Kaʻū News Briefs Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016

Earth Matters farm at Kama`oa and South Point Roads hosted the chairs of the Agriculture Committees of the state House
 of Representatives and state Senate over Thanksgiving weekend for a Hawai`i Farmers Union United meeting.
  Photo from Earth Matters

TWO TOP AGRICULTURE LEADERS IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE met over the Thanksgiving weekend at Earth Matters Farm on South Point Road to listen to ideas about the future of farming in Hawaiʻi. Sen. Mike Gabbard, Chair of the state Senate Committee on Agriculture, and Rep. Richard Creagan, new Chair of the state House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, listened to Hawaiʻi Farmers Union United members talk about the state Department of Agriculture's anemic funding.
     While chefs, health and agricultural educators, and numerous policy makers name  growing food locally as an important sustainability and security goal, funding of the state ag department is less than one half of one percent (.0378 percent) of the state budget. More than 100 jobs at the state ag department remain unfilled, including inspectors that help to keep out invasive species and disease from importation. The farmers and legislators called for more funding for the ag department.

      Gabbard and Creagan said they look forward to a good working relationship with Scott Enright, the chair of the state Board of Agriculture and Director of the state Department of Agriculture. They also talked about more direct funding to farmers to help control the coffee berry borer and little fire ants. Farmers talked about making more land and more education available, said Kaʻū President of the Farmers Union, Greg Smith.
       Ken Love, Executive Director of the Hawaiʻi Tropical Fruit Growers, talked about Japanese government providing young farmers some $35,000 a year salary for five years to help establish farms. For greenhouses, the national government puts up 50 percent and the local prefectural governments about 20 percent for new farmers. “It shows the Japanese are really dedicated to their agriculture and to growing food,” said Love.

Sen. Mike Gabbard, Kaʻū Farmers Union President
Greg Smith and Rep. Richard Creagan.
Photo by Steve Sakala

     In Hawaiʻi, as evident at the Farmers Union meeting, said Love, “It is obvious things are starting to coalesce to elevate the level of agriculture in the state.” The three leaders in the legislature and state administration, Gabbard, Creagan and Enright, “are helping usher in a new era of agriculture in Hawaiʻi,” said Love.
      Nancy Redfeather, of the Kohala Center, talked about the farm-to-school movement to allow schools to make more direct purchases of food from local farms. Making agriculture part of the curriculum from elementary school through university is a Kohala Center goal. Redfeather advocated for farmer education through schools, community groups and government.
      John Replogle, a backyard farmer, who works for The Nature Conservancy, discussed the large amount of talk about raising food compared to the small amount of food actually being produced. Replogle, who grew up in Kaʻū and worked in ranching for decades, talked about making more state lands available to small farmers.

    Steve Sakala, President of the Kona Chapter of Hawaiʻi Farmers Union, said keeping out invasive species and pushing them back, once here, remains a major problem. He pointed to the continuing onslaught of coffee berry borers, which likely arrived in bags of imported coffee. He also talked about truth-in-labeling efforts at the legislature to protect regional coffee brands, so buyers understand how much Kona or Kaʻū coffee, for example, is in the bag. Legislation could also require labeling to reveal the origin and amount of imported coffee mixed with the local brand.

       Sakala said land security remains a big issue and pointed out that one of the most successful, largest organic operations on the island, Robb Farm, is moving to Oregon because the farmer  can’t find land security. “We need to retain the great farmers we do have. and train new farmers for the future,” Sakala said

    Hemp was mentioned among the farmers who noted that other states are making great strides in growing it for fiber and other – non-marijuana uses. “We don’t want another year to get hemp permits. We want to grow this Spring,” Sakala told The Kaʻū Calendar.

   Others attending the meeting included Ted Feinstein, new county administrator for College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources; Gabriel Howearts, of Seeds of Change; and Bob Schaffer, advocate for re-promoting recycling, mulch and efficient use of green waste. See https://hfuuhi.org.

