peeled rootstock of a medicinal cultivar of the plant, which is approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia,” Sarris explained. Other beliefs about ‘awa include the opinion that we should not take it in combination with alcohol. “This might create an additional workload on the liver,” Silva said. “But I don’t believe that small quantities of alcohol, like what you get from a tincture, are harmful.” Another erroneous belief is that ‘awa should not be taken in combination with fruit sugars. “No, that is not correct,” he said. “It is often taken with dried fruit or coconut water. If you were to take an alcohol extract of awa with a piece of dried fruit, it would make a tasty and balanced serving of the herb.” Other preparations Silva has made from ‘awa include capsules he has filled with dried powder and a smoking blend made from the root. He says if you have a toothache and chew on a piece of fresh ‘awa root, your pain will be temporarily relieved, but visit your dentist promptly. Kumu Dane Kahoe Silva
Sources: • Medical Net News/Australian kava study: http://www.news-medical.net/ news/2009/05/12/South-Pacific-drink-Kava-safe-and-effective-in-reducing-anxiety.aspx • Kumu Dane Silva article and video: http://lifesciencefoundation.org/08Ways05. html • American Botanical Council Kava Article: HerbalGram, The Journal of the American Botanical Council; Issue: 73, Page: 44: “Quality Criteria for Kava.”
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“I have seen the failure and unsustainability of the dominant health care system in the United States over the last 30 years and have also witnessed efforts by the pharmaceutical companies to illegalize many good, natural remedies so they will become richer and more powerful. This is wrong and I continue to work to educate people and allay their fears about using tried and true herbs such as ‘awa.” v
W
The Life
IN MUSIC
ouldn’t it be wonderful if...” is an oft-heard phrase when people are dreaming or thinking about possibilities. One such dream that has become a reality is the First Annual Kona Jazz Festival, set to take place at the Mauna Kea Resort on Saturday, April 10, 2010. The festival is the brainchild of Norman and Jill Fogelsong, Mauna Kea residents whose love for Hawai‘i and music prompted them to inspire several other like-minded individuals to join in the effort to bring it all together in the idyllic setting on the Kohala coast. The festival will feature several genres of music, from jazz and blues to Hawaiian, with an emphasis on musicians with roots lovingly planted and nurtured in Hawai’i.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Cyril Pahinui and Brittni Paiva, two Hawai’i natives scheduled to perform at the Kona Jazz Festival. Both are masterful artists, enthusiastic ambassadors for Hawai’i and its culture, highly regarded and at the zenith of their chosen fields. Brittni represents the new generation of Hawaiian musicians, who experiment and push the stylistic envelope through cross-breeding musical genres, and Cyril Pahinui is a world-class slack-key guitarist and vocalist who comes from a lineage of remarkable musical pedigree. CJ: Brittni, I first became aware of you back in 2004 when we played together at Kilauea Military Camp (KMC) in Volcano and at the Aloha Theater. I was immediately taken by your interest in the blues and how well you played it on an instrument not known for that style of music. Your style seems to incorporate elements of Hawaiian, rock, jazz, Latin and the blues.
Cyril Pahinui
Brittni Paiva
Have you always taken an interest in playing other styles of music on the ‘ukulele? BP: Yes, as a matter of fact, I have. I love to listen to and play many styles of music because of the challenge that it gives me.
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CJ: Who were some of your earliest influences and who inspired you to pursue the ‘ukulele? BP: When I was 11 years old, my grandfather put an ‘ukulele in my hands and said, “Here Brittni, try and play around with this.” I instantly fell in love with the instrument. My musical influences include John Mayer, Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, Ne-Yo, Herb Ohta, Jr., Marty Friedman, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and many others. CJ: When did you realize that becoming a musician was your life’s calling? BP: A few years after I started playing the ‘ukulele, many of my peers in the industry started suggesting that I go into the studio and record an album. After that, things just started falling into place. I got lots of calls for performances, tours, and even being a guest musician on albums being recorded by my musician friends! How everything just started happening confirms for me that this gift I’ve been blessed with is one that I need to share with others, not for selfgratification, but to help and bless others. CJ: Through your musical proclivities, you have become somewhat of an official ambassador for the State of Hawai‘i. Can you tell the readers a bit about this experience? BP: Performing for the Hawai‘i Visitors Bureau has been so much fun! Having
the opportunity to travel worldwide and show others about the Big Island is such a blessing. CJ: I understand that you are starting a music school. Can you elaborate? BP: It’s always been my dream to help get others started in the music business. There are so many talented young people today and I hate to see their talent hidden behind closed doors. With the start of Brittni Paiva’s School of Music, I hope to help open doors and give them opportunities to share their music. CJ: Do you see a renewed interest in playing the ‘ukulele from kids today, especially because they see hip, younger artists like you and Jake Shimabukuro who show off the ‘ukulele as a cool instrument? BP: Yes, I do. Now that the world is being shown the diversity of the ‘ukulele, many are picking it up knowing that there’s more to play than just Hawaiian music. CJ: What can your fans and the audience at the Mauna Kea expect from you at your performance on April 10th? BP: I’ll definitely play songs from all four of my albums, and maybe a few that I haven’t released yet. You never know! But people will be amazed what kinds of music can be played on an ‘ukulele.
CJ: Cyril, you and the Pahinui ohana have very deep roots in the Hawaiian community, particularly in respect to music and ki ho’alu (slack key guitar).
