March–April 2021

Hawai‘i Island’s Community Magazine The Life |

March – April Malaki – ‘Apelila

2021

ARTS Two Artists Transform Trash into Treasures COMMUNITY Maka‘eo Path Fosters Health and Community SUSTAINABILITY Alison Teal: Surfing Waves for Environmental Justice

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Front cover: Papahänaumoku, a painting by Angela Yarber.

4 Table of contents: Änuenue Änuenue,, fused glass by Shelly Batha.

Read more about the artists on page 45.

The Life

Hawaiÿi Island’s Community Magazine March – April | Malaki – ÿApelila 2021

Ka Wehena: The Opening

Aloha He Alo ka Ha Ola, ‘O ke Aloha iho no

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Na Kumu Keala Ching

Arts

Two Artists Transform Trash into Treasures 15

By Karen Valentine

‘Ōlena: The Dream Filled Beauty

27

Nick Wong: Hawai‘i’s Rising Talent

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By Brittany P. Anderson

By Mālielani Larish

Business

Managing with Aloha: Sense of Place 37

By Rosa Say

Talk Story with An Advertiser 46 Destination Hilo Island Treasures 47 Shelly Batha Art

Community

Maka‘eo Path Fosters Health and Community 23

By Fern Gavelek

Hale Ohia: Volcano’s Enchanted Road 28

By Sara Stover

Dr. Joan Greco Inspires Students 34

By Brittany P. Anderson

Alison Teal: Surfing Waves for Environmental Justice 10

By Taylon Faltas

Seeger Institute at Eden Farms

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Life and Death in the Stream

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By Stefan Verbano

By Rachel Laderman

Ka Puana: Closing Thoughts

531: He ali‘i ka ‘āina; he kauwā ke kanaka

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Mary Kawena Pukui. Olelo Noeau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

Sustainability

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Reiki is a gentle form of healing, used for nearly a hundred years in Japan.

It activates the body’s own natural ability to heal itself.

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

Evening and weekend appointments available.

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From Our Publisher

Ke Ola Magazine recognizes the use of the ‘okina [‘] or glottal stop, as one of the eight consonants of (modern) Hawaiian language; and the kahakō [ā] or macron (e.g., in place names of Hawai‘i such as Pāhoa).

Ke Ola Magazine respects the individual use of these markings for names of organizations and businesses.

spent time increasing my strength so I could keep up with all my propertyʻs needs. Itʻs been fun, while challenging at the same time.

This makes me appreciate the dedication of the people who are featured in our stories, for their commitment to bettering themselves, the island, and the earth as a whole.

For example, Alison Teal is a Kona-raised woman who has taken on an enormous responsibility to educate people worldwide about pollution, in particular the younger generation, via social media videos about her athletic adventures. We also feature two artists, Mattie Mae Larson and Kat Crabill, who have both chosen to create beautiful art out of trash. Gary Rosenberg created the Seeger Institute at Eden Farms as a solution to the ecologoical crisis heʻs witnessing.

Then there are the folks who created and are maintaining Maka‘eo Path and Gardens in Kona as a means for outdoor fitness and fostering plant life. Each and every person in this issue is creating a postive impact on our island and I have a deep respect for them all.

On a professional note, I would like to introduce Tanya Yamanaka, who has been Ke Ola’s bookkeeper for the past couple of years, and has now also stepped into the position of assistant editor and graphic designer. These are all skills Tanya has been educated in and itʻs wonderful to see her creativity flourish here.

Tanya and I have been close friends for about 10 years, and we are having a great time working together now, too. Putting our two heads together, it will be fun to see what happens next. Stay tuned!

Mālama pono, mālama ‘āina, Barbara Garcia

Corrections In our January–February 2021 issue, we misspelled our cover artistʻs name. Brenda Meriwether, we sincerely apologize for this error.

KeOlaMagazine.com Facebook.com/KeOlaMagazine Instagram.com/KeOlaMagazine LinkedIn.com/in/BarbGarcia Twitter.com/KeOlaMagazine

Send us your comments, letters, and photos!

We accept email, snail mail, submissions through our website, or posts on Facebook.

HIeditor@KeOlaMagazine.com

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I was taking veggie scraps out to my compost bin and walking around my yard, anticipating what I was going to write about for this issueʻs Malama ‘Āina theme. It occurred to me— with all the uncertainty that’s going on in the world and on the island—the one thing I still feel certain about is my home, my sanctuary.

After beginning my life on the island in Kona in 2003, and living in almost every district since then, I unexpectedly ended up buying property in Puna twoand-a-half years ago. The biggest surprise to me is how much I love it here!

As I was walking around my property, I was reflecting on what my friends and I have accomplished in these couple of years. In addition to raised garden beds, I’ve planted many fruit trees—yes, to bear fruit—and just as importantly, to create much needed shade in the “sun belt” of Puna. Now that some time has passed, I’m seeing the keiki papaya trees that came right out of my compost pile develop blossoms, and I’m excited, knowing soon I will be harvesting my own. There was one tangerine tree here that just started bearing fruit this season—that and a calamansi lime were the only existing fruit trees when I moved in. I’ve now planted breadfruit, jackfruit, kukui, avocado, moringa, katuk, chestnut, cherry, grapefruit, lemon, and a dozen papayas. I’m still a novice gardener, just learning the basics.

One thing Iʻve noticed is gardening is hard work and takes a level of health and fitness to be able to do it. With all my former commitments being cancelled this last year, Iʻve

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ALOHA He Alo ka Ha Ola

Ka Wehena

Na Kumu Keala Ching

Huli ke alo Akua, He hā ola ē Huli ke alo Wailua, He hā ola ē Huli ke alo Kūpuna, He hā ola ē Huli ke alo Kānaka, He hā ola ē Huli ke alo ‘Āina, He hā ola ē He aloha ē He aloha ē He aloha ē E ola

Seek the Highest Foundation, Presence of Life Seek the Dual Knowledge, Presence of Life Seek the Existing Source, Presence of Life Seek the Essences, Presence of Life Seek the Source, Presence of Life Presence of Life Presence of Life Presence of Life Let it live

‘O ke Aloha iho no Na Kumu Keala Ching

Presence of Life found within Acknowledge Foundation, Forever Presence of Life found within Acknowledge Spirit, Land, and People, Forever Presence of Life found within Acknowledge Essences Presence of Life found within Acknowledge Beginning Live forever the Presence of Life Live forever the Presence of Life Live forever the Presence of Life Presence of Life within

E ola! ‘O ke aloha ka mea i ho‘ōla ai ma kēia wā hō‘ino. No laila, ‘o ke aloha ka mea i kōkua ho‘i iā kākou āpau. Huli ke ALO Akua, he HĀ ola ē.

Let it live! It is compassion (understanding) that brings healing during this wicked time. Allow compassion (understanding) to help all of us! Seek the Highest Foundation, Presence of life is found there.

E Ola mau ke ALOHA o ke kānaka! Let Understanding (LOVE) of the people LIVE on!

For more information on Kumu Keala and Nä Wai Iwi Ola, visit: nawaiiwiola.org

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

‘O ke Aloha iho nō Na ke Akua e ola mau

‘O ke Aloha iho nō Na Kahikolu e ola mau

‘O ke Aloha iho nō Na ‘Ōiwi e ola mau

‘O ke Aloha iho nō Na Ēwe e ola mau

E ola mau ke aloha, E ola mau ke aloha, E ola mau ke aloha Ke aloha iho nō

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Alison Teal:

By Taylon Faltas

A

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

lison Teal is a survivalist, world traveler, hula dancer, surfer, filmmaker, free-diver, environmentalist, and was named by Time magazine as the female Indiana Jones—what can’t she do? Alison’s passion for environmental advocacy allowed her to break into the spotlight during the first season of Discovery Channel’s Naked and Afraid and has been paving ways for environmental policies ever since she began traveling the globe as a child.

We met for a chat at a beach in Kona—for Alison, the beach is her office. I immediately spotted her pink bikini (made from recycled materials) from 50 yards away. With her contagious and inspiring smile, Alison led the conversation for nearly three hours, spiced with continuous laughter. What I learned from this conversation left me in shock about how much waste humans produce every day, including the “compostable” cups our chai teas were in.

Alison had an unconventional childhood. Her father was a freelance travel photographer for National Geographic and Patagonia, and her mother is an expert yoga instructor.

Together, the three of them traveled the world, allowing Alison

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to experience some epic encounters before age seven that many people wonʻt experience in their lifetime.

Alison has done nearly everything, from climbing in the “Mount Everest” of Nepal in the middle of a snowstorm to get to school, to meeting a 140-year-old wandering holy man in the mountains of India. Her travels have given her a unique perspective on some of life’s greatest treasures that have shaped her understanding of our responsibility as humans to take care of our beloved planet.

After all that travel, Hawai‘i Island is where her family felt most at home. Growing up in an off-grid treehouse handmade by her parents on the beach in South Kona granted Alison experiences she carries with her to this day. “The most inspiring people in my life are the ones in some of the most remote places in the world. Uncle Tony and Damien of our Ho‘okena community are people that will always influence my life. Charlie Grace of our Hōnaunau community would teach us how to make a fish hook out of natural materials using traditional Hawaiian methods,” she shared, “He used to say, ‘Life is like a canoe, and we are in it together.’ It’s these people

Surfing Waves for Environmental Justice that mean the most to me. That’s my attitude of gratitude.”

After attending the University of Southern California where she double majored in film and theater, and studying archaeology at the University of California, Berkeley, Alison combined her passion for the planet and her aptitude for filmmaking to create fun, educational videos on environmental justice issues near and dear to her heart. One was filmed in the Maldives on the infamous “Trash Island,” where she repurposed some of the trash she collected to make the signature pink bikini she donned for our chat. She even paddled through a plastic-riddled Los Angeles river to help efforts in banning plastic use globally.

In her 2013 episode of Naked and Afraid, Alison found herself on a remote Maldivian island (where she discovered Trash Island), paired for 21 days with a former Marine. In that brutal environment, Alison’s survival skills emerged and she showed her relentless girl-power.

“I had to rethink my Hawaiian roots during my time on that island,” she explained, “We don’t know what we have in us until we’re faced with a situation like what I was in [on the

show]. It was very real; no one was feeding us hamburgers when the cameras were off. One thing you always have to pack for a trip like that is humor and aloha spirit.”

“My dream was to change the world by influencing through the media, but I never thought I would do it sitting naked on an island,” she said with a smirk.

And change, she brought.

“It’s a lot of work and sheer determination being a girl entrepreneur from humble roots, trying to do what I can to survive and thrive in this world that I’m trying to save.

