Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, July 21, 2013

The State Public Charter School Commission is receiving testimony through tomorrow on the proposal to add the old Pahala Hongwanji
site to the Hawai`i Academy of Arts & Science. Photo by Julia Neal

WRITTEN TESTIMONY ON A PROPOSED CHARTER SCHOOL SATELLITE  of Hawai`i Academy of Arts & Science that would be located at Pahala Hongwanji is due by 3 p.m. tomorrow, Monday, July 22 by fax or email. Testimony on the proposal can be directed to the state Public Charter School Commission in Honolulu. Email kenyon.tam@spcsc.hawaii.gov or fax 808-586-3776.

      The commission’s Performance & Accountability Committee will meet on the issue this Thursday, June 25 at 2:30 p.m. at the state Public Charter School Commission Office at the Remington College Building, 1111 Bishop St., Suite 516 in Honolulu. Testimony will also be taken through phone conference at Kona Pacific Public Charter School Office at 79-7595 Mamalahoa Hwy, Kealakekua during the meeting on Thursday.

      Hawai`i Academy of Arts and Science, of Pahoa, is requesting the approval of Pahala Learning Academy as one of its satellite locations. The proposed teacher and site director is Kathryn Tydlacka, M.Ed. who previously taught at Na`alehu School. She said she expects about 35 seventh- and eighth-graders to sign up for the first semester of classes, which would begin on Aug. 16. According to pahalaacademy.org, the school “is hosted through the generosity of the Pahala Hongwanji and supported by contributions from `O Ka`u Kakou and many community benefactors.”
      Tydlacka said she has heard from many parents, some of them homeschooling their children, and some others sending students long distances to other charter schools, who would like their children to attend a Pahala Learning Academy. Some area parents and teachers have said that a Charter School would take away funding from the existing public schools in Ka`u, which already have small student-to-teacher ratios and enrollment as low as 20 students per grade.
      Funding from the statewide Department of Education is given to public schools based on their student population. Charter school locations through Hawai`i Academy of Arts & Science and the existing state Department of Education schools  in Pahala and Na`alehu are all public schools.
      Pahala Hongwanji is located on agriculture and residential property and, according to the county Planning Department, requires a use permit, legal notification of neighbors, a public hearing and approval by the Planning Commission to operate. The old schoolhouse on the grounds of Pahala Hongwanji was used for after-school and weekend classes in Japanese language, culture and religion into the 1960s. It was also used as a dojo for martial arts but has been unused for classes for more than a decade.

Noel Kawachi was one of many alumni to converge on the Pahala school
campus in 2006 to remember the good works of Laurence Capellas. A
group of alumni want the new gym to have a name that includes Capellas.

A GROUP OF KA`U HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES has launched a drive to include Laurence Capellas when naming the new Ka`u Gymnasium and Shelter in Pahala. Capellas wan an educator, principal and school sports enthusiast. According to a letter signed by former Ka`u football coach Bobby Barba and Ka`u High graduates Dorothy Silva Kalua, Carol Castillo Andrade and Priscilla Domondon Obado, “This man not only took part in the education of thousands of young people, he was instrumental in creating the foundation of our town, Pahala.” 

      The statement says, “It is our desire to have the name of the gymnasium/shelter to include an educator. This second-generation Hawai`i Island educator spent his life working with the youth of this island. He was the principal of Ka`u High & Pahala Elementary School from 1946 to 1959. Before coming to Pahala he was the principal of Paauilo Elementary & Intermediate & Pa`auhau Elementary School, and following his time in Pahala he was principal of Hilo High School, where he continued to inspire and influence young people.”
      The statement says that Capellas “was the type of person who could envision what could be possible and inspire others.” It says his “leadership and influence went way beyond the walls of the school. The town we have today carries on the foundations inspired and established because of this man who worked tirelessly for others. Mr. Laurence Capellas recognized that confidence-building, decision-making, character-formation happened in and out of the classroom.”

A group of Ka`u High School alumni would like the new gym and shelter at the school to include the name 

Laurence J. Capellas.

