A new exhibit opens this week at NHERC’s Heritage Center. The public is invited to the opening of the new exhibit “Honokaa Loves Music” at the North Hawaii Education and Research Center’s Heritage Center on Friday, Aug. 23, at 4
A new exhibit opens this week at NHERC’s Heritage Center. The public is invited to the opening of the new exhibit “Honokaa Loves Music” at the North Hawaii Education and Research Center’s Heritage Center on Friday, Aug. 23, at 4 p.m. Members of the Honokaa High School Jazz Band will play for the opening.
“Honokaa Loves Music” is an exhibit that celebrates the legacy of musicians and music in our community. The exhibit starts with some Hawaiian oli (chants) of Hamakua. Honokaa had the second-oldest community band on the island which started just a year after the Hilo Band in 1884. The Honokaa Band was reorganized after World War II and became the Hamakua County Band.
The exhibit also features some of the plantation bands that toured from camp to camp playing at manso dances (a type of taxi dance) and other events. Groups like the Harmonizers and Bob Fernandez Orchestra were largely made up of plantation workers who would spend their weekends playing music.
This year marks the 35th year since Honokaa High School music teacher Gary Washburn started at the school and later created the Jazz Band and Ensemble. The exhibit contains a retrospective on the band as well as some featured performers who have gone on to careers in music.
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Honokaa People’s Theatre, in addition to their weekly movie showings, also has an ongoing keiki hula class every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Contact Aunty Aloha DelaRosa at 775-1074. Or, you may be interested in a Sunday get-together with the butoh class at 1 p.m. Or, starting in September, a community theater class at 10 a.m. For the food lovers out there, it’s a gnocchi making workshop on Aug. 25 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Waimea Middle School’s Mala‘ai garden. There is a cost of $25 for Slow Food members and $30 for everyone else. All the proceeds will benefit Mala‘ai and Slow Food Hawaii. To register go to http://slowfoodhawaii.org.
Come to the beautiful student garden at Waimea Middle School and learn to make gnocchi, the delicious little Italian dumplings that have become popular once again. Chef Dan Bobo will offer instruction on how to make different kinds of gnocchi (NYOH-kee), including a gluten-free one. He’ll pair those with some simple sauces and the class will end with tastings along with a locally harvested salad. This was one of Chef Dan’s most popular classes at Waimea Community Education — delicious and good fun!
Chef Dan Bobo and wife, Claire, own Island Thyme Gourmet — a very successful catering company. They also are frequently at the Waimea Town Market at Parker School with their onolicious sausages. And Claire is leader of the Slow Food Hawaii convivium, which is dedicated to fresh, delicious, locally sourced real food!
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The community is being asked for ideas on how best to put historic Spencer House to use for the Waimea Community. Please join a Waimea Preservation Association Talk Story from 3-5 p.m. today at Spencer House (immediately next door to the Waimea McDonald’s). Come share your ideas on how to keep this historic home open as a community gathering place. Many in the community came to tour the 150-year-old home several weeks ago and learned that the goal was to raise funds to lease the home for a year to buy time to develop a sustainable plan to preserve it for community use.
Today’s gathering is the first of several sessions to begin gathering ideas to craft a plan to cover basic costs and also support community service groups, non-profit organizations and other needs of our town. The plan must also take into consideration preserving the remarkable history of the home, and addressing essential repairs and who might be able and willing to help.
“This Talk Story will be very informal and will lend itself to gathering as many ideas as possible. At this early stage of the process, it is too soon to make any commitments, but we do want your ideas, your involvement and your mana’o,” said project leader Paul Johnston. “We also continue to welcome financial support for this project, and, for the gathering, potluck snacks.” Just leave the sticky-messy ones home, please!
Have ideas, questions or support? Contact Paul Johnston at 938-4540 or pej1000@aol.com, Bill Sanborn at 895-1122, or Lauren Avery at 371-2502 or hawaiilauren@gmail.com.
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Could you spare a pair of athletic shoes that are still in great shape and perhaps seldom used?
Or … might you contribute $5, $10 or $20 toward a new pair?
Many Waimea Middle School students who have signed up for free after-school athletics do not have appropriate footwear. Unless new and barely worn, donors are asked to please toss the shoes into the washing machine so they are ready to be used, and then, please deliver the shoes to the school office where they will be put to good use.
Or, if a donation is preferred, please make check payable to Waimea Middle School and add a note that it’s for athletic shoes and bring the check to the school office or mail to: Principal Matt Horne, 67-1229 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, HI 96743.
Thanks to many community partnerships, WMS provides free after-school programs for all students including tutoring, leadership, robotics, K(Arts) in partnership with Kahilu Theatre, and athletics. For more information, call WMS Community Liaison Patti Cook (937-2833).
Aloha all, I missed thanking Akiko Masuda for her gracious offerings in the past weeks surrounding the kumiai gathering. Much mahalo and gratitude goes out to her and Patti Cook, both of whom frequently have contributions shared in the Kokua Way.
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.