It comes down to your community—to be able to create a mutual trust with people you meet all around the world. It’s about thinking and acting both locally and globally to connect a worldwide ‘ohana,” she explained. By paddling through Ballona Creek in Los Angeles in the video she created in 2016 (with two million views to date), Alison sparked some of the massive public concern over California’s plastic consumption problem. In turn, Proposition 67 was passed in California that same year—making California the second US state (after Hawai‘i) to ban plastic bags. In 2018, she made waves

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

Opposite page: In 2016, Alison paddled through a sea of trash in Los Angeles’ Ballona Creek to create an awareness video, which has had more than two million views to date.

11 This page: Alison becomes one with nature as she swims alongside this feeding manta ray in the clear blue waters of the Maldives.

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

throughout Hawai‘i in an effort to ban toxic sunscreens to help protect our coral reefs, a step that will directly impact future generations.

That ban went into effect at the beginning of Toddler Alison with her parents Deborah Koehn and David Blehert, 2021. enjoying the calm tide pools during a beach day in Hawaiÿi.

Alison’s primary message is that anyone can make a difference when it comes to helping the environment; not everyone capable of change needs to have experienced what she has to have an appreciation for it. Ironically, Alison actually longed for a “normal” childhood for as long as she could remember because she was always on the go. “I wanted slumber parties and friends—growing up this way has shown me that it’s important to have a sense of balance. I love calling everywhere I’ve been my home, but also having a true, permanent home was something I wanted. Thatʻs why our Hawai‘i treehouse is such a treasure to me!”

Because she’s had so many amazing experiences around the world, Alison recently wrote her first book about her life and how she’s used these experiences to shed light on major environmental problems. Alison’s Adventures: Your Passport to the World is the ultimate page-turner for any reader in need

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Young Alison is shown sharing a snack with her new friend. of a little second-hand adventure. “I had to write this book about my adventures. I thought, ‘If I start writing my own stories, someone will understand the importance of preserving our wonderful world.’ I was able to dive into all kinds of crazy, unimaginable scenarios and educational tidbits in my storytelling,” she noted.

Unfortunately, the book tour Alison had planned after the official release was abruptly canceled due to COVID-19—in

All photos courtesy of Alison Teal For more information: alisonsadventures.com Instagram & TikTok: @alisonsadventures Ballona Creek video: youtube.com/watch?v=EM0vrHHrpVY

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fact, she had already landed in London for the first leg of her tour when she heard the news.

Despite this setback, Alison was determined to reach her audience.

“Writing this book has given me a voice to show people what I want to say about the environment. The real soul food is seeing the events of change after each adventure. ntures: ve d A ’s on Living outside the lis ,A lison’s book Cover for A to the World. coconut is what t Your Passpor my parents have always fostered and inspired in me, and I wanted to share that with the world through my book.”

Though she didn’t get to interact face-to-face with her fans, she gravitated back to her filmmaking expertise to reach her audience through the TikTok app. She recently exceeded one million followers who enjoy her entertaining and educational 60-second videos about her ocean adventures and global triumphs. Itʻs been a useful resource for Alison, as the urgency of climate change and environmental accountability has seemingly taken a back seat amidst the pandemic.

“If you can go outside and fall in love with nature, I promise you will want to protect it, so that’s what I’ve been trying to do with my TikTok videos lately,” Alison explained, “Human health is just as important as environmental health and is very intertwined. My heart goes out to my global ‘ohana and everyone affected by this pandemic. If we really don’t want to be stuck indoors with masks on in the future, maybe it’s time to stop polluting the earth through toxic shampoos, sunscreens, and everything else that’s harming it,” she continued. Through TikTok, she can spark environmental awareness to her viewers that are watching from home.

“My advice for people who really want to start making a difference is to stop buying single-use plastics. The ocean is our greatest treasure and it shouldn’t take much to fall in love with your ‘āina. If you truly love diving into a crystal-clear ocean, making these changes should be a no-brainer,” she expressed.

“The earth is alive, it’s an entity. I really think community is the key to mending what we’ve already destroyed. It takes a village, because not just one person planted a rice crop, for example. It takes everyone working together in a symbiotic relationship. I never set out to be an environmentalist. From Trash Island to the reefs in front of my home in Hawai‘i, I have seen the impact we’ve had on our planet and when you see it, you can’t ignore it. Now that people, especially the future generations, are diving into my stories, it gives me hope that everyone can see it, believe it, and make a change.” ■

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Two Artists Transform Trash into Treasures

By Karen Valentine

W

hen two artists each blend their creative talents with their passion for the environment, magic can happen. For both Kat Crabill and Mattie Mae Larson, growing up in Hawai‘i meant falling in love with the ocean—only to later realize how much the world was literally trashing it.

Ocean currents converging on the southern coastline of Hawai‘i Island have made its shores and beaches, especially Kamilo Beach, dramatic and horrific panoramas of pollution—plastic in particular. Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund, through grants, conducts monthly cleanups there with volunteers utilizing removal equipment to handle tons of refuse annually.

Plastic pollution accumulated unchecked on the remote Kamilo Beach for decades due to its inaccessibility. Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund founder, Bill Gilmartin, organized the first cleanup there, it is said, after he witnessed the birth of a rare Hawaiian monk seal pup upon the massive piles of plastic.

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

Mattie says, “My ‘resourcefulness’ started at a young age and so did my ‘upcycling.’ I was super fortunate to grow up with self-made creative and supportive parents in addition to the fortune of having [fine furniture maker] Tai Lake as a neighbor, who taught me how to run woodworking equipment as a child. I had SKEA [the Society for Kona’s Education and Art], Donkey Mill, and a super creative elementary school. I have been tinkering with aluminum pop-tabs and rubber innertubes ever since I was little. It was later into my creating career and more when I was in college at UH Mānoa that I starting feeling bad about some of the media I was using that consumed a lot of finite resources— metals, polymer clays, lasers, etc. I decided to take my creativity and go all-sustainable, which led to the creation of Upcycle Hawai‘i in late 2015. If these materials are going to outlive us, we may as well give them a job to do.”

She now uses many different recycled materials—including marine Marine Debris Becomes debris, plastic paper towel Useful Items wrappers, and more— Mattie Mae Larson, turning trash into dozens owner of Upcycle Hawai‘i, of colorful products like has loved art and creating earrings, wallets, and small things since her childhood totes, just to name a few. growing up in Hōlualoa.

“I like to say I’m half She used to come to the mad scientist and half remote Kamilo Beach as artist. Creating is the only a child to climb 10-footconsistent in my life, that high mountains of debris, which makes me happy searching for treasures. and whole and literally a “As kids, we called it part of my identity. plastic beach,” she recalls.

“Our main materials “Literally, plastic was so cool Mattie Mae Larson has a passion for turning ocean trash into useful items with her company, Upcycle are innertubes, reclaimed when I was growing up in rubber, the melted marine Hawaiÿi. Photo taken at ocean clean-up at Kamilo Beach. photo courtesy of Upcycle Hawaiÿi the 90s,” Larson says. “You debris, and those plastics had to have slap bracelets and banana clips in order not to be that come in all shapes and sizes,” she said. Innertubes teased at school. It’s crazy to look back on that perspective,” become stylish and functional tote bags and wallets. Pieces of she says now as she participates in ocean debris cleanups. “I fishing net and colorful ropes along with post-consumer plastic remember having one of these moments in a college geology are melted into a plastic fabric to make jewelry, key rings, and class at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa where everything nightlights. flashes in front of your face and I realized, oh my God, that’s The dynamic Mattie is focused on increasing production 15 not right, that’s my plastic, and fish are eating that.” in order to use more and more recycled materials. With two

part-time employees at her Hilo business, she says, “We are producing about a thousand bags a month, and when it comes to our smaller accessories, like keychains and earrings, we can produce multiple thousands per month.”

At the beginning of 2018, Mattie and her employees started keeping track of the volume of material they were diverting from landfills. Since then, as of the end of November 2020, they have diverted 404 pounds and 23,411 square feet of plastics and rubber.

Upcycle Hawai‘i has been recognized for its efforts with a 2020 Zonta Pay It Forward Microgrant and by winning first place in the HIplan Demo Day pitch competition in July 2020. They were also finalists in the HIplan Business Competition in 2018, 2019, and 2020. “We are catching momentum, for sure, and it feels really good to have our hard work recognized.”

the environment of plastic and other materials. “Working in my field, making custom engagement rings, I started thinking more and more about the impact on the environment from metals and human consumption,” she says. “I would make all these fancy gold and platinum rings and then go to the store and see more and more plastic items and bags we were consuming and tossing into the trash or getting caught on trees. At the time, I channeled that energy into my artwork; I got really angry and collected plastic bags, sewing them together into a 10-by-25-foot art piece, the size of a baby whale when born. It was a super formative process for me, asking myself, ‘What am I doing and how can I use my skills?

I think I can make an impact with my skill set. It’s time for a new chapter—to move back and work with marine debris.’”

Kat got involved in marine debris clean-up and collected plastic jugs that had been floating in the ocean for years. She became fascinated with the colors and textures, so she took her years of talent and skill at making fine jewelry and simply switched out the materials. Instead of a gem or cabochon in a gold or platinum setting, she cuts a nurdle (the actual name of a small, pre-production piece of plastic) from a plastic vessel,

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

Fine jewelry designer Kat Crabill creates “gemstones” from plastic debris and sets them into hand-crafted settings of recycled sterling silver. photo courtesy of Nurdle in the Rough

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Trash to Treasure Kona native Kat Crabill returned home after studying glass and metalworking at Virginia Commonwealth University, and working as a custom goldsmith. She had been gone from Hawai‘i Island for about 10 years. “When I went down to Kamilo and looked at the impact, I was pretty shocked the first time I saw it on my own. It wasn’t even a thing when I was a kid. It was weird having memories of a pristine ocean and then, as an adult, this transforming, eye-opening moment.”

She had already become concerned about the impact on

After learning the craft of metalworking on the mainland, Kat Crabill turned her skill set toward making a powerful statement. photo courtesy of Nurdle in the Rough

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at grocery stores. In 2020, Maui and Hawai‘i Island banned polystyrene containers. Also, the state legislature passed one of the most restrictive plastic bans in the US, prohibiting all single-use plastic food containers, including straws and utensils, as well as Styrofoam, with more restrictions planned for 2022.

Even with the new bans, itʻs likely Mattie Mae and Kat will never run out of materials to upcycle, which is good news and the bad news at the same time. ■ For more information: nurdleintherough.com upcyclehi.com wildhawaii.org Raw materials on left become colorful jewelry created by Mattie Mae Larson. photo courtesy of Upcycle Hawaiÿi

Ocean debris washes up on Hawaiÿi Island’s southern coast annually. Hawaiÿi Wildlife Fund organizes periodic clean-ups there. photo courtesy of Nurdle in the Rough

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

grinds and polishes it into a fair replica of an agate, and places it into a setting she has cast from recycled sterling silver. Voila!