        The group gives examples of his accomplishments, including the organization of people and the sugar company to build the Pahala swimming pool, organizing Little League, Pony League and Babe Ruth League baseball teams and helping to arrange for building the baseball field.
      According to the statement, “The boys played baseball barefooted until the seventh grade. Then somehow he got baseball shoes, but the shoes were turned in at the end of the season for the kids the next year.” He also found shoes for the track and field teams and acquired old equipment from the Armed Forces intramural program and Kamehameha School for the Ka`u football team.
      Capellas launched the basketball program. When he found there was no room in the gym for all the baseketball teams, he made the school cafeteria available for the younger players by installing bars to protect the cafeteria windows. He spearheaded construction of the tennis court and launched his version of summer fun, locating a bus and driving the students himself.
      The Ka`u High graduates, all from the class of 1959, the year of statehood, write that they “humbly ask that this man be remembered by naming the gymnasium/shelter in his name. If it were not for his works, his leadership, his caring, we would not be the people we are. The spirit of this town would not be the same. Although the youth in the school today do not know Mr. Capellas, we think they should know there have been such giving people – to Pahala and to the Island. He is a model. The youth should know whose shoulders they are standing upon….
      “Laurence J. Capellas was not a wealthy man donating funds, nor was he a president or a governor; he was a humble man who gave and who cared. We ask that this man and his values be honored.”
      The issue of naming the gym will be discussed by the County Council and county administration. The facility will be operated by the county Department of Parks & Recreation.

Lorie Obra took first place last night with her Rusty's
Hawaiian Coffee at the annual cupping competition
for the Hawai`i Coffee Association.

RUSTY’S HAWAIIAN 100 Percent Ka`u Coffee took first place for the Ka`u District during the fifth annual statewide cupping competition of the Hawai`i Coffee Association. Both second and third place were taken by Leo Norberte’s JN Farm. Ka`u sent 20 entries to the competition. The winners were announced last night during the convention held at Aqua Kaua`i Beach Resort.
      Ka`u Coffee Mill came in 10th in the Ka`u District and 12th in the state in the commercial division.
      Mountain Thunder Kona came in first in the commercial division in the state. Olson Keolanui Farm’s Hilo Coffee came in second in the state.  More complete Ka`u results and the statewide creative and commercial division results are expected soon from Hawai`i Coffee Association.

KA`U RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO PARTICIPATE in this week’s County Council Committee meetings Tuesday and the full Council meeting Wednesday from Ocean View Community Center’s remote videoconferencing site. 

      Committee meetings on Tuesday are as follows:

• Public Works & Parks & Recreation at 9 a.m.; 
• Finance at 9:15 a.m.; 
• Governmental Relations and Economic Development at 9:45 a.m.; 
• Environmental Management at 10:30 a.m.; 
• Planning at 1 p.m.; 
• Agriculture, Water & Energy Sustainability at 1:45 p.m. 

      County Council meets Wednesday at 9 a.m. All meetings take place at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona.
      Agendas are available at hawaiicounty.gov.

Kaliko Trapp-Beamer is one musician who will lead a
three-day songwriting workshop next month.
Photo Courtesy of Kaliko Trapp-Beamer

A THREE-DAY HAWAIIAN MUSIC songwriting retreat for just $25 takes place at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Friday, Aug. 2 through Sunday, Aug. 4 with Hawaiian music, language and haku mele (Hawaiian song) experts Kenneth Makuakane and Kaliko Trapp-Beamer. 

      The Friday, Aug. 2 workshop runs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Sat., Aug. 3 and Sun., Aug. 4 both begin at 8 a.m. and finish at 4 p.m.
      Advance registration is required. Contact Elizabeth Bell at 985-6019 or elizabeth_bell@nps.gov no later than Thursday, July 25.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, July 20, 2013

A proposed pipeline would carry water from Old Plantation Spring in The Nature Conservancy's Kaiholena Unit to
ranchers below. Photo from Conservation District Use Application to DLNR

INSTALLATION OF A 3.45-MILE PIPELINE from Old Plantation Spring to Ka`u ranchers and farmers is the topic of a public hearing in Na`alehu next month. Department of Land and Natural Resources will receive testimony on a Conservation District Use Application by Kuahiwi Contractors, which names Michelle Galimba as secretary and contact person. The hearing takes place Monday, Aug. 12 at Na`alehu Community Center. 

