Happy holidays to all; spend this day with family or friends and enjoy.
Happy holidays to all; spend this day with family or friends and enjoy.
Hilo Coast United Church of Christ (UCC) in Honomu is holding its third annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols at 7 p.m. on Tuesday with Pastor Linda Petrucelli presiding. Everyone is invited to come and hear Gospel readings of the story of the Christ Child’s birth and join in the celebration and fellowship. Light refreshments will follow the service. Call the Hilo Coast UCC office at 963-6330 for any additional information.
Just in time to spread holiday cheer, Honokaa Elementary PSAP celebrated their Family Afternoon Christmas Wonderland. You might ask “what’s that?” PSAP is the Primary School Adjustment Project which falls under the school’s counseling program.
Christmas brings both enjoyable eats as well magical treats. This family event is moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas with aunties and uncles, brothers and sister together to share holiday cheer. It’s the young and the young at heart all joining in the fun. It’s the perfect time of the year to become creative with both desserts and to take home hand made tree decorations. The children all crowd round the tables to be creative with yummies like cupcakes extraordinaire, brownies, peanut butter reindeer cookie complete with pretzel antlers, reindeer candy canes and Christmas ornament decorating. There are felt candy canes and wreathes to decorate.
Elizabeth Miranda said, “I made a candy cane reindeer, a Christmas tree and now am going to make a cupcake.”
Kaimani Lactaoen also “made a candy cane reindeer.” Mikela Salazar-Harrell was very excited about “putting marshmallows on the cupcake.” Jahkara Nacnac announced, “I am making a Christmas chain and reindeer candy canes.” Melissa Debrum said, “I am making a reindeer.” “I made a cookie reindeer,” exclaimed Zion Umayam. And Daniel Miranda followed, “I’m helping make the other candy canes.” Kaila Akini made cupcakes and brownies. Shane Nacnac decorated his wreath ornament with silver and green leaf, and said, “I’m spending time with my family and ‘of course’ opening presents!”
People from the community partnered with Honokaa Elementary Primary School Adjustment Project to bring the treats and ornaments for decorating. The Honokaa Elementary, PSAP and the students thank these special volunteers, including Pastor Dan and Sister Ku‘ulei Akau from King’s Chapel Honokaa, Lisa Salazar from Kukahi Landscape, Thomas Long from Hamakua’s Finest and Alyssa Harrell.
PSAP is a place for students in grades K-3 who are adjusting to new situations at home or in the school environment. It is a short term prevention program for students. PSAP provides a place for students to express their feelings. As a part of the school’s counseling and guidance program, its purpose is to help all K-3 children to feel comfortable, capable and cared about so they can do their best at school.
Research tells that parent interest and involvement are important factors for a child’s success in school. PSAP welcomes and encourages family involvement in all school activities. One such activity happened after school where parents and family members joined in the fun with their children.
PSAP at Honokaa Elementary is thanks to trained paraprofessional child aide Fidela Salazar and counselor Robin Matsumura, who head up this wonderful program at the school. The aide is selected and trained to be a “special friend,” not a therapist or tutor. The aide forms a close relationship with each child and uses a variety of play and guidance materials to help the child express his/her feelings, learn problem solving and practice social skills. The school counselor guides the trained paraprofessional in the use of interventions including play techniques that promote communication, social abilities and self-help skills. The school is fortunate to have these and other dedicated individuals preparing students to move forward in school and the community.
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The “Hole Hole Bushi”, a one-hour-and-15-minute video production, will be aired several times on cable channel 54 and streamed statewide/worldwide on the Internet thru this website: www.naleo.tv.
This production is about Japanese folk songs that were sung in the sugar cane plantation fields of Hawaii by some of the first generation of worker immigrants from Japan, usually older teen girls and young women. The songs were somewhat similar to the blues sung by black slaves in the southern U.S. in the cotton plantation fields. The usual tune is thought to be based on a folk song from Hiroshima, with various workers composing their own lyrics, similar to composing haiku poems.
“Hole” (pronounced similar to holay) is a Native Hawaiian word meaning “to strip” and referred to the work of women in stripping off the leaves, with gloved hands, from tall sugar cane stalks as they grew in the fields, so that the plant’s energy to make sugar would go to the juicy stalks rather than the leaves. It was hot, sweaty, miserable work; with poking needles on the leaves and painful insects like centipedes and scorpions on the ground. The women worked while fully covering themselves by wearing hats, kerchief, thick long-sleeved shirts, gloves, thick long pants, and shoes; whether it was sunny bright or pouring rain. Hours were very long and the pay was tiny. “Bushi” is the type of Japanese folk music.
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The Hawaii Fire Department announces that fireworks permits will be available for purchase beginning Thursday, Dec. 26. Each permit costs $25 and will entitle the holder to purchase 5,000 individual firecrackers. Multiple permit purchases are authorized. Permits will only be issued to persons 18 years of age or older and are nontransferable, and nonrefundable. The sales will end at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Permits are not required for the purchasing of novelties and paperless firecrackers.
Setting off of fireworks for the New Year celebrations are allowed between the hours of 9 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and 1 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Permits shall be visibly displayed at the site of use, during the time of the firing.
Carol Yurth’s column is published every Sunday and spotlights activities on the Hilo-Hamakua coast. She welcomes items for her column. Reach her by mail (46-1250 Kalehua Road, Honokaa HI 96727) at least 10 days before the requested publication date, call her at 775-7101, or e-mail waiukahenutz@gmail.com.