There’s a piece of fine jewelry with a message. Hence the name of her business: Nurdle in the Rough, as in diamond in the rough, with the tagline “Jewelry with a Mission.”

“I’m not personally going to solve this. One person didn’t make this problem and one person can’t make it right. What keeps me going day to day is doing little bits and inspiring other people to do little bits. It’s like guerilla warfare. Once I started working with the material, I realized all the textures that are beneath the surface. I almost feel I’m like an archeologist, finding objects and revealing what’s inside. I grind it down like you would a gemstone, a cabochon, and polish it. It’s surprising how beautiful it can become. People can’t believe it’s plastic. I do all of my own wax carving and metal casting in-house, taking inspiration from ocean textures and shapes like coral or barnacles.”

Asked how the “gems” hold up, she says, “They keep their shine and don’t break down.” (Of course, they’ve floated in the ocean for years!)

Nurdle in the Rough received a 2017 FedEx Small Business Grant to further its efforts of repurposing plastic into beautiful jewelry.

Hawai‘i’s efforts to push back on rampant plastics consumption have been among the boldest in the country. In 2015, it became the first state in the US to ban plastic bags

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Seeger Institute at Eden Farms: Ecological Solutions to Make a Better World

By Stefan Verbano

T

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

station on a hilly plot of old sugarcane field above Kurtistown. here is a fierce urgency in Gary Rosenbergʻs The land was called Eden Farms, and Garyʻs brainchild eyes. Itʻs the look of a time traveler who, after witnessing there was the Seeger Institute—an off-grid, biodiverse higher some future calamity, is sent back to warn an incredulous education learning center named in honor of the legendary public to change their ways, often with great effort and futility. folk singer and environmental activist Pete Seeger.

For Gary, the crisis heʻs seen—albeit only in his wellHorses were the instituteʻs first animal residents, purchased informed imagination—is an ecological one. He loses sleep around the same time as the land, but the majority of sheep, at night pondering the toxic aspects of modern humansʻ mules, goats, cows, pigs, ducks, turkeys, geese, chickens, and relationship with nature in general, and food in particular— bees roaming freely around its campus today found sanctuary from fossil fuel dependence to factory farming, monoculture there after being displaced by the 2018 Lower Puna Eruption. crops to GMOs, air and water pollution, landfills, soil erosion, loss of habitat, health, and community—his list goes on and Teamwork in Action on. This awareness has borne in him an obsession, a neurosis To help him work the land and care for the animals, the even, with finding ecologically-sound solutions to these Berkeley transplant enlisted a team of inspired young people problems. Such urgency seems to give him boundless energy who feel the because heʻs same urgency always moving, he does. He talking and built simple yet thinking fast— comfortable thereʻs no time cabins complete to waste when with solar youʻre staring panels and down doom— rain catchment working seven tanks to house days a week from those opting dawn till dusk, to live on the managing one farm. Other staff big biotechnology members stay in field test. the surrounding “Iʻm crying neighborhoods bloody murder of Volcano, and people think Mountain View, Iʻm crazy and and Kurtistown, tell me to calm and drive along down,” Gary says, the one-lane that look in his potholed road eyes flaring up past tropical again. “I canʻt flower farms calm down! and fenced Right now, we pastureland are undergoing to work at the the greatest institute. transition in Those living human history, on the land get and itʻs either up at first light, adapt or die.” dress against Fifteen the cold morning years ago, this A gaggle of various Eden Farm animals crowd around Gary Rosenberg as he rips open a bag of feed and starts walking out the mountain air, obsessive search breakfast food line. Redefining the relationship between humans and animals is a keystone of Seeger Institute’s mission. cook food on for a better wood-burning rocket stoves and with methane produced way drove him from the relative comfort of his urban farm in through bio-digestion, and seem to spend most of their Berkeley, California to East Hawai‘i, where he purchased 38 time simply keeping the wandering throngs of various farm acres of land on the flank of Kīlauea Volcano and started the animals fed. Words like “inputs,” “resources,” “efficiency,” and long and at times arduous process of building a one-of-a-kind 18 “distribution” abound in their everyday conversations—even teaching farm, animal sanctuary, and agricultural research

the mainland, and we turn it into hundreds of pounds of food for them,” he says while laying trays of grass on the coop floor as the birds swarm all around.

James Morgan is the institute’s soil manager, who joined Rodolf that afternoon in Food Field Four to take a soil sample from underneath a kukui nut sapling. He used a trowel to scoop some soil into a reused plastic cottage cheese container and headed off to the instituteʻs mushroom barn to set up the microscope. After diluting the sample with water and stirring it into mud, he uses an eyedropper to place a few drops on a slide and then positions it under the lens.

“Itʻs sort of like snorkeling...but underground,” James jokes while adjusting the focus.

Once his setup is complete, he peers through the eyepiece hoping to see white weblike flecks of mushroom mycelium and the wriggle of living beneficial microorganisms.

“There are these little key indicators of their growth that kind of tell the story for me,” James says without taking his eyes off the slide. “Thereʻs definitely diversity here, just not as much fungus as weʻd like to see.”

James draws on his impressive understanding of microbiology and biochemistry to explain the science behind agro-innovations like fungiculture, worm composting, and growing black soldier fly larvae to use as animal feed. He sees his role at the institute as helping to make promising biotechnologies like these more accessible for even the most inexperienced hobby gardener.

“We want to be doing things here that the average homeowner can do,” James says. “If itʻs not easy and itʻs not somewhat fun, itʻs not going to happen.”

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more so on Monday evenings when the whole staff gathers around three plastic folding tables inside one of the barns and holds their weekly dinner meeting, while a soup cauldron bubbles away in the corner.

When building his team, Gary seems to place a greater premium on passion than experience. People with little agricultural background are entrusted with great responsibilities. Rodolf Pan, for example, is Seeger Instituteʻs agriculture manager, but has only been in the position for seven months, and prior to moving onto the land was living in the city on O‘ahu where the closest he could get to farming was growing vegetables in humble porch planters. Learning as he went, Rodolf is now in charge of a half-dozen oneacre organic food fields—all numbered—and two massive greenhouses the size of small airplane hangars overflowing with squash, tomatoes, chili peppers, and stout papaya trees boasting football-sized fruit.

“Mother Nature will take it in her own course,” Rodolf says while standing at the top of Food Field Four, overlooking his offset rows of newly transplanted soursop, coffee, rollinia, and kukui nut. “We don’t know what itʻs going to look like.”

Early the next morning, Rodolf is in one of the greenhouses pulling out trays of sprouted wheatgrass seeds. He loads them into the bed of his ATV and drives up the hill to the sprawling poultry coop to bring the birds their breakfast. Rather than filling feeders with straight seeds, he explains, at Eden Farms they take the extra step of sprouting the seeds in order to increase their nutritional and caloric value and get the most bang for the carbon buck.

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Remembering a Hero While Rodolf is laying out trays of sprouted wheatgrass in one section of the poultry coop, Gary is in another close by scooping poop. His broom makes its way across plywood floors, sweeping what will no doubt soon be potent fertilizer into little mounds.

As he sweeps, he tells the story of meeting Pete Seeger as a 15-year-old at the annual Great Hudson River Revival folk music festival in upstate New York in 1980. Gary was living and working on a sailboat on the Hudson named Clearwater, which itself has intimate ties to the festival, and was just starting to develop what would become a lifelong passion for music.

Early in the morning before the start of the festival, Gary was strolling across the fairgrounds and happened upon Pete setting up his tent. The folk singer, by this time in his 60s with

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James Morgan, Seeger Institute’s soil specialist, examines a soil sample from Food Field Four under a microscope in the institute’s mushroom barn, looking for signs of fungal growth and beneficial microorganisms. most of his famous works behind him, asked Gary to sing him a song. Pete stepped back into his tent to fetch guitar and banjo, and the two played together long enough for a small crowd to gather.

And then, as if on cue, present-day Gary with his dirty Carhartts and camo-print sweatshirt breaks into an a cappella rendition of the song he sang to Pete that morning—Seegerʻs “Putting on the Style”—with poop broom in hand, stepping to the tune in time around the dingy coop, belting out each note in minstrel fashion.

“Pete never stopped working,” he says about his beloved folk hero after finishing the last line. Seeger passed away in 2014.

“Everybody did what Pete wanted them to do because he was A typical Tuesday morning out front of Eden Farm’s feed barn after Gary Rosenberg lays down several bags of food. Horses, pigs, chickens, sheep, and goats all munch away happily in an ever-rotating crowd.

Rodolf Pan, Seeger Institute’s agriculture manager, lays out a tray of sprouted wheatgrass for chickens to browse, inside a section of the farm’s massive poultry house. everybodyʻs grandfather. Everyone knew the debt they owed him.”

As for how 38 acres of old East Hawai‘i sugarcane land came to bear his name, Gary, who is quickly approaching the age Seeger was on that most memorable day in 1980, puts it simply: “Pete was on the right side of the battle for his entire life,” he says. “Every song, every word, every gesture had the intention of trying to bring people to an understanding that together we can make a better world.” ■ All photos by Stefan Verbano For more information: seegerinstitute.com

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

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KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

Maka‘eo Path Fosters Health and Community

By Fern Gavelek

The public Makaÿeo Path and Community Gardens flank the former runway at the Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area. Volunteers are needed to adopt garden spots and lend a hand.

B

Many Collaborate to Create Maka‘eo The park and its path have a muddled history. The former Kona Airport was reportedly dedicated as a state park in 1976 and the state subsequently paved the jogging path for public use. How today’s Maka‘eo path and gardens came to be is

remembered by Carrie Kuwada Phipps, education specialist at University Center, West Hawai‘i at Pālamanui. Carrie was serving as a public health educator for the Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) in the 90s and instrumental in the joint DOH and community effort to put the existing jogging path into good use.

“My job was to develop community collaborations and coalitions around healthy lifestyle promotion,” shares Carrie.

“We started a physical activity promotion coalition in Kona and they called themselves Friends for Fitness.”

Carrie says people in the community already promoting physical fitness—like race organizer Sean “Peaman” Pagett and swimming coach Steve Borowski—were invited to be involved and provide input. A group of interested people began to meet monthly, and looked at how to provide more venues to promote physical fitness.

“We initiated the 501(c)3 process so Friends for Fitness could apply for funding,” Carrie recalls. “The goal was to promote physical activity and help ethnic groups and others with high chronic disease risk issues.”