      The water source is in The Nature Conservancy’s Kaiholena Unit, and the pipeline would travel through the Ka`u Forest Reserve to ranch and farm lands below.
      According to the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association archives, the tunnel at Old Plantation Springs was built in the late 1920s to find water to use in flumes that carried sugar to the mill at Honu`apo until 1948, when fluming was abandoned in favor of using trucks and, for a short while, an aerial tramway. In more recent years, the water has been used for watering livestock and farming.
      According to the application, the “proposed use is installation and maintenance of (a) water system for agricultural uses of water … to the agricultural zoned lands immediately makai of the source.”
      The application states that “water from the source presently falls into a small catchment pool at the base of the cliff-face. The water flows from this pool into an intermittent stream-bed, where it flows for 50-250 yards, depending on the spring output and presence of rainwater runoff in the intermittent stream-bed, before being absorbed into the ground.

Blue, dotted line shows route of proposed water pipeline.
Map from Conservation District Use Application to DLNR

      “Water from the system will be distributed to ranches and farms within the watershed through an existing informal agricultural water network/co-operative. Members of the informal water cooperative include: Walter Andrade (approximate water needs 16,000 gallons per day), Richard Johansen (2,000 gallons per day), Phil Becker (700 gallons per day), Kirk Derasin (300 gallons per day). We are all currently sharing water from the Mountain House/Department of Water Supply overflow. However, as this is an overflow system, availability of water is extremely variable especially during the last three to four years of extreme drought conditions. Several members of the informal co-op lease a portion of their ranchland from the Olson Trust. We will be transitioning toward a formal agricultural water cooperative in future, especially as use expands beyond the current handful of ranches and farms. All water will (be) used for agriculture and will remain in the watershed. Water in the pipeline will be metered near the source for record-keeping and reporting. Water use by individual users will also be metered so as to ensure responsible use and resource conservation. This water system is critical toward helping area ranchers and farmers to mitigate current and future extreme drought conditions.”
      The water system will require “minor alterations in the conditions of land, water, or vegetation,” the application states. “Proposed use will benefit a number of ranchers and farmers in Ka`u – an area particularly vulnerable to drought and severely impacted by lack of agricultural infrastructure such as water systems. Any excess water from the system will be stored in reservoirs for use during times of drought.”
      The application describes the proposed pipeline and its path: “The footprint of the proposed water system will be minimized by using flexible, inert, small diameter (two-inch) pipeline that will rest on the surface of the soil. Total footprint of water system will be approximately 4,560.25 square feet. Pipe will be placed in the catchment pool at the base of cliff-face below the water source, with a small filter box on the intake. Water will be obtained passively and transported by gravity flow. Pathway of the pipe has been walked in its entirety with Nature Conservancy staff and adjusted so as to cause only minor temporary alteration of vegetation (handclearing of small sections of `uluhe and minor trimming of hapu`u fern.) Installation of the pipe will be done by unrolling pipeline by hand, so as to minimize impact on flora, fauna and soil. No trees will be felled for this project. No grading, grubbing, or any form of soil disturbance will occur in the course of this project.”

      Copies of the application are available for inspection at Na`alehu Public Library and hawaii.gov/dlnr/occl/meetings.

William Rolston considers microwave depolymerization to be an
"unproven technology." Photo from biofuels-solutions.com

CURRENT AND FUTURE ENERGY-RELATED matters in Hawai`i County will be discussed at Tuesday’s meeting of the Water and Energy Sustainability Committee. Ka`u’s Council member Brenda Ford asked Laverne Omori, director of the Department of Research and Development and William Rolston, Economic Development Specialist, to give the presentation.
      Rolston has provided testimony on behalf of Hawai`i County to the state Public Utilities Commission regarding the proposed 20-year contract for `Aina Koa Pono to sell biofuel refined in Ka`u from feedstock grown in Ka`u. He has testified that the contract “is not reasonable and should not be approved by the Commission based on its excessive biofuel price, long-term contract, unproven technology, lack of due-diligence, associated negative externalities (including ‘crowding-out’ of better alternatives) that will impact the community and environment for many years to come.
      The committee meets Tuesday at 1:45 p.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona. Ka`u residents can participate via videoconferencing at Ocean View Community Center.

