About The Kaʻū Calendar

Wednesday, January 03, 2018

Ka‘ū News Briefs Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Taiko drummers encourage Wayne Kawachi as he walks from Honoka‘a to Nā‘ālehu to raise money
for senior housing. Photo from OKK
County Council member Maile David, who represents all
of Ka‘ū, catches up with Kawachi during his walk
through Hilo. Photo from OKK
THE HUNDRED-MILE WALK to raise money for senior housing in Nā‘ālehu is well under way. As of 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 3, Wayne Kawachi, who is walking in rubber slippers for the fundraiser, had passed Glenwood. He is on his way from Honoka‘a, through Hamakua and Hilo, into Puna and heading toward Ka‘ū on Hwy 11. The walk began on Tuesday, Jan. 2, and is expected to end Friday, Jan. 5, as Kawachi takes the steps to reach his goal of raising $250,000.
     His progress can be seen on a G.P.S. tracker on OKK's website where there is also video and photos at okaukakou.org/track-wayne-100-mile-walk.
     OKK aims to purchase the 1.9 acre location of the old Nā‘ālehu Fruit Stand, owned by Asha Mallick, who is offering to sell it at a discount for the project. Once in possession of the property, OKK hopes to build some 25 to 30 housing units for seniors, cooperating with government and other nonprofit organizations.
Wayne Kawachi and his support crew at Mile 7 along his 100-mile walk to
 raise money to build senior housing in Nā‘ālehu. He passed
Glenwood Wednesday evening. Photo from OKK
     Kawachi noted that there are only two senior housing locations in all of Ka‘ū, and said he is worried that some seniors will have nowhere to live.
     To contribute to the cause, visit youcaring.com/wayne
kawachi-1038208.

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NEW HANDBLOWN, CHISELED, AND ETCHED GLASSWORK by Big Island Artist Heather Mettler is showcased at Volcano Art Center's upcoming art exhibit, Passage and Place. The collection questions the themes of migration, navigation, and immigration.
     Mettler challenges viewers to explore such themes as how humans, plants, and animals make their way to a certain place, how a place becomes a home, and the "process that binds or connects us to particular places," she said.
Big Island artist Heather Mettler's glasswork is showcased
at Volcano Art Center Gallery this month.
Photo from Volcano Art Center
     According to a statement from Volcano Art Center, using a combination of handblown, chiseled, and etched glass, Mettler “reflects patterns and designs which illustrate her reverence for the mountain environment and the ocean which surround these islands.” While not born locally, her family moved to Hawaiʻi when she was six years old. Mettler says she has "spent most of my life on the beautiful Big Island of Hawaiʻi. I grew up immersed in the flora, fauna, and ocean of the Kona coast. With its hapuʻu ferns, wild ginger, coconut palms, dolphins, sea turtles, rustic lava fields, and exquisite birds, Kona has been a magical place to call home.” Mettler says she feels deeply rooted in this place and finds it a constant source of inspiration for her art.
     Mettler’s fascination with glass began when she was a teenager, working as an apprentice to an artist specializing in sandblasting. She expanded her skills at the Pilchuck Glass School where she studied mosaic design with Felice Nittolo. After learning casting and glass blowing, she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in glass from the University of Hawaiʻi.
     Mettler has been working in glass for nearly 20 years and states she is “continuously inspired by its versatility, fluidity, and textural capabilities… I draw creative energy for my pieces by watching the changing water of the Pacific, which reminds me of the liquid potential of my medium. I'm always looking for patterns and similarities in what I see, translating these elements into artistic language within my work. Glass has always been my canvas, but the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands is my true inspiration."
Glasswork featured in Volcano Art Center's
Passage and Place exhibit starting Jan. 13.
Photo from Volcano Art Center
     Mettler is well known for her unique Basket Series of glass vessels - a collection which combines layers of woven copper baskets, blown glass, and sandblasted imagery to create a watery and ethereal experience for the viewer. Her new works have taken that concept and expanded it even further. The "navigation cylinders" specifically in this new body of work expose the woven baskets on the exterior of the vessel instead of being contained within. The woven copper forms reference the use of woven star charts used by ancient navigators, according the Volcano Art Center statement. This unique collection of works by Mettler invites viewers to "think of their own migratory story and sense of place in this world."
     The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday, Jan. 13, and is on display through Sunday, Feb. 11, daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. An opening reception with the artist present will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13. Learn about more art events at volcanoartcenter.org.

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HAWAI‘I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK ANNOUNCES A HAWAIIAN BAMBOO STAMPING demonstration is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 10, from 10 a.m. to noon, on the Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai. Learn to create beautiful designs using bamboo stamps (‘ohe kāpala), which were originally used to decorate clothing with deep symbolic meaning. The event is free to attend; however, park entrance fees apply. For more, visit nps.gov/HAVO.

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See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at 
See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, weekly events at 
kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/januarycommunity.html.
January print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is
free to 5,500 mailboxes throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i 
through Volcano. Also available free on stands throughout
the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.
KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Basketball: Friday, Jan. 5, Konawaena @ Ka‘ū.
     Wednesday, Jan. 10, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū.
     Friday, Jan. 12, @ Laupahoehoe.
     Monday, Jan. 15, @ HPA.

