Kaʻū News Briefs, Sunday, April 9, 2023

Bringing Home the Feast on Easter Sunday
Zachary Blanco-Louis and his dog Koa caught this pua'a feast overnight, arriving back to Pāhala village
on Easter morning. The catch is a Lahole, a castrated male pig. Hunters capture wild piglets,
castrate them and let them go in the wild to grow into fat prey. Photo by Julia Neal

THE SUSTAINABLE FOOD MANAGEMENT PROGAM of the Environmental Protection Agency invites Kaʻū farmers and ranchers to a free virtual event on Tuesday, April 25 at 9 a.m. The presentation is 

an overview of of impacts of modern agriculture on the environment, public health and climate. Also included is regulation of agriculture, and reduction of the impact of regulation, along with ideas and recommendations to shape a sustainable climate-friendly and fair food system.

     Presenter is Stephen Surdivant, who is the lead for EPA's Sustainable Food Management program. Speaker is Peter Lehner, managing attorney for Sustainable Food & Farming program at Earthjustice and former Executive Director of National Resources Defense Council and Chief of the New York Attorney General's Environmental Protection Bureau. He teaches a seminar of food systems and US environmental law and co-authored Farming for our Future: The Science, Law and Police of Climate -Neutral Agriculture.

    To attend the virtual event, click here to add to calendar: https://www.addevent.com/event/uV16455398.
Click here to join the meeting. Meeting ID: 222 439 680 104. Passcode: kjfgMJ.

     The EPA's Sustainable Food Management Program is also involved in helping communities to plan for cutting back on food waste through reducing volume of surplus food generated; feeding hungry people with extra food provided to food banks, soup kitchens and shelters; diverting food scraps to animal feed; providing waste oils for rendering and fuel conversion and food scraps for digestion to recover energy; and composting to create nutrient-rich soil amendments. See https://www.epa.gov/land-research/farm-kitchen-environmental-impacts-us-food-waste.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands.

The ladies of Halau Hula Leionalani, under the direction of Kumu Debbie Ryder, performed at Hilo Civic Auditorium on Easter Sunday and return to Hilo on Wednesday for a performance at Hilo Hawaiian Hotel at 1 p.m. Photo by Brenda Iokepa-Moses

MERRIE MONARCH WEEK KICKED OFF SUNDAY, with halau from Pāhala and Volcano heading north to dance at Hilo Civic Auditorium.

    Kumu Debbie Ryder with her Halau Hula Leionalani, performed at the Civic and heads back to Hilo on Wednesday to perform at Hilo Hawaiian Hotel at 1 p.m.

    Also performing at Hilo Civic on Sunday were members of Hula Ke 'Olu Makani O Mauna Loa, which will perform again on Monday with musician-singer Uncle Ben Kaili at noon at Naniloa Hotel. and again on Thursday at Naniloa at noon. All events are free, no tickets needed.

The young ladies of Halau Hula Leionalani, under the direction of Debbie Ryder, performed at Hilo Civic Auditorium on Easter Sunday and return to Hilo on Wednesday for a performance at Hilo Hawaiian Hotel at 1 p.m. Photo by Brenda Iokepa-Moses

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands.

Trojans Athletic Director Jaime Guerpo

UPCOMING TROJAN SPORTS for Track & Field, Boys Baseball, Girls Softball and Boys Volleyball, with the Trojans representing Kaʻū High and Volcano School of the Arts & Sciences under new Athletic Director Jaime Guerpo:
    In track, under Coach Tolu Rasmussen, Trojans head to Kealakehe for islandwide competition on Saturday, April 15 at 2 p.m.. The Freshman-Sophomore Invitational is on Saturday, April 22 at 9 a.m. at Kea'au. BIIF Trials are Friday, April 28 at 2 p.m. at Kea'au, followed by Finals on Saturday, April 29 at 3 p.m. Kea'au.
   In Boys Varsity Volleyball, under Coach Josh Ortega, Kaʻū hosts Lapahoehoe on Thursday, April 13 at 5 p.m.. Trojans host Ka Umeke on Monday, April 17 at 5 p.m. On April 21 through April 26 are playoffs and championship games. 
    In Girls Softball, under Coach Donovan Emmsley, Kaʻū travels to Pāhoa on Thursday, April 13 at 3 p.m. On Saturday, April 15, Kaʻū hosts Kohala at 1 p.m.. BIIF playoffs for Girls Softball start Monday, April 17 with finals ending on April 29.
    In Boys Baseball, under coach Rolland Alcoran, on April 15, Kaʻū hosts Kohala 11 a.m. BIIF playoffs for Boys Baseball start April 17 with finals ending on April 28.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands.

FREE FOOD

Free Meals Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are served from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Nā'ālehu Hongwanji. Volunteers prepare the food provided by 'O Ka'ū Kākou with fresh produce from its gardens on the farm of Eva Liu, who supports the project. Other community members also make donations and approximately 150 meals are served each day.

St. Jude's Hot Meals are free to those in need on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until food runs out, no later than noon. Volunteers from the community are welcome to help and can contact Karen at pooch53@gmail.com. Location is 96-8606 Paradise Circle Drive in Ocean View. Those in need can also take hot showers from 9 a.m. to noon and use the computer lab from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

OUTDOOR MARKETS

Volcano Thursday Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village, Thursdays, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., with live music, artisan crafts, ono grinds, and fresh produce. See Volcano Evening Market facebook.

Volcano Swap Meet, fourth Saturday of the month from 8 a.m. to noon. Large variety of vendors with numerous products. Tools, clothes, books, toys, local made healing extract and creams, antiques, jewelry, gemstones, crystals, food, music, plants, fruits, and vegetables. Also offered are cakes, coffee, and shave ice. Live music. 

Volcano Farmers Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village on Sundays, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with local produce, baked goods, food to go, island beef and Ka'ū Coffee. EBT is used for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly Food Stamps. Call 808-967-7800.

O Ka'ū Kākou Market, Nā'ālehu, Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact Nadine Ebert at 808-938-5124 or June Domondon 808-938-4875. See facebook.com/OKauKakouMarket.

Ocean View Community Market, Saturdays and Wednesdays, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., corner Kona Dr. Drive and Hwy 11, near Thai Grindz. Masks mandatory. 100-person limit, social distancing required. Gate unlocked for vendors at 5:30 a.m., $15 dollars, no rez needed. Parking in the upper lot. Vendors must provide their own sanitizer. Food vendor permits required. Carpooling is encouraged.