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK CELEBRATES the tenth anniversary of the Kahuku Unit by offering free programs to introduce visitors and residents to the park’s southernmost section now through September.
      For all activities, participants enter Kahuku on the mauka side of Hwy 11 near mile marker 70.5 and meet near the parking area. Sturdy footwear, water, raingear and a snack are recommended. No advance registration is required, except for Ka`u `Ohana Day.

Free programs, including a guided hike exploring the People and Lands of
Kahuku, celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Kahuku Unit.
Photo from NPS

      `Ohi`a Lehua program is about the vital role of `ohi`a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the `ohi`a tree and the lehua flower. Visitors traveling through the park will be able to identify the many differences of the most prominent tree in the Kahuku Unit. The `Ohi`a Lehua program is offered Aug. 18 and Sept. 28 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
      Mauna Loa Southwest Rift Zone program takes participants on a short, guided hike to an overlook on Upper Palm Trail. From the overlook, park rangers orient visitors to numerous prominent geologic features of the many eruptions of the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. Hikers learn about the natural processes that created these features and the cultural traditions associated with them. The Mauna Loa Southwest Rift Zone program is offered tomorrow, July 21, Aug. 10 and Sept. 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
      At Ka`u `Ohana Day, keiki of all ages join park rangers and explore Palm Trail by GPS and compass. At least one adult family member or adult group leader must accompany children. Participants enjoy a free lunch and cultural craft demonstrations. Bring a refillable water bottle and sturdy hiking shoes. Registration is required for this free event; call 985-6019. The program takes place July 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
      Palm Trail is a moderately difficult 2.6-mile loop traversing scenic pasture along an ancient cinder cone, with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. Highlights include relics of the ranching era, sections of remnant native forest and volcanic features from the 1868 eruptive fissures. A guided hike of Palm Trail is offered Aug. 17 and Sept. 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

      People and Lands of Kahuku is a moderate, two-mile, three-hour guided hike that loops through varied landscapes to explore Kahuku’s human history. Emerging native forests, pastures, lava fields and other sites hold clues about ways people have lived and worked on the vast Kahuku lands – from the earliest Hawaiians, through generations of ranching families, to the current staff and volunteers of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Hikers learn about the powerful natural forces at work here and how people have adapted to, shaped, and restored this land. The guided hike is offered Aug. 24, Sept. 14 and Sept. 22 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is live theater this weekend with shows today at 7:30 p.m. and tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. The show runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through July 28. The venue is Kilauea Military Camp Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. KDEN is the sponsor, and tickets are available at Kilauea General Store, Kea`au Natural Foods, Paradise Plants, the Most Irresistible Shop and by calling 982-7344. Prices are $15 general, $12 students/seniors and $10 children.

BEFORE EVENING PERFORMANCES of Beauty and the Beast, a casual dinner is served at Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Café in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

Kenneth Makuakane is one musician who will lead a three-day Hawaiian
songwriting workshop next month at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
Photo courtesy of Kenneth Makuakane

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK offers a three-day Hawaiian music songwriting retreat for just $25 from Friday, Aug. 2 through Sunday, Aug. 4 with Hawaiian music, language and haku mele (Hawaiian song) experts Kenneth Makuakane and Kaliko Trapp-Beamer.
      The Friday, Aug. 2 workshop runs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Sat., Aug. 3 and Sun., Aug. 4 both begin at 8 a.m. and finish at 4 p.m.
      Advance registration is required. Contact Elizabeth Bell at 985-6019 or elizabeth_bell@nps.gov no later than Thursday, July 25.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs Friday, July 19, 2013

The campus of Pahala Hongwanji will be the site of a Pahala Learning Academy beginning Aug. 16, according to
pahalaacademy.org. Photo by Julia Neal

ORGANIZERS OF THE PROPOSED PAHALA LEARNING ACADEMY will host an open house on Saturday, July 27 at 4 p.m. at the Old Pahala Hongwanji School on Pa`au`au Street. 

      According to the Pahala Learning Academy website, the fall session will begin Aug. 16, and the school “is hosted through the generosity of the Pahala Hongwanji and supported by contributions from `O Ka`u Kakou and many community benefactors.” The president of both Pahala Hongwanji and `O Ka`u Kakou is Wayne Kawachi.