Friends for Fitness Takes the Ball, Runs with It The opportunity came up for an $80,000 grant and FFF applied to transform the old airport runway into a multi-use exercise area. At that time, the area was the only park in Kona.

“The idea was to make environmental changes,” continues Carrie, who says a consultant was hired to help FFF define how to make the runway area user-friendly for multiple purposes.

“We invited the entire community to participate.”

With all the input, FFF had conceptual plans drawn to accommodate green space, walking trails, areas to throw Frisbees, exercise classes, etc., and applied for the grant. FFF was awarded some funds, but the amount was much smaller than needed to implement the plan.

“Since the jogging path was already in, we decided to use the funds to partner with the state to enhance it,” says Carrie.

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

uild it and they will come. This statement certainly holds true for the Maka‘eo path at Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area. Flanking the mauka (upland) side of the former Kona Airport runway in Kailua-Kona, the paved asphalt path and its surrounding acreage is enjoyed by many who run, walk, or stroll its winding way.

Managed by Friends for Fitness (FFF), a nonprofit with a mission “to create and promote a healthy, livable, and physically active community,” the Maka‘eo Path and Community Gardens is seeking residents and organizations to literally dig in and participate in beautifying the arid landscape. Already in place are scattered gardens bearing drought-tolerant plants that have been planted and maintained by volunteers through the years, a variety of art objects, and a small anchialine pond.

“COVID restrictions have kept our garden volunteers away.

We are seeking people-power and their planting vision to maintain and enrich our pathway,” says Sheila Colon, president and treasurer for FFF. “Individuals and small groups can socially distance and still plant an area to keep the gardens going.”

The path is a 7/10th-mile loop and is open daily during daylight hours. Joggers and walkers traverse both sunny and shady areas with the makai (seaside) part of the loop offering ocean views. Users are privy to a drinking fountain and a covered exercise station offering a chin-up bar, balance bars, and stretching post. A bulletin board near the path’s entrance shares garden news.

Involved with Maka‘eo since 1998, FFF has found the health of the pathway’s gardens instrumental to the health of those seeking physical activity.

“The attractive grounds entice people to use the path for exercise, and the nurturing of the plants provides exercise and therapy for garden volunteers,” notes Heidi Stromberg, FFF board member who got involved with Maka‘eo soon after its inception.

Path Used as a Conduit to Promote Physical Activity Heidi, who joined the project in the mid-1990s as a Department of Health coalition coordinator, led the effort to get 23 the community involved with path upkeep.

Making sure Makaÿeo continues to serve the community are from left: Heidi Stromberg, Sheila Colon, and Betty DeRoy of Friends for Fitness.

“First, we got rid of all the tall grass lining the path so users had a good field of vision and felt safe,” remembers Heidi. “We put in a drinking fountain and launched walking and fitness contests to acquaint people with the path so they would use it.

We were especially appreciative during this time of the Kona Rotary and Kona Mauka Rotary clubs for their contribution of money and volunteer support.”

Carrie says companies enrolled their employees in the contests, which tracked the cumulative distance each team walked. “We also did health screenings, measuring weight and body fat,” she adds. In addition, teams were judged on their coordinated outfits and team spirit. Funding provided for a covered fitness station to further promote the physical activity along the path.

Maka‘eo Evolves to Add Community Gardens To keep the path tidy, Heidi says FFF instituted monthly work days to keep the grass down and pull weeds. Path

maintenance volunteers began donating plants as people wanted to beautify the path. Since the Adopt a Highway cleanup program was popular then, Sheila suggested FFF start an Adopt an Area of the Park program to further enhance the pathway.

“We recruited companies who had participated in the walking contest to participate with people power, plant donations or money,” Sheila recalls. “FFF members also adopted chosen areas of the park and soon we had plantings of trees, fragrant herbs, succulents, cactus, bromeliads and pandanus.”

With the beautification momentum going, areas were also adopted by local clubs, families, and individuals. FFF stepped up maintenance and organized weekly workdays on Thursdays.

Volunteers would regularly come down to water plants, pull weeds and do whatever was necessary under the direction of Betty DeRoy, who continues to serve as FFF “park” coordinator today. Betty is responsible for overseeing the maintenance of Maka‘eo and matching people and groups with areas that need beautification—whether it’s maintaining and enhancing an existing garden section or starting a new garden planting from scratch.

“People move away, lose interest, or age out of participation so some planted gardens need new folks to adopt them,” shares Betty. There are currently eight organizations and 20 individuals signed up to care for gardens. One of these volunteers, Kaz Shigezawa, is credited with transforming the path’s southern area into a beautiful succulent garden.

Each garden has access to water, and volunteers bring their own tools and plants. While the acreage available for beautification around the path is unknown, Betty says there’s plenty of room for new people to get involved.

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Makaÿeo offers a covered exercise station, drinking fountain and paved loop flanked by gardens maintained by community volunteers.

People Care for Gardens for Different Reasons Until COVID, Nellie Reed of Hōlualoa had been involved with the Thursday work group for about two decades. She cites the opportunity of socializing with others who like gardening as a benefit of volunteering.

“We sometimes worked together as a small group of six or would pair off and do weeding or clearing,” shares Nellie, who says there was always lots of conversation going. “We started in the morning and worked a few hours until we sat down to enjoy lunch. Everyone brought food to share and it was fun to taste everyone’s good cooking.”

While Nellie says the group “worked hard,” it was also “a good day” as the band of volunteers got a job done in an enjoyable way. The octogenarian hopes to rejoin the effort after COVID. New garden adoptee Dottie Rebuth of Kailua-Kona has planted a garden in memory of a deceased friend. Marked as “Shelley’s Garden” with a small painted sign, Dottie says 15 people are involved with the garden.

“We’re just honoring our friend and every time I’m here I can say hi to her,” smiles Dottie. “I love how this is a community project and it’s fun to see how others are caring for their gardens.”

All photos by Fern Gavelek For more information: friendsforfitness.org

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Adopting a Garden is Easy Those interested simply phone Betty and set up a time to meet at the garden, pick out a spot and fill out a form.

Chosen sites can be large or small. There are some regulations regarding height of plants in certain areas and planting food is forbidden as it has resulted in rodents and theft.

“We want people to know about and be proud of Maka‘eo,” emphasizes Heidi. “This place was developed and has been maintained by the community and it’s here for others to get involved, whether for physical activity on the path or for gardening.”

Carrie adds, “The intention by DOH for the path was always to promote physical fitness and not to beautify the area.

However, beautifying the path has turned out to be a win/win because people are being physically active while gardening and the beauty of the different gardens along the path entices people to come down and use the path.”

To sign up to adopt a garden or join the Thursday work group, call Betty at 808.329.5519. ■

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‘Ölena: The Dream Filled Beauty Golden Milk Recipe

Local Foods

By Brittany P. Anderson

This recipe for golden milk uses powdered turmeric; however, you can substitute finely grated or minced fresh turmeric. Understand that turmeric may stain your fingers and other items during the chopping process, so plan accordingly.

Enjoy golden milk warm before bed to help with a night of restful sleep. After your glass of golden milk, may your dreams be filled with pua ‘ōlena.

Golden Milk Ingredients (makes 2 servings) 2 cups whole milk or unsweetened coconut milk 3 cloves 3 allspice berries 1/2 tsp ashwagandha 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp ground, finely grated, or minced turmeric 1/2 tsp ground, finely grated, or minced ginger Pinch of ground nutmeg 5 turns of a pepper mill for freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp coconut oil 1 tsp ghee 2 tsp raw honey Method Bring milk to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Drop in the 3 cloves and 3 allspice berries. Whisk in ashwagandha, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, nutmeg, and black pepper. Whisk vigorously to incorporate any clumps. Decrease heat to low and continue to stir in coconut oil and ghee. Continue to cook 5–10 minutes.

Stir in honey. Pour into a mug—you may want to use a mesh strainer to avoid cloves, allspice and minced items. Finish with a dash of cinnamon and enjoy!

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

The sweet song “Pua ‘Ōlena” plays as the rows of turmeric sway in the fields, as if keeping time with the seductive melody. In this field, ‘ōlena, the name for Hawaiian turmeric, grows destined for commercial markets, but home gardeners and small-scale producers grow this healthy rhizome all across Hawai‘i Island. ‘Ōlena was brought to Hawai‘i as a canoe plant. For centuries, turmeric has been revered for its use as a medicine, healing various ailments and maintaining health in many different cultures. Hawaiians considered ‘ōlena to have a spiritual life force energy power, known as mana.

Traditionally used in ceremonies, ‘ōlena acts as a purifier due to its spiritual power. To clear an ailment or bless a home, ‘ōlena is crushed and mixed with the purest ocean water. A ti leaf is then dipped into the bowl containing the mixture, showering the blessings on the subject.

Turmeric grows best in agroforestry settings with some shade and dappled sunlight; however, it also tolerates direct sunlight. The broad green leaves stretch out from the ground, hiding the fingerlike rhizomes below the dirt.

The ‘ōlena flower is elusive, as the song “Pua ‘Ōlena” begs, Lau ‘ōlena, lau pālulu, e pe‘e nei kau mōhala; O ka makani hāwanawana, hō‘ike nei pua ‘ōlena; i kou nani pua ‘ōlena, pua ‘ōlena. This translates to Leaf ‘ōlena, leaf that shelters and protects; hiding the blossom unfolding, the wind whispers; show your beauty ‘ōlena blossom, ‘ōlena blossom. The ‘ōlena flower is a separate stalk jutting up from the ground, the cylindrical flower cluster has pale green and white petals and sometimes delicate fuchsia at the top. The flower of ‘ōlena is startingly attractive; its elusive beauty shyly hides until the wind blows. ‘Ōlena literally translates to yellow in Hawaiian, appropriately named for the golden yellow color of the turmeric plant. In addition to being used to heal ailments and in purification blessings, it was also used as a dye.

Traditional kapa were dyed with crushed ‘ōlena, creating yellow hues from sunny bright gold to deep mustard.

Turmeric has a mild earthy taste, thereʻs no spicy quality like ginger though they do have a similar appearance. The golden knobby roots have a thin papery skin that is easily scraped off with a spoon.

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Hale Ohia:

Volcano’s Enchanted Road to Old Hawaiÿi

By Sara Stover

Less than two miles outside the entrance to

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, in the heart of the small artists’ community of Volcano Village, is the Hale Ohia tract.

Hidden by a thick grove of ‘ōhi‘a and Sugi pine trees, one might easily drive right past the historic neighborhood.

Although the highway now divides the rural street and a few newer houses have been constructed at the end, historic charm still fills the air.