CJ: What does it mean to you to be recognized and acknowledged as of one the elder statesmen and world ambassadors of the slack key guitar style? CP: In the old days these things were not shared outside the family and we were not really taught; we just had to play along and kanikapila with whoever was playing. When you were asked to “take one” (pa‘ani) you got your chance to create and if you were not ready then your chance did not come around for a long time. So, we were always practicing solos and waiting to show our stuff when the chance came. Young people today don’t get the chance to play with the masters and most families don’t spend their free time playing music in the garage. I guess I miss that and so I began to teach. One time when I was about 10, I came around the fence in the back yard and my Dad, Uncle Sonny and Uncle Atta were playing the most beautiful music. I stayed very still and just listened so they
CJ: I understand that you are involved with teaching the slack key style in workshops throughout Hawai’i. Can you tell the readers of your ongoing courses in the Hilo area CP: In Hilo I teach six weeks of workshops at UH-Hilo every semester. If anyone is interested they can just call the university to register. I also teach one Sunday a month at my dad’s place in Waimanalo and at the Bishop Museum once a month. We have some annual workshops at Waipio Valley and Kohala too. These are very special places, since this is where ki ho‘alu began and where the chief Hi’ilawe lived and his namesake waterfall is located. CJ: Have you noticed an increased interest in slack key guitar and do you see the youngsters today taking an interest in keeping the tradition alive and evolving? CP: There is more interest because of the Grammy Awards. We are trying to get the kids interested. We let anyone under 21 in most of the workshops free and we go into the schools and talk story, play and teach. Last year I did 18 schools on Hawai‘i Island and 14 the year before. We are planning to do about 15 this year as well as some on the other islands. CJ: What can fans expect from your performance at the Mauna Kea on April 10th? CP: For the past few years I have been doing solo performances and I have now formed a new band, the Pahinui Hawaiian Band. Two of the members are my nephew Kunia Galdeira and Sonny Lim, who live in Waimea. We have a few surprise numbers but it will mostly be classic Pahinui. You can experience both Brittni and Cyril, as well as Maggie Herron, Alan Akaka & the Islanders, Colin John Band and Hiroshima live on Saturday April 10, from 2-10 p.m. at The Kona Jazz Festival on the luau grounds of the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. In addition to all the great music, there will be great food from several Big Island restaurants. For information and details, please visit www. konajazz.com. All artists will be available to sign CD’s and say “aloha” as well! Colin John is an internationally known blues guitarist, singer, musician and leader of the Colin John Band.
Colin John
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CP: My dad, the late Gabby “Pops” Pahinui, was one of the great 20th century masters of Hawaiian vocal, slack key and steel guitar music. He worked for the City and County of Honolulu street crew— a true working class hero. A brilliant, self-taught musician. Gabby’s musical influences were the big band and jazz music brought to Hawai‘i to entertain the tourists at the Waikiki hotels and it spilled over into the surrounding neighborhoods where he grew up. His ability to master any stringed instrument, coupled with his intense falsetto that became raspy with age, and his guttural deep tones made him a unique fixture on the Hawaiian music scene. Gabby’s talent, charisma, kindness and good humor endeared him to millions. More than any other, he ushered in the Hawaiian Renaissance, a renewed interest in traditional forms of music and a whole new era of popular culture.
wouldn’t send me off to play, and I started to cry because the music was so beautiful. I can still hear it in my mind and at that moment I knew that I would be a guitar player like my dad. I always try to play that nahenahe kind of sound that I heard that day and it has become my style. I just spent all of my free time playing my guitar and I still do. I sing to my wife or myself when no one else is around and I love to get together with other musicians and just kanikapila.
Hawai‘i Island Farmers’ Markets North
East
Saturday: North Kohala. Across from Hawi Post Office, under the banyan tree. 7 a.m.–noon
Sunday: Laupahoehoe Farmers Market. Next to the MinitMart on Hwy. 19. 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Saturday: Waimea Hawaiian Homestead Farmers Market. Hwy. 19, two miles east of Waimea town. 7 a.m.-noon. First Saturdays celebration with additional vendors, program.
Saturday: Kino‘ole Farmers Market. Kino‘ole Shopping Plaza, 1990 Kino‘ole St., Hilo, 7 a.m.-noon
Sunday: Volcano Farmers Market. Cooper Center, Wright Road., Volcano Village. 6:30–9 a.m.
Saturday: S.P.A.C.E. Farmers Market. S.P.A.C.E. Performing Arts Center, 12-247 West Pohakupele Loop, Pahoa. 8–11:30 a.m.
Saturday, Wednesday: Ka‘u Farmers Market. Ace Hardware lawn, Na‘alehu. Saturday 8 a.m.-noon; Wednesday 8 a.m. Noon
Saturday: Honoka‘a Farmers Market. Honoka‘a town near Honoka‘a Trading Co. 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Friday: Kekela Farms Organic Farmers Market. 64-604 Mana Road, Waimea. 100% organic. 2-5 p.m.
Saturday, Wednesday: Hilo Farmers Market, Corner of Mamo and Kamehameha Ave., downtown Hilo. 7 a.m. Sunday: Pahoa Farmers Market. Luquin’s/Akebono Theater parking lot. 8 a.m.–3 p.m.
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Sunday: Maku‘u Farmers Market. Kea‘au-Pahoa bypass road. 8 a.m.–2 p.m.