Boys Basketball: Saturday, Jan. 6, Laupahoehoe @ Ka‘ū.
     Monday, Jan. 8, @ Honoka‘a.
     Wednesday, Jan. 10, @ St. Joseph.
     Monday, Jan. 15, Pāhoa @ Ka‘ū.

Swimming: Saturday, Jan. 6, @ Kamehameha.
     Saturday, Jan. 13, @ HPA.

Boys Soccer: Saturday, Jan. 6, Konawaena @ Ka‘ū.
     Tuesday, Jan. 9, Pāhoa @ Ka‘ū.

Wrestling: Saturday, Jan. 6, @ Kea‘au.
     Saturday, Jan. 13, @ Konawaena.

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HAWAI‘I COUNTY COUNCIL meets Thursday, Jan. 4, in Hilo. The committees meet on Wednesday, Jan. 23, and a full Council meets again Thursday, Jan. 24, both in Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov.

Ocean View Neighborhood Watch meets at Ocean View Community
Center Thursday, Jan. 4. Photo from oceanviewbc.org
OCEAN VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH meets Thursday, Jan. 4, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m, at Ocean View Community Center. For more, call 939-7033 or visit ovcahi.org.

STEWARDSHIP OF KĪPUKAPUAULU begins at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 4, with volunteers meeting in the Kīpukapuaulu parking lot on Mauna Loa Road off Hwy 11 in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Volunteers will help remove invasive plants, like morning glory, from an area said to be home to an "astonishing diversity of native forest and understory plants." The event will take place again on Jan. 11, 18, and 25. Free; park entrance fees apply. For more, contact Marilyn Nicholson at nickem@hawaii.rr.com or visit nps.gov/HAVO.

TROPICAL FLOWER ARRANGING WITH HAWAIIAN CULTURAL PRACTITIONER Kaipo Ah Chong takes place Friday, Jan. 5, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., at Volcano Art Center's Ni‘aulani Campus in Volcano Village. Ah Chong offers a popular tropical flower arranging workshop and provides flowers for all those in attendance; however, individuals must bring their own clippers. Pre-registration is required. The class fee is $45 plus a $20 supply fee per person. For more, visit volcanoartcenter.org.

Take a Fearless Abstract Painting class in Volcano Saturday, Jan. 6.
Photo from Volcano Art Center 
FEARLESS ABSTRACT PAINTING - an acrylic paint art class - is set for Saturday, Jan. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Professional artist Samantha daSilva shares her unique method of painting using rollers, tables, lots of paint and water, canvas manipulation and plaster, sand, and wood shavings to create textured abstracts. No experience necessary. Class fee is $85 for VAC members and $90 for non-members, plus $15 supply fee per person. Register online, at volcanoartcenter.org, or call 967-8222.

STEWARDSHIP AT THE SUMMIT offers four days in January for volunteers to help remove invasive, non-native plant species that prevent native plants from growing in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The upcoming meeting is Saturday, Jan. 6. Interested volunteers should meet Paul and Jane Filed at Kīlauea Visitor Center at 8:45 a.m. Other opportunities this month take place Jan. 13, 19, and 26. Free; park entrance fees apply. For more see nps.gov/HAVO.

DISCOVER THE HAWAIIAN GODDESSES HI‘IAKA & PELE and the natural phenomena they represent on a free, moderate, one-mile walk on Saturday, Jan. 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. For more, see nps.gov/HAVO.

Photo from jimmywayne on Flickr.com
TAKE A FREE GUIDED HIKE ALONG THE PALM TRAIL and learn about native plants that play a vital role in Hawaiian culture in Nature & Culture: An Unseverable Relationship on Sunday, Jan. 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., in the Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The hike is approximately 2 miles and moderately difficult. Observe the catastrophic change and restoration of the land as it transitions from the 1868 lava flow to deeper soils with more diversity and older flora. For more, visit nps.gov/HAVO.

HAM RADIO OPERATORS POTLUCK PICNIC is Sunday, Jan. 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at  Manukā Park. The event organizers invite American Radio Emergency Service members, anyone interested in learning how to operate a ham radio, and families. For more, call Dennis Smith at 989-3028.

PAINTING WITH PEGGY, an acrylic painting class with Margaret "Peggy" Stanton is set for Monday, Jan. 8, from noon to 3 p.m., at Volcano Art Center's Ni‘aulani Campus in Volcano Village. It is part of an ongoing series of workshops for artists of all levels, headed by Stanton. The class is $15 for VAC members and $20 for non-members per session. The class will take place again on Jan. 15. Register online at volcanoartcenter.org.

Photo from NPS
DISCOVERY HARBOUR/ NĀ‘ĀLEHU C.E.R.T. meets Tuesday, Jan. 9, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at Discovery Harbour Community Hall. The public is invited to come see what Community Emergency Response Team is about, as well as participate in training scenarios. For more, contact Dina Shisler at dinashisler24@yahoo.com or 410-935-8087.

KĪLAUEA VOLCANO'S EAST RIFT ZONE: 35 YEARS AND STILL ERUPTING is the After Dark in the Park talk scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 9, starting at 7 p.m., in Kīlauea Visitor Center auditorium of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. U.S.G.S. Hawai‘i Volcano Observatory geologist Carolyn Parcheta briefly describes the early history of the East Rift Zone eruption that began 35 years ago, and provides an in-depth look at lava flow activity during the past year. The event is free; however, park entrance fees apply. For more, visit nps.gov/HAVO.

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