For hundreds of years, Kīlauea’s eruptions have been magnificent, yet relatively safe, drawing visitors and residents to the town of Volcano in growing numbers. At an elevation of 3,750 feet, Volcano Village’s cooler climate has long attracted those looking to escape the summer heat for more than a century. Other DLNR-recognized historic houses were constructed on Hale Ohia Road, intended to be modest retreats for managers from plantations such as the Ka‘u Sugar Company.

In 1846, a grass structure was built in the national park to serve as its hotel. By 1877, a more “modern” building was erected, the present-day Volcano Art Center. Known as the Volcano House at the time, it could better accommodate the increase in visitors including Mark Twain and Robert Louis Stevenson, with many spilling over into Volcano Village.

Between 1920 and 1930, Hawai‘i’s economy boomed and the majority of the Hale Ohia Road homes were built. Today, the variety of architectural examples in this small neighborhood is impressive. After a day spent exploring the park, lodgers can cozy up in front of the fire in a quaint Craftsman bungalow, a bright summer cottage, or even a rustic log cabin. Recently we had the chance to visit a few of the most historic of these homes.

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

Mr. Terry’s Log Cabin Moss-covered ground surrounds Hale Ohia Road’s enchanted log cabin, and despite amenities like WiFi and TV, the home’s historic characteristics remain intact.

In 1901, William S. Terry, headmaster of the Hilo Boys Club, began building the house for his wife as a honeymoon cabin.

Mr. Terry would travel from Hilo to Volcano on the weekends, and when the local paniolos (cowboys) heard what he was building, they decided to join in and help him.

“That’s the reason why Mr. Terry gave the paniolos kuleana to use the cabin when they were passing through on the way to South Point with their cattle,” says cabin owner Cynthia Rubinstein.

The home is one of two true log cabins known to exist in the state of Hawai‘i (the other is on state forestry property).

At first glance, the notched ‘ōhi‘a log cabin’s only unique 28 attributes are its island location and its atypical two stories.

Upon closer examination, however, it’s clear that the home has 119 years’ worth of unusual stories. Inside, raw hewn wood beams and columns are exposed, and the winding staircase is accentuated by railings of naturally-shaped ‘ōhi‘a.

“Those are Terry’s carvings on that ‘ōhi‘a log next to the fireplace,” explains Cynthia. “The ship and the palm trees illustrate his journey from the East Coast to Hawai‘i.”

Mr. Terry’s Log Cabin. photo courtesy of Lorna Larsen-Jeyte Hidden in the cabin’s logs are secrets that can only be uncovered in person. photo by Sara Stover

In the central living area, just outside the entrance to the kitchen, a section of floorboards are cut straight across, suggesting that bootlegged liquor was hidden underneath.

Inside the kitchen, a mysterious button protrudes slightly from the wall.

“According to Volcano lore, the cabin was a speakeasy at one point and the Volcano Store across the street was a bordello,” reveals Cynthia. “Since the kitchen did not exist until an extension was added, it’s safe to assume that the button on the interior wall—once the outside wall—was to buzz in speakeasy guests.”

Hidden in the cabin’s logs are a few more secrets that can only be uncovered in person.

The Hutchinson Sugar Mill House AKA Ka‘u Plantation Manager’s Vacation Home James Beatty, manager of the Hutchinson Sugar Plantation Company, constructed what is now the Ka‘u Plantation Manager’s Vacation Home in 1932. Typical of the style that pervaded Hawai‘i, this Craftsman bungalow features a portecochère with lava rock pedestals and curved lava rock railings.

The centered outset porch and chimney lend a dignified quality to this demure house with its shiplap siding. French doors lead to the main living area within, where the lava rock chimney and its subtle art deco design steal the spotlight.

“What I find the most interesting is the hardwood floors,” says Jillian Marohnic, who lives in the home with her husband, Todd. “These floors are made of uncut Douglas fir.” The same board continues through the kitchen with its built-in cabinets to the dining room and its corner built-ins.

Kaÿu Plantation Manager’s Vacation Home. photo courtesy of Lorna Larsen-Jeyte Today, the dining room is furnished with a stunning grand piano and a grandfather clock that stops every time there is a significant earthquake. “During the continual volcanic eruption of 2018, we experienced a 5.3 earthquake nearly every day and the clock would always stop, so we knew exactly when the earthquake had occurred,” Jillian elaborates.

On December 20, 2020, a new eruption commenced. It hasn’t, however, deterred visitors from renting the Maidʻs Quarters Cottage, which was built behind the Ka‘u Plantation Manager’s Vacation Home at the same time as the original bungalow. Surrounded by a thicket of tree ferns and ‘ōhi‘a,

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Historic Kainaliu, Kona’s original shopping village.

Located 5 miles south of Kailua-Kona.

The Kaÿu Plantation Home’s grandfather clock, which stops every time there is a large earthquake. photo by Sara Stover the vacation rental attracts guests from near and far who are looking for a memorable rainforest experience.

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

The Ola‘a House ‘Ola‘a is the Hawaiian word for “lively,” as well as the original name for Kea‘au, where the ‘Ola‘a Sugar Company leased around 4,000 acres of land more than 100 years ago. By 1902, the operation had become the largest sugar producer on Hawai‘i Island, under plantation manager Bill McBride’s leadership.

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The lively Olaÿa House. photo courtesy of Lorna Larsen-Jeyte

In 1935, the McBride family constructed their summer home on a raised post and pier foundation with a lattice skirt. True to typical Hilo architecture, the single-story home boasts high ceilings and crank-out windows.

Olaÿa House guests can curl up in front of the living room’s fireplace on chilly evenings. photo courtesy of Volcano Heritage Cottages

The Ola‘a House is inspired by the Craftsman bungalows pervasive in plantation management housing, with an entrance defined by lava rock walls, a large porte-cochère, and a basement to house the McBride’s maids.

“Of Scottish descent, the McBride family would likely have spent their summers riding horses, hunting pigs, and generally enjoying the cooler climate when staying in Volcano,” notes owner Albert Jeyte, former Magnum PI make-up artist and co-

founder of Kilauea Lodge.

Today, guests can sip tea in the sunroom, stroll through the garden, curl up on one of the window seats to read, and play games in front of the expansive living room’s gas fireplace on chilly upland nights.

With the fortitude to withstand countless earthquakes, the aptly named Ola‘a House has been thoughtfully updated by Albert with vibrant colors, original art from local artists, and vintage Hawaiian furnishings, including a replica of the fourposter royal bed frame currently found in the Hulihe‘e Palace.

The two-bedroom home is also conveniently located across from Tutuʻs Place, which is owned by Albert’s wife, Lorna.

Tutuʻs Place Surrounded by native forest, Tutuʻs Place is owned by Hawai‘i-born Lorna Larsen-Jeyte, who co-owned Kilauea Lodge with her husband before selling it in 2018. One of the older summer cottages in Volcano Village, the single-wall, plantation style home was constructed by the Kimi family between 1929 and 1935.

Initially built for their grandmother, Tutu’s Place was also used by the Kimis as a summer escape. It isn’t hard to imagine the late William “Uncle Billy” Kimi, Jr. playing in the property’s garden as a child, before growing up to be a successful hotel manager and local icon.

Most of the village’s cottages were used by the island’s families as a reprieve from the stifling heat of summer, and Lorna’s family was no exception. As a child, she would visit Tutu’s Place with her father and stepmother, spending the days hiking, and picking ‘ōhelo berries and white strawberries.

By 1968, Ruth Warner had bought Tutu’s Place, residing

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Tutu’s Place. photo courtesy of Lorna Larsen-Jeyte

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there until just a few weeks before her death in 1994.

Nicknamed “the ball of fire,” Tutu Ruth is remembered by her neighbors as a lively lady who adored her garden and her pets.

The daughter of famous vaudeville actress Sophie Tucker, Ruth was also known for breaking out into song at local parties.

“I purchased the house from Tutu Ruth. Shortly after, she passed away,” recounts Lorna. “This is still her cottage, however, and she’s let us know it!”

In 1995, Tutu’s Place underwent an upgrade and Lorna contracted artist Gwendolyn OʻConnor to paint a mural on the living room wall. Soon after the painting was finished, guests

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Tutu’s Place echoes the joy of its late owner, Tutu Ruth. photo courtesy of Volcano Heritage Cottages

reported witnessing a ball of fire roll across the living room floor and then vanish.

Lorna concluded that the mural was not well received, and promptly had it painted over and the cottage blessed. Since then, Ruth the Fireball has made no further appearances.

“This confirms what the workmen who restored Tutu’s Place stated,” says Lorna. “There is great spirit and joy in the house.

Must have been a lot of good mana over the years. All Tutu’s!”

With a stained-glass window depicting ‘i‘iwi and ‘amakihi birds frolicking among flowers, the simple cottage echoes that

Celebrating Years of Exploration!

Birthday Festivities Begin Feb. 20 Photo displayed at Tutu’s Place. photo by Sara Stover

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joy today. Simultaneously, Tutu’s Place reflects the architecture of an era gone by with tongue and groove walls, and a Hilostyle corrugated metal gable roof.

Within Tutu’s Place and the other Hale Ohia homes, you’ll find just the right pairing of modern conveniences and nostalgic decor. Outside, dense, lush forest has taken the place of the shrubs and bushes prevalent in the 1930s. Even so, there is an undeniable blend of calm and adventure in the air that transports visitors back to the days of Old Hawai‘i. ■

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Dr. Joan Greco Inspires Students While Giving Back to Our Island Community

By Brittany P. Anderson

T

hereʻs something extraordinary about a woman who rises to the top in a male-dominated field. It takes strength, grace, intellect, fearlessness, and the courage to never accept “no” for an answer. That woman is Dr. Joan Greco, who is truly a hometown hero. Throughout her life, Dr. Greco has defied all expectations—and sheʻs not finished yet.

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

Sit Still, Look Pretty Dr. Greco grew up in the small northeast town of Drums, Pennsylvania. Her father, Dr. Victor Greco, was part of the team who performed the first successful open-heart surgery in 1953, using a cardiopulmonary bypass pump, commonly known as a heart-lung machine. While her father performed surgeries at St. Josephʻs Medical Center in nearby Reading, young Joan would look on from the observation deck. It is here that she found her passion for surgery—she knew she wanted to be a surgeon when she grew up; however, her family had other plans for her.

At the time, few women were physicians, let alone surgeons.

Contrast that with today, when more women are entering medical school than men, and women also outnumber men in many specialties.

“You are going to be a nurse and marry a doctor,” her parents pressed.

Relenting to their persuasions, Joan entered nursing school, and, in the act of truly spirited defiance, she also enrolled in Wharton Evening School, taking business classes at night.