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South
West Saturday: Keauhou Farmers Market. All local farm products. Keauhou Shopping Center, Keauhou. 8 a.m.-noon
Saturday: Waikoloa Village Farmers Market. Waikoloa Community Church across from Waikoloa Elementary School. 7:15 a.m. Sunday: South Kona Green Market. Locally-grown produce, food and live music. Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, Captain Cook. 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. Moving in March to Kealakekua Ranch Center, date TBA, phone 3288797 or visit www.skgm.org. Wednesday: Keauhou Wednesday Market. All locally grown or made. Lawn at Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort. 8 a.m.-noon Wednesday-Sunday: Kona Farmers Market. Corner of Ali‘i Drive and Hualalai Rd. 7 a.m.-4 p.m.
March ~ April 2010 H A P P E N I N G S
March Tuesday, March 2 Girls’ Day Diva Festival Hilo This special annual event features a performance by the Society of Seven, the popular and long-running lounge act from Waikiki. Their 7 p.m. performance is preceded from 5-6:30 p.m. by food sampling courtesy of women-owned/ operated businesses, silent auction and door prizes. UH Hilo Performing Arts Center. Ticket fee. Call 808.974.7310 or http://artscenter.uhh.hawaii.edu.
Wednesday, March 3 Film, “One Winter Story” Waimea Sarah Gerhardt became a star in the surfing universe in 1999 as the first woman to slice across a monster wave at Northern California’s legendary Maverick’s. Media coverage, sponsorship and adulation followed, but Sarah’s dramatic journey from poverty and despair to accomplishment and peace is the real story. The Big Island’s own producers/directors Sally Lundburg and Elizabeth Pepin’s “One Winter Story” traces Sarah’s strength and determination in a beautiful montage
Thursday, March 4 Portuguese Stone Oven Bread Baking & Kona Stories Kealakekua (Repeats March 11, 18 and 25) Two events each Thursday at H.N. Greenwell Store museum in Kealakekua. Take part in a historical re-creation – making and then baking traditional sweet bread in a wood-fired oven called a forno, the type used by Portuguese immigrants who came to Hawai‘i in the 1800s. A tasty and handson experience! 10 a.m.-1 p.m. From 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m., trained storytellers and special guests bring Kona’s interesting history to life. Stories include narratives of the coffee belt, cowboy and ranch life, good gossip, ghost stories as well as retellings from diaries and letters of residents of old Kona. Free. Call 808.323.3222 or visit www.konahistorical.org.
March 5-13
The Great Waikoloa ‘Ukulele Festival Waikoloa Beach Resort A musical festival honoring Hawai‘i’s wellknown instrument with an evening of top ‘ukulele entertainers. “Ambassador of Aloha” Danny Kaleikini hosts three stages. ‘Ukulele enthusiasts can strum along and play their part with a great lineup of ‘ukulele masters. Come and join for laughter, love and hope. ‘Ukulele giveaways, food booths, lessons and more. Special exhibits include how ancient Hawaiian musical instruments were made and a chance to make one yourself. Queens’ MarketPlace, 2-7 p.m. Call 808.886-8811 or visit www.waikoloabeachresort.com.
Saturday, March 6 “Mauliauhonua-The Descendants” Honoka‘a A hula drama about the legends and kuleana of the people of Waipio Valley, presented by Halau Na Ki Pu‘upu‘u at Honoka’a People’s Theatre. 7-9 p.m. For info, email nakipuupuu@gmail.com.
Saturday, March 6 Block Printing Workshop Volcano Village Ke Ola cover artist Caren Loebel-Fried (Nov/ Dec 2009) delves deep into block printing as an expressive art form for both beginning
Caren Loebel-Fried
March 5-25
of film, voice, memory and emotion. Free. 7 p.m. Kahilu Theatre. 808.885.6868 or www.kahilutheatre.org.
Big Island Woodturners Show Hilo The Big Island’s most talented woodworkers display beautiful turned wood pieces crafted from native and other woods, including bowls, vases, calabashes and art objects at the Wailoa Center. Free. Weekdays 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., demonstrations on Saturday, closed Mar. 12, 26. Phone 808.933.0416.
and advanced artists. The intensive workshop covers the basics as well as advanced design work. All supplies are provided for a day of learning and experimenting. Bring your own
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“Anything Goes” Kainaliu The Aloha Performing Arts Company presents “Anything Goes”, the Broadway musical comedy with public enemies, glamour stars and tap dancers all sharing the stage. Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets: $15-$18. Theatre box office open Mondays thru Thursdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., call 808.322.9924, or order online at apachawaii.org.
Saturday, March 6
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t-shirts, napkins, and fabric to decorate. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Volcano Garden Arts, Volcano Village. Cost: $80, includes supplies. For more information, call 808.985.8979, email volcanogardenarts@hawaii.rr.com or visit http://volcanogardenarts.com.
Saturday-Sunday, March 6-7 Green Living & Total Well Being Expo Keauhou Featured speakers, workshops and movement classes during this two-day expo of wellness-related products and services. Opening ceremonies and Hawaiian blessing at 9:30 a.m., Saturday. Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort. “Evening Under the Stars” in the Royal Gardens with best-selling author Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God, on Mar. 6, 6:30 p.m. Expo hours 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission $5 day or $8 for both days. More info at www.totalwellbeingexpo.com.