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HAWAI‘I FARMERS UNION UNITED has new grants from the state Department of Agriculture and Kamehameha Schools for trials and demonstrations for sustainable agriculture. President Vince Mina said yesterday that Korean Natural Farming practices will also be supported. Mina reported that the statewide convention, held this year at OK Farms in Hilo, will be held on Oʻahu next year, Oct. 6, 7 and 8. During the convention, the National Farmers Union is expected to deliver a charter for the Hawaiʻi Farmers Union chapter. Mina said it will mark the first new charter for a state in 17 years. The organization in Hawaiʻi has about 700 members and is the fastest growing Farmers Union in the country, he said. Mina said he is hoping for 1,000 members soon. To join see https://hfuuhi.org.

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Elizabeth Miller with her art at Volcano Village Artist Hui
show and sale which wraps up today. Photo by Ron Johnson

30TH ANNUAL VOLCANO VILLAGE ARTISTS HUI SHOW & SALE wraps up  today from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Volcano Village. Gallerygoers are invited to meet the artists in their studios located in Volcano. Artworks will be on display and available for purchase in a variety of media including pottery, raku, hand-blown art glass, sculpture, jewelry, and fiber art as well as photographs, paintings, drawings, metal work, quilts, and block prints. Maps to and galleries. 
     A special drawing for pieces contributed by each of the artists will be held on the final day of the tour.
     For more information, call 987-3472 or 985-7487. Maps to the artists’ studios are available at local businesses and galleries in the Volcano and at: www.VolcanoVillageArtistsHui.com. 987-3472987-3472

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CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY holiday exhibit daily through Jan. 2 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., at  Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Featured at Christmas in the Country is the 17th Annual Invitational Wreath Exhibit, with prizes awarded for the best wreaths. To participate, contact Emily Weiss at 967-8222 or gallery@volcanoartcenter.org. Free; park entrance fees apply.  

REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I VULCAN VOLLEYBALL CLINIC to be held this Thursday, Dec. 1 at the new Kaʻū District Gym. The clinic,  from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. is for youth five to 14 years of age. The clinic is expected to feature Vulcan and Trojan volleyball star Marley Strand-Nicholaisen and other Vulcan players who just finished their season.
    All participants must have a parent sign the Dept. of Parks & Recreation release of claims form and the HI-PAL permission Release Form. Court shoes or rubber sold shoes are required. To register, call Pāhala Community Center at 928-3102 or 854-7316. Community police Officer Blaine Morishita is also helping through the Hawaiʻi Isle Police Activities League and can be reached at 936-7192.

Sports clinics and tournaments are open to the public at the
new Kaʻū District Gym. Photo by Ron Johnson

DEADLINE FOR THE ALYSHA & PETE 3-ON-3 BASKETBALL WINTER JAM is this Friday, Dec. 2. The tournament will be held at the new Kaʻū District Gym, Dec. 9-11 with opportunities for adults and youth of all ages. Age groups are ten and under, 12 and under, 14 and under, boys, girls and co-ed. Men and women are also invited to compete. Cost is $10 per person with five players maximum per team. The tournament raises money to help fund Trojan Senior basketball players Pete Dacalio and Alysha Gustafson to travel to the mainland with coach Jen Makuakane to look at colleges who may provide them with sports scholarships. To sign up or donate, call Summer Dacalio at 498-7336, Pete Dacalio at 498-3518 or Alysha Gustafson at 339-0858
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Everyone is invited to join in the Pahala Christmas Parade
on Sunday, Dec. 11. Photo by Julia Neal

PĀHALA’S CHRISTMAS PARADE welcomes community groups, churches, sports teams coffee farmers, classic vehicle drivers and more to travel through the village on Sunday, Dec. 11. The parade, in its 38th year, travels through the streets of Pāhala, with Santa and his helpers handing out candy to kids. A traditional stop is Kaʻū Hospital where long term patients come outdoors to see the decorated trucks cars and floats, marching groups and costumed characters.
    Participants begin gathering at the old Pāhala Armory at noon and the parade starts at 1 p.m. The parade ends at the Catholic Church on Pikake Street for refreshments. Organizer for almost four decades is Eddie Andrade. For more information, call Andrade at 928-0808.