Joan left nursing school without finishing her degree and transitioned into a traditional student at The Wharton School of Finance. While at Wharton, she thrived in the academic environment, triple majoring in management, marketing, and finance.

After graduation, she moved to San Antonio, Texas, taking an internship position in a mortgage banking company.

Rotating through the different departments of the company, Joan felt discouraged. “It was a dog-eat-dog world,” she says, looking back at the experience.

Her desire to help people burned brightly.

After speaking with her family, she 34 decided to apply to medical and dental school. She was accepted at both.

Unstoppable Faced with the decision between being a dentist or doctor, Joan leaned on her family for advice. Her brother, Richard, and her father gave their input on work-life balance as a surgeon.

Based on their guidance, she decided to pursue dentistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Of course, dentistry was the more practical choice for a woman, yet just a few weeks into the program, she already knew she didnʻt want to be in general dentistry. “I made a commitment, and I was going to keep that commitment,” she says, adding, “Honoring agreements, integrity, and follow-through are important themes throughout my life.”

Joan decided to moonlight as a nurse while in dental school, but not having finished with her degree posed an interesting challenge. She petitioned the Texas State Nursing Board to allow her to sit for the exam, which they approved. She passed her nursing board exam and began working in the neonatal and pediatric intensive care unit on the weekends.

During her second year of dental school, Joan found her calling in oral surgery. While working as a nurse, she saw cleft palate and craniofacial deformities in children, and it renewed a sense of purpose within dentistry. She aspired to specialize in children with facial deformities. Through dentistry with a specialization in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the soon-tobe Dr. Greco would get to be a surgeon after all.

All I Can Do Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) is a highly competitive field; residency programs usually take only the very top students; few women even attempt the specialty. By the time Dr. Greco finished dental school, she had 11 published papers in their associated journals. She spent all her free time at school, working hard to make her dreams come true; however everything still seemed stacked against her.

According to an article in the January 2017 Journal of Dental Education, despite the fact that in 2010 women made up 25.5% of dentists, only 13% of oral and maxillofacial surgery residents were female. Dr. Greco was accepted as a research fellow and intern at Emory

Universityʻs OMFS program and later on admitted as a resident. on the island while she built a successful practice. Currently at While working as a resident, Emory Universityʻs dental her offices in Waimea and Hilo, Dr. Greco does facial and soft program closed, and so Dr. Greco was accepted into the tissue surgeries, wisdom teeth extractions, and places dental number two ranked program in the country—Louisiana State implants, always using the most recent technologies available.

University at New Orleans. Here she was the only female OMFS A mission trip to Guatemala with her daughter inspired resident out of 30 students. “It was a very masculine world,” Dr. Greco to work with underserved patients by sharing her she says. While in residency, expertise at home and abroad. she did everything she could to During multiple trips to hone her surgical skills. “As a Guatemala, Dr. Greco donated woman, you have to work twice thousands of dollars’ worth as hard; be twice as good to be of equipment, in addition to accepted,” Dr. Greco explains. performing thousands of tooth She took an interest in facial extractions to those in need. cosmetic surgery and hit the In 2015, Dr. Greco joined Open ground running.

Wide Foundation Ambassadors Taking every opportunity to Council, supervising their perform surgeries, Dr. Greco dental clinics in Guatemala, and participated in a mini-fellowship she was also selected to lead in facial cosmetic surgery in their oral surgery division.

Utah during the last half of her “I have a strong desire to final year. Once out of residency, use my years of experience to she had completed more give back,” Dr. Greco says. She Summer assistants Ari, Vera, Georgia, and Tola with Dr Greco. cosmetic surgery cases than her also wanted to inspire students plastic surgery counterparts.

It was then, in 1993, that she decided to open a practice on Hawai‘i Island.

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop In July 1994, Dr. Greco opened her first office in KailuaKona. She also raised her two children, Victoria and Cannon,

in Hawai‘i to pursue careers in dental health. (According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, 57% of Hawai‘iʻs dental needs are not being met in 2021.)

Established in 2015, Dr. Grecoʻs JM Greco Foundation aims to help educate Hawai‘i Island students who are interested in pursuing careers in the medical and dental fields. “I wanted to

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give back to help educate the kids to give them a better life,” Dr. Greco comments. After a pause, she explains further, “The emphasis is on graduating high school, but there isn’t much on what to do after. I want to foster the idea that there is a career out there for them.” A lack of dentists, oral maxillofacial surgeons, dental assistants, and dental hygienists on Hawai‘i Island is a motivating factor for the JM Greco Foundation.

One foundation recipient, Dr. Katie Ho, is a 2020 graduate from Tuft University’s School of Medicine. Dr. Ho is from Waimea and a 2011 Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy graduate.

Dr. Greco is also interested in improving health outcomes with innovative health technology through her involvement with Abundance 360 and XPrize.

She is energized by working on future forward-thinking diagnostic tools that utilize stateof-the-art digital technology.

Dr. Greco is working on the development of a dermatology JM Greco Foundation recipient Dr. Katie Ho, 2020 graduate of Tuft app that can diagnose and track University’s School of Medicine. Dr. Ho skin lesions. This will improve is from Waimea and is a 2011 Hawaiÿi clinical outcomes by reducing Preparatory Academy graduate. the amount of time it takes to diagnose and treat skin cancer.

In addition to all of this, Dr. Grecoʻs generosity to our island community is remarkable. In 2020 alone, she donated a Thanksgiving community meal at a local church; she also donated 345 custom made masks with N95 filters to the Hawai‘i Police Department, and thousands of cloth masks to local high schools.

Office manager Karen Halemanu shares this with pride about her boss, “This woman has made it her legendary trademark to educate and mentor both young and old people, helping them realize their personal possibilities. I am one of those people.

She has always said she wants to leave this world better than she found it, making a difference in people’s lives. For the past 15–20 years, we have high school students—some as young as 14 years old—hired for the summer and winter breaks.

They have their choice of working on the surgical side or front administrative department. They learn the operations of the office and get paid at the same time. We have one student, Vera Mahoney, who was with us from 14 years old until she graduated college!”

Dr. Joan Greco, DDS, OMS, is a woman of remarkable talent, drive, and confidence. She challenged social norms to follow her dreams of becoming a surgeon, working hard to turn that dream into reality. Dr. Greco hopes to foster change through her charitable work, bringing more Hawai‘i Island students into careers in dental health. Always thinking of the future, she is expanding into the male-dominated tech world. There is simply no stopping this inspiring woman on a mission. ■ All photos courtesy of Dr. Joan Greco For more information: drjoangreco.com

Series 3 on Managing with Aloha, Bringing Hawai‘i’s Universal Values to the Art of Business Ninth in Series Three on Managing with Aloha

Key 8: Sense of Place

Managing

with aloha

By Rosa Say payment has benefitted public hygiene and forced technology improvements. Delivery systems have been improved, and I suspect curbside pick-up will be a necessary offering in larger brick-and-mortar retail forevermore. Every example I can think of has some connection to a business’s place-making relevance where they choose to operate.

Sense of Place is key, in that it also addresses the implicit and explicit promises a business makes. When a business rises in prominence within a community, it creates certain expectations, and may even tout those expectations as branding—it makes promises about what it stands for, and intends to deliver.

‘Explicit’ means something that is stated plainly, while ‘implicit’ refers to something that is implied and not stated directly. Consider an ice-cream vendor. Every flavor on their menu is an explicit promise to offer and deliver it. Among their implicit promises, is that their wares are frozen and not halfmelted, and that a flavor will taste the same each and every day they offer it. If Hawai‘i is that ice-cream vendor’s sense of place, they’ll be sure to offer Kona Coffee ice cream, pineapple or lilikoi sherbet, macadamia nuts as a topping, and shave ice with azuki beans is a very likely possibility as well!

Every place has history, tradition and heritage as part of its “storied past” and as potential for creating a better future— exactly what the vision and mission of a business must be all about, for that storied past is not just in memory and nostalgia, but as connected to fit, expectation and comfort.

Future-forward, it’s about progress, growth expectations and a palpable excitement, so that place will continue to thrive in desirability.

Every business—and every workplace, whether physical or manifest in culture, can represent a unique opportunity to create a special place. When you think, “working in my neighborhood” or, “working for my community” with a feel FOR, and OF your place, what importance do you think about?

What are the promises you are making by merit of your very existence, both implicit and explicit?

In other words, what is your sense of place, and how do you honor it? Sense of place may be your business advantage more than ever before.

In Series 3, we explore the 9 Key Concepts of Managing with Aloha as a culture-building philosophy for the workplace. Next issue, we’ll talk about Key Concept 9: Palena ‘ole.

Contact writer Rosa Say at RosaSay.com or ManagingWithAloha.com

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

Though listed as Key 8 in Managing with Aloha’s 9 Key Concepts, Sense of Place is where the common-sense functionality of the philosophy really begins. Making the connection to Sense of Place gives every business the opportunity to discover their Aloha abundance, and hence, their relevance to a place.

Think “working in my neighborhood,” no matter how large or small your locale might be, for no culture exists in a vacuum.

Sense of Place is both the feel OF a place, and the feel FOR a place. Sense of Place is about greater community locally and connectivity globally. It is saying a resounding “thank you” with germane stewardship, and engaging at a higher level with those places which have gotten you this far, and continue to nourish you daily in a multitude of tiny ways that collectively are absolutely huge factors in your success. It is giving back, recognizing that place nurtures and sustains us. Place awakens our awareness, shapes our experiences and lends cultural richness to life. Always will.

Place-making is basic in Business 101. Even today, a time during which the global COVID-19 pandemic has obliterated previous objection to remote work, making it happen instead, place determines much in regard to whether or not a business is pertinent or wanted. Are you local? Statewide? National?

Global? How so? Beyond your relevance and desire to serve, how are you actively, meaningfully connected?

In a comprehensive business plan, those questions get asked on three fronts: For marketing—in regard to your customers; for recruitment and employment—in regard to your staff; for community acceptance, partnership and support—in regard to the people and businesses within the community hosting you.

As a classic business analogy reminds us, all three “legs of the stool” are necessary for a business to stand, flourish, and prosper.

Our public health crisis this past year also ignited several conversations about what, and who, is essential, secondary, or even less so. As a fellow coach put it when we compared notes, “The humility called for in these times has been an exceptionally good teacher.” We better understand how physicality is important to our business models, and how remote, physically distanced working possibilities may not suffice—ask any restauranteur or small business owner how their Sense of Place ramifications have suddenly bubbled to the surface of their business plan adjustments, or their very existence.