Wednesday, March 10-Hilo Friday, March 12-Waimea Ko‘olau This innovative performance uses puppets to dramatize the true story of Ko‘olau, a Hawaiian man afflicted with leprosy who in the 1890s hid with his family on Kaua‘i for many months to avoid capture and deportation to the leper colony on Moloka‘i. An emotional
H A P P E N I N G S story of love and freedom. Performance includes live music, animated projections, shadow puppets and Japanese kuruma ningyo- style (wheeled puppet) figures. 7:30 p.m. March 10 at UH Hilo Performing Arts Center, http://artscenter.uhh.hawaii. edu and 8 p.m. March 12 at Kahilu Theatre in Waimea, 808.885.6868 or www.kahilutheatre.org.
Friday-Saturday, March 12-13 “Conference of the Birds,” a Stargate Theater Production Pahoa Featuring professional aerialist and choreographer,Wailana Simcock, the latest production of S.P.A.C.E.’s resident Stargate Theater Company is based on a 10th-century Persian Sufi poem about a flock of birds who journey in search of their god. Performing in S.P.A.C.E. allows the “birds” to fly. Classical guitar by lead actor Raj Kumar adds to the “dramatic, farcical and paced” performance. Repeats April 16-17. S.P.A.C.E., Seaview Estates, 12-247 W. Pohakupele Loop, Pahoa. Call 808.965.8756 for more info.
Thursday, March 18 Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce Annual Business Expo Kailua-Kona Opening keynote speaker at noon: Carl S.
FRIDAY 8PM $50/45
6 Pink Martini
SATURDAY 8PM $50/45
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14 Vienna Teng
SUNDAY 7PM $40/35
APRIL 23 The Makaha Sons FRIDAY 8PM $40/35
Makana Series
There is no charge for admission to events in this series
One Winter Story
Prince Dance
Ko`olau
Kabu ni Vanua, Fijian Dance Ensemble
Kamuela Philharmonic
Vienna Teng Waimea Vienna Teng’s sophisticated, piano-driven chamber folk music has everyone from NPR to David Letterman raving. A brainy software engineer turned talented singersongwriter-pianist, the 27-year-old has already released two critically acclaimed independent albums and toured widely. 7 p.m. Kahilu Theater in Waimea. Tickets $40/$35. Phone 808.885.6868 or www.kahilutheatre.org.
Kona Brewers Festival Kailua-Kona Popular annual festival, “Brews for the Big Rock,” promoting craft brewing in Hawai’i
MARCH 5 Pink Martini
Friday, March 12 • 8pm
Sunday, March 14
Saturday, March 13
KAHILU THEATRE
Wednesday, March 3 • 7pm
and recycling. Taste offerings from a selection of some 60 craft beer breweries from Hawai‘i and the U.S. Mainland, plus gourmet food by many island restaurants. Also a homebrew contest, a special dinner – the Brewers Pa‘ina at Keauhou Beach Resort, benefit golf tourney (March 12) at Big Island Country Club and Run for the Hops. On the lu‘au grounds at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. 2:30- 6:30 p.m. Fee. 808.331.3033 or visit www.konabrewersfestival.com.
Saturday, March 27 • 8pm
Tuesday, April 6 • 7pm
Sunday, March 21 • 4pm
BOX OFFICE 885-6868 M–F 9am-3pm www.kahilutheatre.org
Bonham, Ph.D., Assoc. Professor of Economics, UH Manoa and Executive Director, UHERO (UH Economic Research Organization) on the Hawai‘i economy. Afternoon business seminars on business tactics. 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Old Airport Pavilion. Details at www.kona-kohala.com, emailVivian@konakohala.com or contact the Chamber office at 808.329.1758.
Friday-Saturday, March 19-20 Trash Bash Art and Fashion Show Hawi The 4th annual Trash Bash Art and Fashion Show is a weekend event in the village of Hawi. The art show reception is scheduled for Friday evening, March 19, Upstairs at The Kohala Mill with a no-host bar and pupus. The Fashion Show is an evening event this year, beginning at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 20. This year’s Trash Bash Committee is encouraging people to think beyond plastic bags or bottle caps, and use other materials that have been or soon will be thrown into the trash. Online entry forms for both the Fashion Show and the Art Show can be found at www.kohalatrashbash.com. Deadline for entries is March 15th. Also, at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, there is a 45-minute talk by Linda Damas, of Recycle Hawaii, who will be offering hands-on help on how to make recycling an easier choice in
H A P P E N I N G S your home. The presentation is in the Barn behind the Kohala Village Inn.
email tigerjonesproductions@yahoo.com or visit www.djkonadance.com .
Saturday, March 20
Saturday, March 20_
Na Mea Hawai‘i Hula Kahiko Volcano Traditional hula and chant performed outdoors on the hula platform overlooking Kilauea Crater, 10:30-11 a.m. Hawaiian crafts demonstrations at Volcano Art Center Gallery, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Free (Park entry fees apply). Call 808.967.8222 or visit www.volcanoartcenter.org.
”Return of the Sun” Kainaliu The Kona Harp Ensemble presents a concert celebrating the Spring Equinox at the Aloha Theatre. Songs of Ireland, Scotland and harp lore! Performed by Manuel & Bernice Roberto, Irminsul Harp, and Kristin Shaw - a harp trio with African drum beats and Japanese flutes! 7:30-10 p.m. Cost: $15. General Admission/$20 at the door. $25 VIP Seating. Call 808.756.4874, email claire808@hawaii.rr.com or visit www.konaharpensemble.com.