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

Kaʻū News Briefs Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016

Taiko Drummers will play for the sixth annual Floating Lantern Ceremony today
at Punaluʻu Beach Park from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Photo by Julia Neal

NOMINEES FOR A WATER SECURITY ADVISORY GROUP are being accepted by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Deadline for accepting applications is Dec. 23. Advisors will serve, without compensation, through June 30, 2018. The Water Security group was established in Act 172, passed by the 2016 state legislature. Act 172 may be viewed and downloaded at: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2016/bills/GM1274_.PDF The chair of the state Board of Land & Natural Resources, Suzanne Case, former executive director of The Nature Conservancy, will review the applications and select individuals deemed qualified.

     Act 172 requires members of the Water Security Advisory Group be comprised of the manager and chief engineer of the board of water supply of each county or their designee, the deputy director for water resource management of the DLNR, and the following individuals who meet qualifications for each type of group member:
• A member with knowledge of agricultural water storage and delivery systems.
• A member of a private landowning entity that actively partners with a watershed partnership.
• A member with knowledge, experience and expertise in the area of Hawaiian cultural practices.
• A member representing a conservation organization.

Hawaiʻi consumes almost double the water as
other states, according to the Helono Moku
report at www.helonomoku.com.

     Interested people are encouraged to submit a resume, cover letter and three letters of reference that outline the applicant’s qualifications to serve on the Water Security Advisory Group. Applications can be sent to:Water Security Advisory Group, Commission on Water Resource Management, 1151 Punchbowl St., Room 227, Honolulu, HI 96813. 

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THE 2016 WORLD CONSERVATION CONGRESS, held in Honolulu in September and attended by Kaʻū residents representing conservation agencies and organizations, helped inspire legislation this summer for the state Water Security Advisory Group for which applicants are sought from throughout Hawaiʻi. The legislation creating the group states the “Hawaiʻi-hosted World Conservation Congress presents an opportunity for Hawaiʻi to demonstrate international leadership in investing in natural capital that supports economic growth and protects the quality of life. The challenge of managing the State's limited natural resources such as watersheds, marine habitat, and fresh water supply while fostering community resilience is too large a task for a single actor or sector to address alone. New and innovative partnerships are needed to catalyze large-scale investment in Hawaiʻi’s sustainable development,” states the new legislation.To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

HAWAIʻI CONSUMES WATER AT ALMOST DOUBLE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE, according to a report issued this year by the Hawai‘i Environmental Funders Group. The report called  He Lono Moku: The State of the Environment points to “residents and non-agricultural businesses using an average 144 gallons of water per day, or 4,320 gallons per month, due in part to the impact of seven million tourists a year.” The report was issued in advance of the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress held in Honolulu. To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

AN ALOHA + NATURAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP is set up by new Hawaiʻi state legislation that says, “The Aloha + Natural Capital Investment Partnership is a joint public-private conservation commitment that will demonstrate Hawaiʻi’s commitment to natural resources management with a special focus on climate resilience at the World Conservation Congress and beyond.
     “To provide reliable long-term funding needed to meet the State's Aloha + Challenge conservation targets by 2030, partners from multiple sectors, including county, state, and federal governments as well as private philanthropic and corporate entities, must work together to leverage funds and provide matching opportunities,” states the new legislation. A number of partnerships will be managed by the state Department of Land & Natural Resources.

Water in Kaʻū has been used by ranchers and planters
for many generations. A new state initiative is to
increase water security for agriculture, nature and people.
Photo from state Department of Agriculture

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS TO INCREASE WATER SECURITY will be sought by the new Water Security Advisory Group. The enabling 2016 state legislation aims “to enable public-private partnerships that increase water security by providing matching state funds for projects and programs that increase the recharge of groundwater resources; encourage the reuse of water and reduce the use of potable water for landscaping irrigation; and improve the efficiency of potable and agricultural water use.”
   The legislation also allows the state Department of Land & Natural Resources to establish an account or fund for depositing moneys appropriated by the legislature; gifts, grants, and other private funds; and federal funds. The money is to be used for projects and programs to increase water security recommended by the water security advisory group. provided that state funds are matched for each project. 