In some ways, the pandemic has been good for customer service. Many have shortened their automated answering systems, or gotten rid of them altogether so they can personally talk to every potential customer. Contactless

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Mälama Mokupuni: Caring for Our Island Environment

Life and Death in the Stream: _ ‘O‘opu, ‘Opae, and Tahitian Prawns

The Problem with Prawns Tahitian prawns (Macrobrachium lar, also known as giant freshwater shrimp) were introduced on Moloka‘i and O‘ahu as a food crop in the early 1950s. Today they are common in streams on the larger five Hawaiian Islands. “Like the native ‘ōpae, the invasive Tahitian prawns drift out to sea as larvae, then migrate back into different streams to grow into adults and live,” explains Troy Sakihara, aquatic biologist with the Division of Aquatic Resources, Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). “This explains the wide dispersal of these species.”

“One reason for the decline in ‘ōpae kala‘ole are the Tahitian prawns, which compete with and prey upon the native ‘ōpae,” says Troy. In addition to crowding out native species, Tahitian prawns have also brought another problem—people using poisons to harvest them.

In the spring of 2018 and again in the fall of 2020, DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement

By Rachel Laderman

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

On the east side of Hawai‘i Island, north of Hilo and along the Hāmākua coast, streams cascade down steep slopes, flow quickly over boulders, leap into wailele (waterfalls), rest briefly in calm ki‘o wai (pools), and riffle on towards the ocean. To live in this tumultuous zone, fish, crustaceans, and other native species have developed unique characteristics. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous prawn harvesters put all stream life at risk.

‘O‘opu and ‘Ōpae Before looking at the harmful activity in Hawai‘i’s streams, let’s visit some of the amazing inhabitants. The native fish and crustaceans are still connected to their ocean origins—they lay their eggs in the streams, the young are washed down to the ocean, and juveniles then return up the streams.

Hawai‘i is home to five native fish species with this creative lifecycle, four of which are endemic (only found in Hawai‘i). Some facts on two kinds of these small fish, collectively called ‘o‘opu: •B efore returning to streamlife, ‘o‘opu nōpili (Sicyopterus stimpsoni) undergoes a metamorphosis with its mouth shifting from the front of its head to the underside, becoming a suction disk for climbing. This ‘o‘opu is near threatened.

• ‘O‘opu nōpili can change color to match their environment.

• The male nōpili guards a nest of underwater eggs.

• ‘ O‘opu ‘alamo‘o (Lentipes concolor), even rarer than nōpili, uses fused pelvic fins and a lot of muscle to climb vertical waterfalls—including Honomū’s 420-foot high Akaka Falls!

Hawai‘i streams are also home to two native shrimp species—the ‘ōpae kuahiwi or kala‘ole (Atyoida bisulcata), or mountain ‘ōpae, and ‘ōpae ‘oeha‘a (Macrobrachium grandimanus)—found primarily in slower moving, lower stream reaches. A few ‘ōpae facts: • ‘ Ōpae, like most crustaceans, are very sensitive to stream changes.

•M ountain ‘ōpae are excellent climbers, even able to climb completely out of the water.

•T he ‘ōpae ‘oeha‘a have one striped pincher larger than the other, giving them their name: ‘oeha‘a means “to walk 38 crookedly.”

The Tahitian prawn, Macrobrachium lar, an invasive species brought to local streams for its size and flavor. People have dumped pesticides into eastside streams to harvest the prawns, killing off many other species. photo courtesy of DLNR

Poisoned prawn. The pesticides used were also found in the sediments. photo courtesy of DLNR

(DOCARE) investigated cases of more than six streams that were poisoned for the purpose of harvesting Tahitian prawns from North Hilo to south Hāmākua. Household pesticides were used to kill the prawns, and also killed much of the other aquatic life in these special streams. This dangerous practice can sicken anyone who eats the prawns. We do not know why this method is used—besides poisoning the streams, it is very hazardous to the harvesters, their families, and the public. Pets that have eaten poisoned prawns have gotten very sick.

“These poisonings not only risk the public’s health when they unknowingly eat a poisoned prawn, but clearly this illegal activity has dramatic and negative impacts on the otherwise pristine streams flowing from the mountains and into the ocean on Hawai‘i island,” said DOCARE Chief Jason Redulla. “It takes months for life to return to the poisoned areas. Anyone convicted of poisoning a Hawai‘i stream could face felony criminal charges and civil penalties, with significant fines and/ or jail time.”

For updates in civil action since this article was written, check DLNR/DOCARE for news releases.

What to Do •K now the source of your prawns; be confident they are safe to eat and were harvested legally and humanely, i.e., with a net that will not harm native stream life.

• I f you see dead prawns, or have any information on stream poisoning, notify DOCARE at 808.933.3460, 643.DLNR, or via the free DLNRtip app. Note the time of day, date, vehicle, and license plates. Provide photographs if possible and a callback number.

• I f you observe prawns crawling out of the water, freeze them as soon as possible. The quicker this information is provided the sooner specialists can get water and sediment samples.

Rachel Laderman, Sustainable Pacific Program Lynker LLC/NOAA Affiliate, Hawai‘i Island

Waterfalls, riffles, and pools on a stream near Hakalau. Hawaiÿi, the youngest island, has the steepest streams in the island chain. photo courtesy of Rachel Laderman

Mountain ÿöpae grow to around two inches, and feed on microscopic plant and animal matter. Sensitive to pollution and development, they are much less common than they used to be. photo courtesy of DLNR

courtesy of DLNR

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

This is ÿoÿopu nöpili. “Pili” means “to cling,” which is what they must do to eat algae off rocks in the fast-moving currents they prefer. The colors are highly variable–this is a male. They can grow to seven inches. photo

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Nick Wong:

Hawai‘i’s Rising Talent

By Mālielani Larish

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

I n his music video entitled “Flowers,” Hawai‘i-grown

musician Nick Wong strolls through cherry blossom trees, holding hands with a mysterious person who hides behind a waterfall of black hair. They laugh, dance, and stargaze together amidst the backdrop of Waimea’s charming natural beauty, caressed by playful winds and the golden hue of sunset.

Let’s take a chance together. Let’s take it and head out. To a place we both don’t know—I swear I will not let you down, Nick sings in the video.

Capturing the depth of his sincerity, these words apply equally well to Nick’s relationship to music. As he prepares to enter Berklee College of Music in Boston this fall, he has already left an indelible mark on Hawai‘i Island—he has worked as a professional drummer, music producer, songwriter, and drumming teacher, all before the age of 17. His goal? No less than topping Billboard charts, selling out arenas, and going platinum with an album. Judging by his polished style, musical virtuosity, and the heart-melting quality of his voice, the horizon looks bright for this Kona native.

Fly Me to the Moon Nick’s natural gifts for music flourished at an early age; he received his first drum set in 2007, at the age of six, and started taking drum lessons two years later. Not long after starting lessons, he received his first opportunity to perform.

The seventh and eighth graders at his alma mater, Innovations Public Charter School, were preparing to perform under the direction of Innovations music teachers Andrea and Luke Clebsch. The drummer who was slated to perform that night fell ill, and Nick, who was only eight years old at the time, was invited to join his peers on stage.

“How was it?” Luke asked him afterward, expecting Nick to confess to the first-time butterflies.

40 “It was so fun!” Nick replied.

Energetic and dedicated, his Innovations music teachers organized 26 public performances that year, all of which Nick played in. Nick continued to study drums every week with Luke, who took him through a curriculum that matched the standards of Berklee College of Music, the same worldrenowned conservatory that Nick will attend as a student.

Luke himself is a seasoned musician who owns a recording studio. Luke earned a BA in music production from Berklee and studied jazz guitar and ethnomusicology at Oberlin, another highly regarded conservatory of music.

“He has a real sense of discipline,” Luke says, noting that from the very first lesson, Nick absorbed every word and diligently practiced before the next lesson.

Nick is grateful for Luke’s consistent mentorship throughout his career, calling Luke “my second dad.”

Having mastered the drumming techniques that Luke taught him by the age of 10, Nick went on to study even Nick on location in Waimea for the filming of his “Flowers” more advanced music video. photo courtesy of Audrey Poggensee

Nick aims to touch and inspire others with his music. photo courtesy of Audrey Poggensee techniques with Michael Surprenant, owner of Mana Music Studio, and Russ McKinnon, who played for the likes of Tower of Power and Barry Manilow. Nick even received feedback from one of the most acclaimed jazz fusion drummers in the world—

Dave Weckl—through online lessons.

His family supported him every step of the way. “My parents have been my roadies for every gig,” Nick says. “From the very beginning, they have been so supportive.”

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Nick’s peers benefitted from his patience and expert drumming skills; he taught drums at the Innovations afterschool ensemble and at Big Island Music Academy, a nonprofit that Andrea and Luke Clebsch founded to empower youth through music education and performance. Audiences were especially mesmerized by Nick’s ability to simultaneously sing and play drums for “Fly Me to the Moon,” a famous Frank Sinatra classic.

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Going Professional Cementing himself as a professional at the age of 14, musicians from around the island sought Nick’s drumming expertise for their studio recordings and live shows. Soon after going professional, Nick landed a gig with Loren Wilken, a prolific pianist, composer, arranger, and teacher whose compositions have appeared on Oprah and Dateline. Every Tuesday night for one year, Nick and Loren served up jazz, fusion, pop, and ballroom dance music (including cha-cha, waltzes, and tangos) for the patrons of Gertrude’s, a jazz bar and restaurant on Ali‘i Drive. Nick says that this experience significantly contributed to his growth as a musician.

Another one of Nick’s career highlights was performing with the Sara Bethany Band at the 7th Annual Kona Jazz Experience in 2018. Before Michael Surprenant welcomed Nick to the stage at this Aloha Theatre event, he shared an anecdote about listening to one of Nick’s original recordings for the first time.

Michael recalls asking Nick: “You play those drums? They sound fantastic! Where did you find a bass player?” Michael asks Nick about each of the instruments on the track, revealing that Nick not only plays the drums, but sings and plays the bass, piano, and guitar. In conclusion, Michael says “He’s already well beyond me even at his young age.”

With the money that he earned from playing gigs, Nick built a professional recording studio at his home. Nick received a boost when Luke, who owns his own music production company called Truth Musiq, gave Nick a bunch of studio equipment and referred his clients to him.

“Everyone was super happy in working with him,” Luke says.

Ever humble and the first to downplay his achievements, Nick says that he learned music production because Luke Clebsch and Michael Surprenant “took me under their wing.” Thanks to the guidance of his mentors and his own experimentation, Nick’s music production skills advanced to the point where he could record, produce, and mix for other local artists.

