Kaʻū News Briefs Jan. 4, 2025

A close-up view of an active lobe of pāhoehoe lava flowing in Kaluapele, the summit caldera of Kīlauea volcano, on
 Jan. 3. The lava halted that evening. USGS photo by M. Patrick 

THE VOLCANO TURNED OFF HER LAVA FAUCET FRIDAY night, but particulates and S02 in the air remained high in Pāhala until the wind shifted and blew both to Ocean View, Kona and Waikoloa. USGS reported that the eruption at Kīlauea volcano that began on Monday, Dec. 23 paused at approximately 8:40 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 3, as the remaining lava fountain from the south vent shut down rapidly. Glow from the crater floor remained persistent as breakouts and overturning crustal plates exposed molten lava. This glow could persist for days. No unusual activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or 
Southwest Rift Zone.

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VOLCANO AWARENESS MONTH IS HERE with events in Kaʻū including a talk story opportunity with HVO staff this Wednesday, Jan. 8 at Nāʻālehu Public Library from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; a talk summarizing eruptive activity and earthquakes over the past year at Cooper Center in Volcano village on Friday, Jan. 10; a coffee talk at Kahuku Unit of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 9:30 a.m. regarding the 2019–2020 water lake at Kīlauea summit; an opportunity to learn the art and science of geologic mapping in Hawai‘i during a talk at Volcano Art Center in Volcano village on Thursday, Jan. 16; and a talk in Pāhala at Kaʻū District Gym Recreation Room on Monday, Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m. about earthquakes happening deep beneath that region since 2019.
   A new USGS art and poetry contest for Volcano Awareness Month 2025 is open through Jan. 20. Submit a haiku poem or art in any medium, no larger than 16x24 inches in size, related to volcanic landscapes or eruptions in Hawai‘i. Winners in several categories will be announced in a Volcano Watch article at the end of January, and a selection of entries will be on display at a scientific conference on caldera-forming eruptions, such as Kīlauea's in 2018, set for Hilo in February 2025.

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HAWAI'I INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL has arrived to Kaʻū and students, vocal coaches,  pianists, violinists began classes on Sunday and preparation for concerts in Kaʻū and 
beyond this week.
    Founders Amy Shoremount Obra, a renowned opera singer from the famed Obra Kaʻū Coffee family, and internationally renowned virtuoso violinist Eric Silberger will present a concert at Ocean View Community Center this Saturday from 12:30 to 2:15 p.m.
    Called Stars of Broadway, Opera and Ballet, it will include performances by Carlton Moe, Star of Broadway's Phantom of the Opera; Monica Chung, renowned pianist from Kaua'i; Maika'i Nash, pianist and music director from Hawai'i; and Farley Sangels, Ocean View's trumpet virtuoso. Opera stars of the future from the Garcia School will also perform, as well as Anastassiya Neznanova, a ballerina from New York.
    The Ocean View concert will be followed by a concert at Pāhala Plantation House at 7 p.m. See more and make reservations for Pāhala at
www.himusicfestival.com.

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