The DLNR’s  Division of Forestry & Wildlife manages a little more than one million acres of public land. Approximately 900,000 of those acres fall within a Watershed Partnership boundary.

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Tulsi Gabbard

A THANKSGIVING WEEKEND MESSAGE FROM CONGRESSWOMAN TULSI GABBARD urged people to “enjoy some down times together.” She thanked the military for their service.
   For the people of Hawaiʻi, she said, “Mahalo for the privilege of serving you and working for you. There’s no question that this year has had its shares of ups and downs. We’ve had debates about whether or not to take military action in Syria and we went through a government shutdown which negatively affected hundreds and thousands of people costing our country tremendously. Through these tremendous challenges I want you to know how much I have valued your feedback, your guidance and your encouragement as we work together towards a stronger, more sustainable future.

     “I know that as long as we stand together, in the spirit of aloha and service we will bring people together to bridge divides and find constructive ways to work together,” said Gabbard.

 To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Mandala Forest Bird Platter stoneware pottery by
Emily Herb, one of Volcano Village Artists Hui
opening her studio today and tomorrow.
Photo from Emily Herb

30TH ANNUAL VOLCANO VILLAGE ARTISTS HUI STUDIOS TOUR, SHOW & SALE wraps up today and Sunday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Volcano Village. Art explorers are invited to meet the artists in their studios to see and purchase pottery, raku, hand-blown art glass, sculpture, jewelry, and fiber art as well as photographs, paintings, drawings, metal work, quilts, and block prints.

    The annual event started 30 years ago when a small group of Volcano Village artists offered an informal studio sale of artworks on Thanksgiving weekend. Today, the Hui has 14 artists and craftspeople with six open studios and galleries. On display and for sale are classic pieces and new works inspired by Hawaiʻi island.
    A special drawing for pieces contributed by each of the artists will be held on the final day of the tour.

     For more information, call 987-3472 or 985-7487. Maps to the artists’ studios are available at local businesses and galleries in the Volcano and at: www.VolcanoVillageArtistsHui.com. 987-3472

VOLCANO ART  CENTER PROGRAMS PREVIEW EXHIBIT ends today, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Discover what the New Year has to offer. VAC will be on Volcano Artist Hui’s tour, and Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park will sell poinsettias. 967-8222

The sixth annual Floating Lantern Ceremony 

at Punaluʻu is today. Photo from KRHCAI

TODAY IS THE SIXTH ANNUAL FLOATING LANTERN CEREMONY at Punaluʻu Beach Park’s Medicine Pond, from 3 p.m. to  7 p.m. In addition to participants building, decorating and launching tiny boats to carry lights honoring late friends and family, the gathering features community potluck, Taiko drummers, Gi Gon demonstration, hula dancers and local music, followed by a special photo powerpoint presentation of loved ones, caregivers and previous celebrations. The theme is “Honoring the Past, Present and Future Generations.”
     To donate to the scholarship fund for health careers, call 928-0101. See more at Kaʻū Rural Health Community Association’s website https://krhcai.com and its Facebook page.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY holiday exhibit daily through Jan. 1 from  9 a.m. – 5 p.m., at  Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Featured at Christmas in the Country is the 17th Annual Invitational Wreath Exhibit, with prizes awarded for the best wreaths. To participate, contact Emily Weiss at 967-8222 or gallery@volcanoartcenter.org. Free; park entrance fees apply.