Nick recorded and released his first single, “Alone Again,” in April 2019 with Luke’s assistance, but by his second release, Nick was already doing all of the mixing and mastering himself.

His songs have a mellow, easy-listening vibe reminiscent of his three main inspirations: John Mayer, Charlie Puth, and Michael Bublé.

“He has a really good sense about structuring his songs.

He’s got a feel-good, chill sound that is very captivating,” says Loren Wilken, who has a BA in music from the University of California, Santa Cruz and has won ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) awards for his original compositions.

My Heart’s So Heavy for You Nick dove into pop music for the first time with his release of “Flowers” in March 2020. Graced with an upbeat rhythm

and Nick’s stellar guitar solos, the song depicts the struggle and melancholy yearning of a developing romance. He sent the song to Audrey Poggensee, a junior at Kealakehe High School who is a talented videographer and photographer.

Together, they decided that it would be ideal to produce a music video for the song. In search of a female actress for the video, Nick found someone who was willing to star in the role.

Unfortunately, she called him up to cancel the night before filming. Nick told one of his close friends, Miko Domingo, about the news.

Half-joking, Miko offered to play the part.

Amused, Nick called Miko back to assess his level of seriousness about the offer, and they sealed the deal.

When filming commenced, Miko was transformed into the object of Nick’s affection with the help of a wig of waist-length black hair and high heels. The resulting music video reflects the same meticulous attention to artistic detail that goes into all of Nick’s songs, showcasing Nick as he sings and plays the guitar in Waimea’s green pastures and serene lanes.

Even though “Flowers” has a solemn tone (Tell me why my heart’s so heavy for you; ‘Cause my life is waiting at a table for two), the video contains light-hearted moments that give a glimpse into how much fun the trio had during the filming process. After posting it on YouTube, the video generated the marketing and commercial attention that Nick had hoped for.

Nick didn’t spend a cent on the making of his next pop single, “Silver Lining Love” (October 2020) because he did all the performing, recording, producing, mixing, and mastering by himself. With phenomenal vocals that emulate his musical idols, exquisite guitar playing, and heartfelt lyrics, “Silver Lining Love” is the kind of song that is likely to remain etched in your mind.

In response to “Silver Lining Love,” globetrotting singersongwriter Ninamarie Jeffrey, who was also born and raised on Hawai‘i Island, posted on Instagram: “Love it @ nickwongmusic! Keep sharing music. It’s a gift to us!”

With the ability to master whatever aspect of music that he concentrates on, there is no limit to Nick’s potential. His aim is to touch and inspire others with his music, and he hopes to make the connections he needs to advance his career while studying at Berklee College of Music. You can find Nick’s music on all of the major listening platforms, including Apple and Spotify. ■

Nick Wong on drums, Greg Shirley playing guitar, and Brian Ho on keyboard at Gertrude’s Jazz Bar, January 2019. photo courtesy of Marlina Lee

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

For more information: Instagram: @nickwongmusic facebook.com/nickwongmusic

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KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

Water

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Featured Cover Artist: Angela Yarber Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber is the artist, author, professor, and executive director of the Tehom Center, a nonprofit organization which teaches about revolutionary women through art, writing, retreats, and courses. With a PhD in art and religion, she has been a professional artist for more than a decade, and creates folk-feminist iconography and mixed media collages featuring revolutionary women from history and mythology. She is an award-winning author of seven books, which overlap with the subjects of her artwork.

Since much of her research and teaching focuses on decolonizing feminism, she wanted her move to Hawai‘i Island five years ago to be as responsible, respectful, and pono (righteous) as possible. So, Angela and her wife, an ethics professor, dedicated a lot of time to researching Hawaiian

“Where are all the women?” In the temple of 1,000 Buddhas in Thailand, she searched the scene with no women to be found. That’s when Angela began to create art—her attempt at corrective action.

Women and other marginalized genders are not altogether absent in history, religion, and cultural leadership. Rather, their lives, legends, and legacies have too often been strategically erased. Angela’s painting, writing, teaching, and collage seek to uncover these lost stories and to shine an excavating light on the revolutionary women too often forgotten, excluded, and ignored; particularly black, indigenous, women of color, and/or queer women. In painting, collaging, and writing about such women, she hopes to inspire and empower marginalized women to occupy more space in the world.

Angela lives in Kea‘au with her wife and two young children.

Her art can be found at Wild HeArtist Gallery in Hilo and on her website, along with her writing. All art sales fund her nonprofit.

For more information: tehomcenter.org

Table Of Contents Artist:

Shelly Batha is a Hawai‘i-based fused glass/mixed media artist. Her style blends a fresh and colorful island palette with multilayer designs, resulting in unique and vibrant wall murals.

Everything Shelly creates is one-of-a-kind, fired in her kiln, and handcrafted with aloha.

Shelly lives in Waimea, and draws much of her inspiration from the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains and ocean. She shares her home and family farm with her husband, son, daughter, and pets. As a full-time artist, Shelly also enjoys long ocean swims, yoga, hiking, and surf time with family and friends.

Her art is available at several unique galleries from Kona to Hilo.

For more information: shellybatha.com

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

history, cosmology, and endeavored to abide in solidarity with both the movements for Hawaiian sovereignty and aloha ‘āina.

This research, partnered with friendships and deep listening with kanaka (native Hawaiians), informed Angela’s painting of women from Hawai‘i’s pantheon, such as Papahānaumoku, Pele, NāMaka, and Poli‘ahu, in addition to the ways she incorporates live, local plants into her collage art.

In 1999, when the American embassy in Russia was bombed, Angela was hunkered in an orthodox church gazing at the brooding, whitewashed faces of countless male icons.

She wondered, “Where are all the women?” Several years later, upon riding a camel up Mount Sinai, she was face to face with the oldest collection of Christian icons in the world, and could only spot two women among them. She continued to ask,

Shelly Batha

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MARKET PLACE BOOKS AND GIFTS

Destination Hilo Talk Story with an Advertiser

LAND SURVEYING

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

LOCALLY-MADE GRANOLA

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MARKETING HELP

Stroll along Kamehameha Avenue (Bayfront) in Downtown Hilo on the second Saturday of each month, peruse the shops, and enjoy the “HeArt of Hilo” for hula, storytelling, and music from 11am to 2pm.

“HeArt of Hilo” is sponsored by Destination Hilo (DH), which is best known for its Hilo Pier Greetings Program. DH has been greeting cruise ship passengers since the late 1980s with live music, hula, and much aloha. In addition, every cruise ship day, volunteers at their information center at the pier help hundreds of passengers, providing them with maps and information about things to do and places to visit in East Hawai‘i.

In 2014, DH expanded its program to bring free cultural events to Downtown Hilo. Inspired by the late Alice Moon, Hilo Hula Tuesdays at the Bandstand became a popular event every week for cruise ship and other visitors as well as residents.

A variety of musicians and hula hālau performed, and a lei-making table was set up.

At the same time, the Aloha Information Station next to the Mo‘oheau Bus Terminal opened.

When COVID-19 shut down businesses in March 2020, DH volunteers looked for other opportunities to partner with the County of Hawai‘i and Hilo’s Downtown Improvement Association in an economic recovery initiative. From that desire, HeArt of Hilo—A Cultural Celebration began in July 2020.

Deane “Dinnie” Kysar, president of DH, says, “Our goal is to provide unique Hawaiian experiences that will increase visitor satisfaction and improve quality of life for residents. We accomplish this through collaboration with public and private industry. We will continue to participate in other special events when it is permitted such as May Day/Lei Day, Black and White Night, and the Hilo World Peace Festival.”

As a private nonprofit organization, DH seeks to promote sustainable and responsible tourism, perpetuate authentic Hawaiian culture, and improve quality of life for residents.

Everyone loves seeing Hawaiian hula performances, especially those with kūpuna (elders) who offer authentic hula and aloha. DHʻs website offers visitors links to hotels, restaurants, museums, tours, events, and adventures tied to the beauty of Hawai‘i.

Destination Hilo is recruiting Aloha Ambassadors—volunteers with lots of aloha. If you have time and enjoy meeting new people, DH would love to hear from you.

Destination Hilo Kiosk outside Mo‘oheau Bus Terminal 808.963.5091 destinationhilo.com

Shelly Batha Art Island Treasures

Shelly Batha Art shellybatha.com

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

Swimming in the ocean, hiking, yoga, and appreciating what’s around her in nature, are some of the things that inspire Shelly Bathaʻs art.

When Shelly and her husband moved to Hawai‘i Island in 2008 from Bend, Oregon they planned for her to become a stay-at-home mom, so she left her career in the dental field to raise her young son and infant daughter. During this time she started playing around with fused glass as a hobby whenever she could find free time. Shelly’s children are now teenagers, her previous fused glass hobby has now turned into an exciting career as an artist creating beautiful unique one-of-a-kind pieces that are available to purchase in galleries.

Shelly enjoyed art from a very young age. She took many art classes and thatʻs where she fell in love with fused glass. When she moved to Hawai‘i, she bought her first kiln and glass supplies and continued learning on her own until she developed her current style.

When asked what her process is from inspiration to finished art, Shelly shares, “I get most of my inspiration while visiting special places here in Hawai‘i, then go to my art studio and make sketches. Next, I get the glass out and cut each piece by hand, arranging it carefully. Once I’m happy with what I see, I place it in my kiln.” Next, her kiln heats the glass up to 1500 degrees, which fuses the pieces together and makes them smooth. After it cools, she finishes it. Using wood backgrounds to attach her pieces too, she sometimes paints with acrylics and adds shells, too. Shelly buys many of her materials and supplies at Akamai Art Supply in Kona. She often tints, colors, and creates texture in some of her glass herself, commenting, “It’s like painting on glass.”

Shelly concludes, “My art brings me much joy as I create it.

I hope my art inspires, uplifts, and brings much happiness and aloha to those who see it. My clients have mentioned, when itʻs hanging up, it looks different as the day goes by due to how the light plays off it.”

Shellyʻs art is easy to hang and easy to ship. To see her most current works, please visit Aesthetic Hawaii at the Kings’ Shops in Waikoloa.

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Hilo’s Hotspot for

LUNCH • PARTIES

HALL RENTAL • CATERING

the Best Dogs, local bowls, and plates on the Big Island 811 Laukapu Street • Hilo 808.657.4469 Mon-Sat: 10am-3pm

BYOB • Air Condition • Flatscreen Closed Sat & Sun

Download your copy for free at www.hawaiianelectric.com/prepare

Mahalo Big Island for all your Aloha and Support during this time of uncertainty.

Robyn

Mike

KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

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UA MAU KE EA O KA ‘ÄINA I KA PONO. The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

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KeOlaMagazine.com | March - April 2021

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