Saturday, March 20_ Salsa En Fuego 2010_ Hilton Waikoloa Beach Resort Featuring the CD release of Hawai‘i’s leading Latin band from O‘ahu, Son Caribe, and dance performances by World Salsa Champions Alien Ramirez and Christian Oviedo. Alien Ramirez was an assistant choreographer on “So You Think You Can Dance” and Christian Oviedo was a guest performer on “Dancing With The Stars.” DJ Tiger and Lyman Medeiros of Big Island Television host the evening. 7 p.m-1a.m. Tickets $35 in advance, $45 at the door, and include a one-hour complimentary salsa lesson. Available online at www. djkonadance.com. Phone 808.990.0737,
Saturday-Sunday, March 20-21 Pops Menagerie 2010 - Kona Festivale Chorale Kailua-Kona Hear pop, broadway, country, classical, contemporary, soul and 40’s classics from one of Kona’s finest choral groups. Saturday at 7 p.m.; Sunday matinee at 3 p.m. at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel Ballroom. Open seating. Adults $18 adv/$20 door; Children 12 and under, free. Visit www. kfchoral.com or call 808.331.1115.
Sunday, March 21 Kailua Village Stroll & Hulihe‘e Palace Concert Kailua-Kona Ali‘i Drive is closed to traffic and lined with friendly vendors, merchants and restaurants offering a wide variety of specials from 1-6 p.m. At 4 p.m., enjoy a free Hawaiian music concert on the lawn at Hulihe‘e Palace honoring late Hawaiian royalty. Bring your own mat or chair and they will be checked for free while you stroll Ali‘i Drive.
Sunday, March 21 Kamuela Philharmonic Spring Concert Waimea Second of three yearly concerts by this talented, locally based orchestra, this performance features “Overture to the Marriage of Figaro,” “Violin Concerto #5 in A Major” by Mozart and “Appalachian Spring” by American composer Aaron Copeland. Free. 4 p.m. at the Kahilu Theatre in Waimea. 808.325.4991 or visit www.kamuelaphil.com.
Sunday, March 21 Big Island International Marathon Hilo Annual marathon and 10.8-mile and 3.1-mile fun runs, follows the coast of old
Hawai‘i past ocean, tropical rainforests, rushing waterfalls and black lava beaches to finish at the historic Hilo Bayfront. A flat, cool and fun course. Call 808.969.7400 or visit www.hilomarathon.org.
Friday, March 26 Puana Ka Ike – “Hawai‘i Ecosystem” Keauhou Beach Resort Peter Vitousek lecture on the “Hawai’i Ecosystem” is part of the Puana Ka Ike (Imparting Knowledge) series, an educational forum that offers a deeper understanding of Hawaiian culture, history, tradition and perspective of the environment. 5:30-7:00 p.m., Keauhou Beach Resort ballroom. The series is sponsored by Kamehameha Investment Corporation/Kamehameha Schools, The Kohala Center, University of Hawaii at Hilo Kipuka Native Hawaiian Student Center and their Eia Hawai‘i Lecture Series and Keauhou Beach Resort. Call 808.534.8528, email joyc@kic-hnl.com or visit http://kohalacenter.org/puanakaike/about.
Friday-Saturday, March 26-27 Flip Out!** Hilo True stories told by three Filipina (**”Flip” is slang for Filipino.) Lorraine Godoy, Angie Libadisos and Sandi Claveria,
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March 22 – March 27
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Haili Men’s Invitational Volleyball Tournament Hilo Now more than a half-century old, this volleyball tourney features novice to nationally ranked AA players from around the nation. The five-day tourney is at the Hilo Civic Auditorium and nearby locations. Call 808.961-3633.
Saturday, March 27 Happy Day at Hulihe‘e Kailua-Kona The much-looked-forward-to annual event on the seaside grounds of newly renovated Hulihe’e Palace is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and features a full lineup of arts and crafts vendors, ono local food, live hula halau performances, tempting bake sale featuring Aunty Nona’s popular peach cake, the ever-popular Tutu’s Attic elephant sale and drawings for prizes. Call 808.329.9555.
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Saturday, March 27 24th Magic Spectacular Kainaliu Kristi Toguchi Now you see it and now you don’t! The Big Island Magic Club presents 2:30 and 7 p.m. shows at Aloha Theatre to benefit the Society for Kona’s Education and Art (SKEA). Guest
headliner magician is Kristi Toguchi (www. magicofkristi.com), who presents magic combined with dance and circus arts. Call 808.323.9707 or SKEA at 808.328.9392.
Saturday, Mar 27 Meditation Class Honaunau Join Rev. Dana St.Claire and her Amazing Bowl Gongs for two hours of peace, insight & meditation. Rev. Dana shares a relevant blend of East & West, with her own human observations. Not related to a particular religion. 10 a.m.-noon. At SKEA (Society for Kona Education & Arts) 84-5191 Mamalahoa Hwy, Honaunau, makai, between 106-105 mile markers. Donation.For information call (808) 987-2774 or visit www.maylaigh.org
Sunday, March 28 Lavaman Triathlon Waikoloa Beach Resort The 12th Annual Lavaman Triathlon and Sports Festival is an extravaganza of sports and fitness. This 10K-run, 40K-bike and 1.5K-swim and Olympic distance course at the Waikoloa Beach Resort is open to individuals and relay teams of all ages and abilities. Followed by an awards party and beach barbeque. Call 808.329.9718. Visit www.lavamantriathlon.com for more information.
