As music echoed down Pahoa Village Road, more than 5,000 people strolled through Pahoa town Saturday and came together to party with a purpose.
Activate Puna — which is a community revitalization project — hosted a block party and benefit concert that coincided with the fifth anniversary of the 2018 Kilauea eruption.
County Council member Ashley Kierkiewicz and many volunteers from Council District 4 put on Activate Puna’s biggest event yet.
“Our team has been here from the beginning of Activate Puna, so to see it grow and evolve is so humbling,” Kierkiewicz said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many people in Pahoa, and it was a big deal. I’m so proud and grateful to our awesome team of volunteers.”
The block party featured a benefit concert, creative pop-ups, food vendors and retail vendors that also participate in Pahoa’s Second Saturdays.
In all, Kierkiewicz estimated that after expenses, Activate Puna raised more than $25,000 to be given back to the community.
The benefit concert featured some of the biggest acts in Pahoa yet, which brought hundreds of people from around the island to Pahoa.
The event also featured an opening ceremony by Kukulu Kumuhana o Puna, hula by Pahoa High and Intermediate students, and fire-spinning by Nicole Spindle Stars.
“The Activate Puna block party is the best night of sales for businesses every year. People are ready to sell out, and some have told me they can pay rent for an entire month on that one night,” Kierkiewicz said. “That is really significant and shows the community that we’re partying for a purpose. We had folks from all over the island attend, many for the first time, and they got to see the best of our charming town.”
At the beginning of the concert, two students, Tiare Autrata from Pahoa High and Ella Shapiro from Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science, were awarded $1,000 Activator Awards as scholarships for college.
A portion of the money raised from the event will also go to the Mainstreet Pahoa Academic Scholarships Program for seniors graduating from Puna schools.
“We want to support are schools and as many kids as possible as they advance their education,” Kierkiewicz said.
According to Kierkiewicz, some of the funds will be sent to Pahoa, Keonepoko, Kua O Ka La Nawahi and Keaau schools to support youth-led initiatives and help offset costs of graduation and prom.
The Activate Puna benefit concert featured a huge line-up, which included Onipa‘a, Drew Daniels, Payton Sullivan with guests, The Steppas, AI POHAKU, Natural Vibrations and Anuhea.
To help offset costs, tickets cost $15 online and $30 at the door, although many schools received free tickets to give to students.
“By charging for tickets, it allowed for a higher caliber of artists and more infrastructure to support a big crowd. It was a wildly successful model, and we hope to replicate it more, but maybe at a smaller scale,” said Amedeo Markoff, the president of the Pahoa Lava Museum and Mainstreet Pahoa. “Coupled with the monthly Second Saturday event, it was the probably the busiest Pahoa has been in years.”
The Pahoa Lava Museum is a nonprofit, fiduciary sponsor of Activate Puna and was formed in 2018 out of the eruption to help revitalize the community.
After being established, the museum focused on becoming a venue to spur economic activity, build social cohesion, beautify community spaces and showcase Puna’s identity.
When Activate Puna formed, the community partnerships flourished and events grew thanks to a huge team of volunteers.
“Our local businesses in Pahoa are the backbone of the community, so anything we can do to make businesses more resilient helps to make the community more resilient,” Markoff said. “It’s a lot of work. I’m so thankful for Ashley’s team and for everyone that bought tickets and all of the sponsors. It was awesome,”
Both Kierkiewicz and Markoff said they want to start hosting similar but smaller events, like a night market, more regularly.
“To see the community come together so positively after the eruption was so rewarding after all the work it takes,” Kierkiewicz said. “After creating a space for connection, we yearn for more. I think a smaller, more regular version of a block party would be dynamic in Pahoa and successful.”
After receiving all the financial information from the block party, Kierkiewicz and her team will share where the funds raised will be distributed on activatepuna.com.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com