HAAS refers to its InDigital program as "Education with a Twist."
Image from haasindigital.org

      According to Hawai`i Academy of Arts & Science in Pahoa, which proposes to establish the school through its distance learning program, grades seven and eight will be offered online, and students will also be able to go to Pahala Hongwanji to use computers and for mentoring and classes. The onsite instructor will be former Na`alehu School teacher Kathryn Tydlacka.
      The open house on July 27 will be a special Italian Night dinner for enrolled and prospective students and their families.

      “If you are interested in learning what we have planned for the upcoming school year and how your child can benefit from our unique program of in-person and on-line education, join us as we explain how Pahala Learning Academy will offer a new type of learning experience,” she said. To attend, contact Tydlacka at 918-640-1267 or kathryntydlacka@hotmail.com.
      She said she expects about 35 students to enroll in the school for an inaugural 2013-2014 school year serving seventh- and eight-graders under the program to be administered by Hawai`i Academy of Arts & Science.

      Hawai`i Academy of Arts & Science’s website says its indigital program “offers motivated self-directed learners (grades 7-12) the chance to take responsibility for their education and attend school from anywhere with high-speed internet access. Successful self-directed virtual students are actively learning: working online 4 to 5 days a week for 4 to 5 hours a day, meeting and/or exceeding minimum progress requirements, posting and/or emailing required assignments in a timely manner, attending collaborative virtual and/or onsite activities, requesting and/or meeting for needed virtual and/or on-site tutoring with teacher, and attending quarterly InDigital Meetings."

    The Pahala Learning Academy website page entitled Now Enrolling for August Semester says that “founding Director and Teacher Kathry Tydlacka, M.Ed., brings vision and enthusiasm to education creating an environment for educational success. The Academy offers a unique hybrid approach to education combining an on-line curriculum with direct teacher instruction.”
      The website says: “We offer a variety of opportunities for Pahala Learning Center/HAAS students to socialize and receive direct teacher instruction: (1) Students are encouraged to work on site five days a week (2) Students can eat lunch on campus (3) On-site student collaborative days offer time to work with other students (4) Enrichment activities will be provided on campus, including gardening; theater arts; music; culinary arts; reading, writing, and science workshops, and various Hawaiian studies (5) Opportunities for community service will be provided.
      “We offer a variety of services to aid student achievement: (1) Daily direct teacher instruction and virtual meetings with distance instructors (2) Math Workshops including access to ALEKS (3) After-hour virtual tutoring creates 24 hour a day five day a week help options.
      “Pahala Learning Academy/HAAS hybrid program requires a high speed internet connection (provided on campus). The majority of Pahala Learning Academy/HAAS hybrid core content curriculum is online (lessons, quizzes, tests and projects) with bare minimum progress requirements. Assignments can be modified for a student who wants to accelerate beyond their normally assigned grade level. Quarterly meetings are held to discuss students’ strengths, needs, and goals,” the website says.

Kenyon Tam, State Public Charter Schools
Operations and Applications Specialist

      See more at pahalaacademy.org.
      Tydlacka said that the organizers of the school are applying for permitting for the facility.
      At a May neighborhood meeting on the proposed school, organizers promised more public meetings to discuss mitigation of any possible impacts on the surrounding neighborhood, such as traffic and noise. Several speakers brought up the issue of the Charter School possibly taking funding away from Na`alehu and Pahala public schools.
      Tydlacka said later, “It is all about choice” and providing an alternative for those children who may not thrive in the traditional public school system. She said there are many parents asking her for this option.

      According to the county planning department, the school needs a use permit, legal notification to neighbors, a public hearing and approval from the county Planning Commission.
      In addition to the use permit, Hawai`i Academy of Arts & Science seeks state Public Charter School Commission approval to expand its services to include Pahala Learning Academy as a satellite. The subject of the Pahala Learning Academy is on the agenda of the commission’s Performance and Accountability Committee next Thursday, July 25 in Honolulu. Testimony on the merits and also any concerns about the proposed school can be emailed to Kenyon Tam, State Charter Schools Operations and Applications Specialist, at kenyon.tam@spcsc.hawaii.gov. Call 808-586-3775 for more information.
      Tam said this morning that the Accountability Committee will make its recommendation to the Public Charter School Commission, which will decide whether to approve the new school within two weeks after next Thursday’s committee meeting. He said that satellite charter schools are required to meet all zoning and code requirements.
      When asked whether consideration is given to the possibility that  a charter school takes away funding from a public school, he said it is not considered. “Charter schools are public schools,” he said.
      The site at Pahala Hongwanji has also been considered for a Boys & Girls Club, a boxing club and other multi-use functions.