April April 1-18 Seussical, the Musical Hilo Directed by Jackie Pualani Johnson, this fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza features the mischievous Cat in the Hat and all of your favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie and all of the Whos of Whoville! Shows at 7:30 p.m.; two Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. UH Hilo Performing Arts Center. http://artscenter.uhh.hawaii.edu.
H A P P E N I N G S April 4-10
Friday-Sunday, April 16-18
Merrie Monarch Hula Festival Hilo A week-long festival of cultural events including Hawai‘i’s most prestigious hula competition at Edith Kanaka’ole Stadium. The festival begins with a ho’olaule’a at the auditorium behind the stadium on Easter Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with music, food and fun. Craft fairs begin Wednesday with fresh lei and authentic Hawaiian crafts in the building adjacent to the stadium. Free hoike (hula exhibition) 6:30 p.m. Wednesday; Thursday is the solo Miss Aloha Hula competition; Friday and Saturday are the group kahiko (ancient) and ‘auana (modern) hula competitions. A grand parade winds through Hilo town on Saturday morning. Except for the hula competitions, events are free. Call 808.935.9168 or visit www.merriemonarchfestival.org.
2010 Big Island Open Table Tennis Tournament Waimea USATT-sanctioned table tennis tournament with events for unrated recreational players as well as rated players. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Thelma Parker Gym. Registration $10-$20; spectators free. For more information, call 808.889.1099, email len@tablettennisandmore.com or visit www.tabletennisandmore.com/2009bigislandopen.htm.
April 6-10 Imiloa Celebrates the Merrie Monarch Hilo Hilo’s ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center gets into the hula festival spirit with a series of entertaining and educational presentations, workshops, performances and demonstrations by cultural experts about hula song composition, lei making, music and genealogy. Call 808.969.9704 or visit www.imiloahawaii.org for a complete schedule.
Tuesday, April 6
Kona Chocolate Festival Keauhou How sweet it is! Gala evening at Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort includes a chocolate taste-off with professional and amateur chefs, wine tasting, dancing and entertainment. The chocolicious fun is preceded by farm tours and symposiums. 6-10 p.m. Call 808.987.8722, email konachocolatefest@gmail.com or visit www.konachocolatefestival.com.
Photography
808.989.0063 bob@eyeexpression.com www.eyeexpression.com
Saturday, April 17 Health & Wellness Fair Keauhou The Queen’s Medical Center 150th Anniversary Health & Wellness Fair offers free health and wellness information, screenings and assessments, plus entertainment, kids’ face painting and games! 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Keauhou Shopping Center. Call 808.389.8225 or email mshook@queens.org.
Saturday, April 17 Aloha Saturday Hilo These monthly programs feature musical performances by Hawai‘i Island musicians and hula halau, along with presentations by community groups. Also featured are authentic arts and crafts vendors and food booths. Noon-4 p.m. Kalakaua Park in Hilo. Free. 808.961.5711 or visit www.ehcc.org.
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Fijian Dancers – Kabu ni Vanua Waimea This ensemble, all superb musician-dancers, performs a variety of traditional styles including the vigorous men’s spear dance, men’s and women’s fan dances, and a wide range of hand dances that depict historical events and celebrate important occasions and festivals. Free. 7 p.m. Kahilu Theater in Waimea. Tickets $40/$35. 808.885.6868 or www.kahilutheatre.org.
Saturday, April 17
Eye Expression
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April 23-30
Kailua Village Stroll & Hulihe‘e Palace Concert Kailua-Kona Ali‘i Drive is closed to traffic and lined with friendly vendors, merchants and restaurants offering a wide variety of specials 1-6 p.m. At 4 p.m., enjoy a free Hawaiian music concert on the lawn at Hulihe‘e Palace honoring late Hawaiian royalty. Bring your own mat or chair; it can be checked in for free while you stroll Ali‘i Drive.
“Glengarry Glen Ross” Kainaliu At the Aloha Theatre, the Aloha Performing Arts Company presents David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, which follows the lives of four unethical Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to go to any lengths (legal or illegal) to unload undesirable real estate on unwilling prospective buyers. Contains adult language. Fridays and Saturdays 7:30 p.m. and Sundays 2:30 p.m. through May 9th. Tickets: $15-$18. To order tickets, visit the theatre Mondays thru Thursdays from
10 a.m.-4 p.m., call 322-9924, or order online at apachawaii.org. Call 808.322.9924 or email info@apachawaii.org.
Friday, April 23 Puana Ka Ike – “Ahupua‘a Restoration” Keauhou Beach Resort Kawika Winter presents “Ahupua‘a Restoration: Melding Science and Culture to Produce Models of Sustainability.” It’s part of the Puana Ka Ike (Imparting Knowledge) series, an educational forum that offers a deeper understanding of Hawaiian culture, history, tradition and perspective of the environment. 5:30-7p.m., Keauhou Beach Resort ballroom. The series is sponsored by Kamehameha Investment Corporation/ Kamehameha Schools, The Kohala Center, University of Hawaii at Hilo Kipuka Native Hawaiian Student Center and their Eia Hawai‘i Lecture Series, and Keauhou Beach Resort. Call 808.534.8528, email joyc@ kic-hnl.com or visit http://kohalacenter.org/ puanakaike/about.html.