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

Kaʻū News Briefs Friday Nov. 25 2016

The Volcano went to New York this week and became a float in yesterday’s
90th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

THE ERUPTING VOLCANO, WATERFALLS, HAWAIIAN AGRICULTURE AND LOCAL CULTURE were main features representing Hawaiʻi Island on the float in the 90th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City yesterday. Macy’s partnered with King’s Hawaiian sweetbread company to build the float. It showed coco palms, sugar, pineapple, plumeria and other flowers, along with a waterfall, a volcano spewing confetti, and a rural shack, picnic table and garden.    Two hundred hula dancers and the Hawaiʻi all-state marching band of 500 musicians, from public and private schools around the state, joined the parade seen by about 50 million people on television and the Internet, and three million people on the streets of New York City.       Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Executive Director Amy Kule said, “Hawaiʻi is a land of absolute wonder. The agriculture, the culture itself, the sheer beauty of this island is going to be shared with a brighter and bigger audience.” To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. Tahiti-based London Missionary Society missionary William Ellis and American missionaries observed and recorded activity at Kīlauea Volcano in the summer of 1823 during a walk around the coastline of Hawaiʻi Island.  Wikipedia image  VOLCANO WATCH: “AN ASSUMPTION ABOUT KĪLAUEA VOLANO is proven wrong,” is the headline of this week’s report from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists. “Everyone extrapolates facts and makes assumptions based on those facts. Sometimes, such an assumption is repeated so often that it takes on the aura of a ‘fact’ itself. This is the story of how one such assumption about Kīlauea’s recent past was proven wrong – and only in the past couple of months!”

     Going back in the history of western arrival in Hawaiʻi, the scientists write that “William Ellis, leader of the first missionaries to visit Kīlauea, described numerous pieces of windblown pumice (‘spumous lava...as light as a sponge’) in hollows on the ground as he approached the summit from the southwest on August 1, 1823. This must be the golden pumice. How long before his visit did the pumice fall?”
    The scientists explain that, “Scattered remnants of a once-extensive pumice deposit occur on the ground surface west of Kīlauea Volcano’s summit caldera. The pumice, known as the golden pumice, records a large lava fountain in the southwest part of the caldera.

Golden pumice is seen here along with many other kinds
of offerings from the volcano. USGS photo

     “In a study of the golden pumice published in 1987, three celebrated geologists – Bob Sharp (CalTech), Dan Dzurisin (USGS), and Mike Malin (Arizona State) – suggested an eruption date ‘possibly around 1820.’ The only rocks that fell later onto the pumice were, in their interpretation, erupted in 1924. They observed other thin deposits locally overlying (hence, younger than) the golden pumice but ascribed them to remobilization of older deposits by water, rather than to younger eruptions.
     “These observations and interpretations led to the assumption – challenged in this Volcano Watch – that the golden pumice represents the youngest explosive eruption from the caldera until 1924.
     “Several years ago, another pumice bed, called the eastern pumice, was discovered in the southern part of Kīlauea’s caldera. It underlies, and therefore is older than, explosion deposits consisting largely of rock fragments, not pumice.
     “Work on the eastern pumice – see Volcano Watch for August 8, 2013 (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/view.php?id=188) – tracked it westward into golden pumice
country. Nowhere, however, could we find the two deposits in the same outcrop, so we could not determine if the golden pumice was truly younger than the eastern pumice, as was assumed.

A past assumption about pumice deposits on Kīlauea Volcano 

has recently been proven wrong. In this photo, the eastern 

pumice can be seen above the golden pumice, with 

stream deposits between the two. 

Photo by Sebastien Biasse, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

     “We looked in just the right place and found clear physical evidence of  two pumice layers, one on top of the other. The older, lower pumice has the golden pumice composition. A chemical analysis of the younger, upper pumice, which looks physically like eastern pumice, was completed in late October, and it is indeed eastern pumice. The outcrop was examined once more in November with neutral observers, just to be sure, and the field relations were confirmed.

     “This discovery upsets the apple cart. The assumption is wrong that the golden pumice records the last 19th-century explosion.