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard speaks about her amendment
reauthorizing the Native Hawaiian Education Act.
Photo from gabbard.house.gov

CUTS TO EDUCATION FUNDING are opposed by Ka`u’s Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. Today, she voted against final passage of H.R. 5, which she says is “a widely opposed bill that will lock in sequester cuts to education funding and lower standards and accountability for schools with underserved populations.” The legislation, which passed the House by a vote of 221-207, cuts funding for public schools. Gabbard said it targets programs for children with disabilities, children of color, children living in poverty and English language learners. 

      “While I was thrilled that my amendment to reauthorize the Native Hawaiian Education Act was included in the bill yesterday with a vote of 263-161, I could not support the final legislation and its damaging impacts on so many of our keiki,” said Gabbard, who also voted in favor of a Democratic substitute that would have strengthened the bill. “We need to make sure we are investing in the future of all of our children. Unfortunately, this bill makes permanent damaging cuts to education, eliminates crucial accountability measures and hurts disadvantaged and underserved children. In order to invest in our future, we have to provide adequate resources and meaningful accountability to ensure that all our students have equal access to quality education.”
      Groups from across the spectrum have voiced public opposition to H.R. 5, including business, civil rights, labor, disability, and nearly all education organizations. The Obama administration has also issued a veto threat for the bill in its current form, Gabbard’s staff reported.

A green bean workshop took place this morning at Hawai`i Coffee
Association convention on Kaua`i. Photo by Lorie Obra

KA`U COFFEE GROWERS, PRODUCERS AND MARKETERS attended a green coffee bean workshop this morning on Kaua`i. Joining them are faces familiar in Ka`u for helping the farmers start their industry, including representatives from University of Hawai`i and the Department of Agriculture. On the agenda today are an Expo, Coffee Sampling, Label Compliance, a Reverse Trade Presentation and a Cupping Workshop. Tomorrow’s workshops include Roasting and Packaging Control, Grower Reports, a Legislative Update and a session on Coffee Berry Borer. Winners of the statewide cupping contests will be revealed Saturday evening. See haawaiicoffeeassoc.org.

OCEAN VIEW EVANGELICAL CHURCH is organizing its first community ho`olaule`a. The event is set for Saturday, Aug. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The lu`au will include lomi lomi salmon, chicken and long rice, kalua pig and beverages.
      Organizer Mary Wheeler is asking for monetary donations and door prizes. “We will help meet community needs, while getting the opportunity to serve,” she said. For more information and to donate, call 990-3480.

VOLCANO ART CENTER OFFERS SEVERAL PROGRAMS TOMORROW. 

      Ni`aulani Rain Forest Guide Training takes place from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village to prepare guides for bi-weekly Ni`aulani Nature Walks. Volunteers offer two hours per month to help guide people through an ancient Hawaiian forest. Register at 967-8222 or programs@volcanoartcenter.org.
      Halau Waiau, under the direction of na kumu hula Keikilani Curnan and Liana Aviero, presents a hula kahiko performance at 10:30 a.m. at the hula platform near Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Hands-on cultural demonstrations take place from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on VAC Gallery porch.
      Auditions for LOL: Ladies Out Loud are set for 3 p.m. at the Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. Women in comedy are invited to bring stories, jokes and skits under six minutes. Open to all women and even “wanna-be” women. Show is scheduled for Sept. 7.
      Puna Chicks: Another Night of Comedy begins at 7 p.m. at the Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village with “Puna Princess” Sherri Carden, “Puna Tita” Angie Libadisos and Tanya Anne, VAC’s chief entertainment officer. Tickets are $10 or $9 for VAC members.
      For more information about all events, call 967-8222 or see volcanoartcenter.org.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.