Friday, April 23
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Tsunami Talk Story Festival Hilo On the 50th anniversary of the Hilo tsunami of 1960, this annual dinner features a
program highlighting Hilo businesses that survived the tsunamis of 1949 and 1960 and are still operating today. 6-9 p.m., Sangha Hall. $25 includes dinner. Call 808.935.0926 or visit www.tsunami.org.
Friday, April 23 The Makaha Sons Waimea For 30 years, the Makaha Sons have committed themselves to perpetuating traditional Hawaiian music throughout Hawai‘i and the world. Today, this trio of six-string guitar, upright acoustic bass and 12-string guitar creates a vibrant sound, full and rich with beautiful vocal harmonies. 8 p.m. Kahilu Theater in Waimea. Tickets $40/$35. Call 808.885.6868 or www.kahilutheatre.org.
Saturday, April 24 Donkey Mill Art Center Spring Art Festival Holualoa Bring the family for a fun-filled day of art making. Create gifts of art in a number of media, including drawing, papermaking, ceramic bowls, lauhala weaving and more, or decorate a t-shirt of your own. Art demos take place throughout the day; kanikapila at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Admission $7
H A P P E N I N G S (5 and up). There will be material fees for some activities. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. All proceeds benefit Arts Education for Youth programs. Call 808.322.3362 or visit www.donkeymillartcenter.org.
Saturday, April 24 “Singspiration” – Kona Festivale Chorale Kailua-Kona Annual concert of inspirational songs at historic Mokuaikaua Church on Ali‘i Dr. at 7 p.m. Free. Featuring guest artists, choirs, praise teams and halau performing the finest in contemporary and traditional sacred music. Call the Chorale at 808.331.1115 for more info or email kfchoral@hawaii.rr.com
Sunday, April 25 Earth Day Fair Keauhou Events from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kahalu’u Bay and the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort. Visit the ReefTeach Booth and learn how to take care of our corals, fish and turtles and save Kahalu’u Bay. Traditional Hawaiian blessing begins the celebration at 9:45 a.m. This free, family-oriented event features activities and games for all ages, Hawaiian crafts, renewable energy exhibits,
tidepool, whale, turtle, fishing games and other exhibits. Contact Sara Peck at UH Sea Grant, 808.329.2861.
hula halau, lei-making contest and Lei Queen. Call 808.886.8822 or visit www.waikoloabeachresort.com.
Friday, April 30
Saturday-Sunday, May 1-2
Trash N’ Fashion Holualoa Donkey Mill Art Center (Holualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture) hosts this “low-fashion” runway project. Dumpster divas wanted to rethink, reuse and recycle to transform trash into fabulous couture fashion. Open to all artists of all ages, the challenge is to create wearable art using 100 percent recycled materials. Start gathering and designing your glamorous garbage. Gala show at 6-9 p.m. All proceeds support DMAC’s Garden Project. Call 808.322.3362.
Ka‘u Coffee Festival Pahala If coffee gets you going, then go to this new festival celebrating the international, award-winning bean in Hawai‘i Island’s beautiful Ka‘u district. Featuring a Miss Ka‘u Coffee pageant, ho‘olaule‘a, best coffee competition, recipe contest, music and entertainment, farm tours, coffee demos and more. At the Community Center in Pahala. Most events are free. 808.929.9550 or visit www.kaucoffeefest.com.
Coming in May Saturday, May 1 May Day is Lei Day Waikoloa Beach Resort May Day is Lei Day in the 50th State. Celebrate this time-honored tradition with the resort’s day-long, resort-wide event highlighting Hawai‘i’s diverse culture. Live, local entertainment, authentic Hawaiian arts and crafts, performances by talented
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T H E
L I F E
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Douglas H. Dierenfield, DDS
W
hen Douglas Dierenfield, DDS, first came to Kona in 1976, there weren’t many people and very few dentists, he said. “I was commuting to Molokai and Hana, Maui, via Royal Hawaiian Air Service and doing dentistry there a few days a week.” A little bit reluctant to settle in one place with a solo practice, he realized that having a new house and a family on the way required him to “bite the bullet” and settle down. At the time there were very few desirable areas for office space in the village of Kailua-Kona, said Dierenfield. A zoning variance was the only thing that allowed him to move his practice into the distinctive building at Casa De Emdeko condominiums, at 75-6082 Alii Drive, even though the small grocery and deli that were there had been allowed. With the blessing of the planning department and a formal blessing, the business was launched.
One decision made 25 years ago that he doesn’t regret is not participating with insurance plans. “It has isolated me in some ways but liberated me in others. Tailoring treatment to a patient’s unique needs rather than their insurance coverage has facilitated treatment. Most important, the time constraints of an insurancedriven practice and the reimbursement levels are not an issue. We can spend as much time as necessary to listen and treat people’s dental needs.” Dierenfield is proud of his staff, he says. “I have been blessed to have hired some of the most conscientious, loyal, caring and competent people in the business. Anna and Lee have been with me for 29 and 30 years respectively. Thorne and Lisa, from three to 10 years, but their dental background extends well beyond that. It is their collective experience with people and dentistry that makes operations smooth and outcomes great.” The office may be contacted at 808.329.5251.