     “Instead, the eastern pumice and at least four other explosions occurred later. The fallout from these explosions was directed mainly southward, rather than westward, so there is little overlap with the golden pumice. But there is just enough, as shown by that one outcrop, to prove the case and falsify the long-held assumption.
     “Now we are challenged to determine better the ages of these eruptions. Had they all taken place before Ellis arrived, or were some explosions in the later 1820s overlooked because of infrequent visitation to Kīlauea? Do some of the rocks overlying the golden pumice, interpreted as reworked older deposits by Sharp and colleagues, instead record younger explosions? Could some of the rocks thought to be of 1924 vintage really be from the early 19th century? These
and other questions await answers. A geologist’s work is never done.” To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Puʻu ʻŌʻō breakout flow on east flank as seen on Nov. 22
Photo from USGS

VOLCANO ACTIVITY UPDATES: Kīlauea continues to erupt at its summit and East Rift Zone. This past week, the summit lava lake level varied between about 7.5 and 20 m (25-66 ft) below the vent rim. The 61g lava flow continued to enter the ocean near Kamokuna. On Nov. 21, a new breakout from the upper part of the 61g tube on the flank of Puʻu ʻŌʻō sent surface flows to the east and south. These flows remained active as of Nov. 23. The 61g lava flows do not pose an immediate threat to nearby communities. 
     Mauna Loa is not erupting. During the past week, small (less than magnitude-3) earthquakes occurred primarily beneath the upper Southwest Rift Zone and summit caldera at depths less than 5 km (3 mi). Deformation related to inflation of a magma reservoir beneath the summit and upper Southwest Rift Zone continues, with inflation occurring mainly in the southwestern part of the magma storage complex. No earthquakes were reported felt on the Island of Hawaiʻi this past week.

    Visit (http://hvo.usgs.gov) for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea daily eruption updates, Mauna Loa weekly updates, volcano photos, recent earthquakes info, and more; call for summary updates at 808-967-8862 (Kīlauea) or 808-967-8866 (Mauna Loa); email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

    Volcano Watch (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/) is a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survery Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates. To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

30TH ANNUAL VOLCANO VILLAGE ARTISTS HUI SHOW & SALE is today and on  Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Volcano Village. Gallerygoers are invited to meet the artists in their studios located in Volcano. Artworks will be on display and available for purchase in a variety of media including pottery, raku, hand-blown art glass, sculpture, jewelry, and fiber art as well as photographs, paintings, drawings, metal work, quilts, and block prints.          A special drawing for pieces contributed by each of the artists will be held on the final day of the tour.

     For more information, call 987-3472 or 985-7487. Maps to the artists’ studios are available at local businesses and galleries in the Volcano and at: www.VolcanoVillageArtistsHui.com. 987-3472.

VOLCANO ART CENTER PROGRAMS PREVIEW EXHIBIT, Friday, Saturday Nov. 25/26, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Discover what the New Year has to offer. VAC will be on Volcano Artist Hui’s tour, and Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park will sell poinsettias. 967-8222

Lights, lanterns and messages
honor loved ones at Punaluʻu
this Saturday. Photo by Julia Neal

TOMORROW IS THE SIXTH ANNUAL FLOATING LANTERN CEREMONY at Punaluʻu Beach Park’s Medicine Pond. In addition to participants building, decorating and launching tiny boats to carry lights honoring late friends and family, the gathering features community potluck, Taiko drummers, Gi Gon demonstration, hula dancers and local music, followed by a special photo powerpoint presentation of loved ones, caregivers and previous celebrations. The theme is “Honoring the Past, Present and Future Generations.” 

     To donate to the scholarship fund for health careers, call 928-0101. See more at Kaʻū Rural Health Community Association’s website https://krhcai.com and its Facebook page. To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY holiday exhibit daily through Jan. 1 from  9 a.m. – 5 p.m., at  Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Featured at Christmas in the Country is the 17th Annual Invitational Wreath Exhibit, with prizes awarded for the best wreaths. To participate, contact Emily Weiss at 967-8222 or gallery@volcanoartcenter.org. Free; park entrance fees apply.

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