Kevin McHugh Optical
T
his is the story of a globe-trotting farm boy from upstate New York who became a bartender, a deejay, an insurance agent, a pilot in the West Indies, solar salesman and a thoroughbred horse farm manager. He was working at a ski resort when his house burned down and a waitress where he worked took pity on him. As fate would have it, a little while later the two were married. Kevin became an optician with an apprenticeship in Pennsylvania. Hawai‘i was calling, though, and to make a long story short, after working at several more optical labs, plus operating his own, all in New York, they made the move to Kona. Now an experienced optician and vision center manager in Hawai‘i for 14 years, Kevin has put his name on the door at Kevin McHugh Optical. He’s happy about being independent, he says, because there are a lot of new options and more selections than ever in the vision business. “We have seen exciting strides in our industry in the past 25 years. As a family owned business without corporate ties, we can offer a more varied selection and higher quality products. We wanted to be able to give our customers choices and information, time and attention. And with our in-house lab, we have total control of quality and turnaround.” Kevin McHugh Optical is conveniently located above Costco in a building with other health-related offices, lots of parking and easy accessibility. They can help anyone from children (keiki) to seniors (kupuna) who need help with their vision in a home-like atmosphere with personal attention. Many choices in designer frames and different kinds of lenses and contacts are available there. “We still get excited when we help someone find the perfect pair of glasses, and then get to make the glasses right here!” says McHugh. You can contact the vision center at 808.327.2020.
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The new office had an ocean view and plenty of parking, but the young dentist, who was physically fit, didn’t realize that a secondfloor office with no elevator would be a problem. “ I used to joke that anybody healthy enough to climb the stairs was healthy enough to survive my treatment,” he laughs. But, as the years went by his clientele aged and drifted away to more accessible dentists. “Losing many of my favorite patients because of that onerous stairway has been disappointing and a challenge yet to be solved.”
B U S I N E S S
Ka Puana
T
The other problem is he doesn’t have a very clear idea of when roosters are supposed to perform this basic function for which they’re celebrated. A full moon is as good as a sunrise to him. Or a particularly bright star. Or a porch light. Or high beams on a truck coming up the mountain. A bright idea would probably set him off. When you put this all together you get a rooster who is not making friends. Sometimes I’ll have a late night at the Liar’s Bar, shooting Chinese snooker and drinking Tennessee whiskey with the twin Srisai sisters from Patong Beach, and just be starting to fall asleep when I hear him practicing outside my window. I have never owned a gun, for a variety of reasons, but he is beginning to change my mind on this issue. I lie there imagining him disappearing in a puff of black and orange feathers as the shotgun goes off. Then I lie there feeling terrible because I never like to kill little critters of any kind, however annoying (or deserving). I stick an earplug in my ear and try to go back to sleep. My dreams are troubled by bloody visions of Foghorn Leghorn.
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I
just don’t like to kill things. See, I have what’s called a hale ‘au’au, a Hawaiian shower room outside my house. The local rats figured this was a good place to party at night. I did not agree with them and told them so. They didn’t listen. So I got a big rat trap at the hardware store. But my girlfriend (and me, too) found the results so
THE REFRAIN
here is a young wild rooster that likes to visit my house in the early morning and practice his crowing. He is not very good at it yet. Instead of the typical cock-adoodle-doo thing he does sort of a cockork-ack-urrrgh. It’s pretty pathetic. I can do a better rooster impersonation. Anybody could.
unpleasant we ended up getting one of those sonic rat annoyers instead. It actually works and I don’t have to deal with dead rats the size of kittens. Unfortunately, the man at the hardware store said they don’t make them for roosters. But he did have a nice shotgun. I told a local friend of mine about the problem with the rooster. He didn’t quite understand my reluctance to “just shoot da buggah” and gave me a great Hawaiian recipe for rooster. Apparently cooking it with papayas makes it nice and tender. I guess he figured that if I knew it would taste really, really good, it would be easier for me to kill it. I thanked him for the recipe but didn’t bother to tell him that my experience with preparing dead animals for eating was limited to fish. So the rooster is still there. His crowing hasn’t improved. But lately he has been practicing out in the jungle so my sleep has been relatively undisturbed. This morning, as I drank my coffee on the front porch, he made his way through my yard, pausing to look at me before going about his own business. He is actually a very beautiful bird, extremely colorful, with long, shiny tail feathers and a bright red comb and wattles. Hopefully he’ll move on to some other place where there’s lonely hens who will appreciate him, lousy crowing or not. Meanwhile, I’m keeping the rooster and papaya recipe on the refrigerator door. Kona Lowell hides out in South Kona, way up in the mist with his miniature wife, Chee, an assortment of odd cats and one rather small, supplemental cat-like creature named Miu. His new book, Don’t Pet the Sharks: Advice, Observations & Snark from the Big Island Hawaii is due out soon. A musician and composer as well, Kona is the leader of the progressive rock band, No Empty Sky. The Solid Green Birthday & Other Fables can be purchased locally at Borders and Kona Stories as well as online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other online retailers.
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Mauna Kea Beach Hotel April 10th, 2010 Enjoy live jazz music by the ocean in the beautiful setting of the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. Featuring performances by: Hiroshima Cyril Pahinui Brittni Paiva
Colin John Band Alan Akaka and the Islanders Maggie Brennan Trio
Call For Reservations 808.882.7222 www.konajazz.com