Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013

Ka`u Community Floating Lantern Ceremony, Honoring Past, Present and Future Generations takes place today from
 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Punalu`u. Photo by Julia Neal

HAWAI`I 2050 PLAN gained national coverage in the Huffington Post this week. The analysis by Civil Beat contributor Billy Mason explains a local attitude and practice: “`A`ohe hana nui ke alu `ia translates to mean ‘No task is too big when done together by all.’”

      Mason contends that “local-level and state-level initiatives such as the Hawai`i 2050 Sustainability Plan will help to reduce the risks associated with Hawai`i’s current dependence on imported services and products, build resilience to address unavoidable impacts caused by climate change, preserve the aloha spirit and create new economic opportunities in Hawai`i for present and future generations.”
          Mason writes that “since the late 1980s, sustainability has been globally accepted and sustainable development defined as ... development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This definition of sustainability can traced to the Brundtland Commission’s concept of sustainable development, which they presented to the United Nations.

       “In line with the Brundtland definition and building upon the Hawai`i State Plan conceived in the mid-1970s, the 2050 Hawai`i Sustainability Plan proclaims sustainability to encompass the following criteria: ‘respects the culture, character, beauty and history of our state’s island communities; strikes a balance between economic, social and community, and environmental priorities; meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’”
      Mason writes that “in order to meet the defined criteria for sustainability in Hawai`i, the 2050 Hawai`i Sustainability Plan has designated the following five overlying goals:

• Living sustainably is part of our daily practice in Hawai`i. 
• Our diversified and globally competitive economy enables us to meaningfully live, work and play in Hawai`i. 
• Our natural resources are responsibly and respectfully used, replenished and preserved for future generations. 
• Our community is strong, healthy, vibrant and nurturing, providing safety nets for those in need. 
• Our Kanaka Maoli and island cultures and values are thriving and perpetuated. 

          Mason puts forth that “some of the elements that are necessary to facilitate the five primary goals of the 2050 Hawai`i Sustainability Plan include generating public and private sector awareness, engagement and stewardship, supporting the growth of local agriculture, developing renewable energy sources and efficient waste management systems, promoting economic development in local context and creating a comprehensive education program.
           “Among these elements, education plays the most significant role because it serves as the foundation for the success of the other elements and the subsequent implementation of a comprehensive sustainability plan.
         Mason says diffusion of knowledge is “the key to generating public and private sector awareness, engagement and stewardship.” He promotes conducting educational outreach events that present a problem to be solvable and incorporating sustainability into the academic curriculum at all levels to stimulate a shift in behavior of future generations.
        Mason suggests that the 2050 Hawai`i Sustainability Plan could set the benchmark for other states to protect the livelihood and lifestyle of their communities.
       “The future of sustainability in Hawai`i rests in hands of local communities that are willing to engage in the planning process, demand regulatory action and embrace stewardship,” Mason concludes.

      See civilbeat.com.
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Natural resource management has the potential for growth in Ka`u, according to a CDP
draft document. Here, The Nature Conservancy's Hawai`i Island director Shaylan
Crysdale discusses rain forest conservation.
Photo by Andrew Richard Hara

PUBLIC COMMENT ON A RECENTLY RELEASED draft document for the Ka`u Community Development Plan is due Monday, Dec. 16. Appendix V4C: Local Economic Development Plan Analysis is available to read at area libraries and community centers and online at kaucdp.info. The public can submit testimony through Dec. 16 using feedback forms found with the reference documents and on the website. The appendix discusses opportunities in various sectors of Ka`u’s economy, including creative, educational and research sectors. 

      “Due to the area’s significant natural and cultural assets,” as well as growth trends in these sectors, “there is considerable employment and entrepreneurial potential in these sectors in Ka`u,” the document states. “Specifically, potential appears high in the music, cultural activities and natural resource management as well as education and research in agriculture, environmental science, Hawaiian studies and geology.”
      The document says that growth in these sectors complements other economic sectors, including agriculture, renewable energy, payment for ecosystem services and ecotourism. It gives an example of creating authentic visitor experiences or creating an educational and research center focused on agriculture and natural and cultural resource management.
      “However, growth will require partnerships with and investment from outside organizations like the Three Mountain Alliance, the Department of Education, the University of Hawai`i and The Kohala Center,” the analysis concludes.

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John and Hope Keawe perform next month
at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium.

EVENTS IN HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK next month celebrate the holiday season. For all events, park entrance fees apply. 

      Volcano Festival Chorus presents its free Christmas concert Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp Theater. Sponsored by Kilauea Drama and Entertainment Network.
      Dinner is available at Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Café before the concert. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Call 967-8371 for more information.
      Carl Ray Villaverde performs in concert Tuesday, Dec. 10 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. After spending more than a decade on the mainland teaching `ukulele and guitar at Santa Barbara City College and performing throughout California, Villaverde returns to the islands with his new CD, Hawaiian Magic, on sale at the free show. $2 donations support park programs.
      `Ike Hana No`eau: Lauhala Weaving takes place Wednesday, Dec. 11 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Kilauea Visitor Center’s lanai. Members of `Aha Puhala o Puna share the art during this free program, and participants weave bracelets. Lauhala ornaments are available for sale.
      Recording artist John Keawe rings in the holidays with his music Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium, and his wife Hope interprets with her hula. $2 donations support park programs.
      Na Leo Manu: Haku Mele Ho`ike presents new, original Hawaiian music by local, island songwriters who attended a three-day Hawaiian music songwriter’s workshop with Kenneth Makuakane and UH-Hilo Hawaiian language instructor Kaliko Beamer-Trapp. The free program is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 18 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium.
      Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Café offers holiday buffets. On Christmas Day, Wednesday, Dec. 25, the buffet is from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. New Year’s Day’s buffet on Wed, Jan. 1 is served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Call 967-8356 for more information.

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Mike and Misato Mortara present their handblown art glass at Volcano Village
Art Studio Tour. Photo from Volcano Village Artists Hui

VOLCANO VILLAGE ART STUDIO TOUR continues today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring items on display and available for purchase. A drawing for pieces contributed by each artist is held at the end of the sale. Maps are available at Volcano Village businesses and at VolcanoVillageArtistsHui.com. 

      For more information, call 987-3472 or email eherb@hawaii.rr.com.

KA`U COMMUNITY FLOATING LANTERN CEREMONY, Honoring Past, Present and Future Generations is at Punalu`u Beach Park today from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. with a community Thanksgiving potluck, Taiko drummers, music and cultural dance.

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS in Na`alehu presents a Crèche Festival today from noon to 8 p.m. and tomorrow from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. with works by local crèche artists, a gallery of nativities, a children’s room with costumes and activities for the entire family.
      For more information, call 339-7402.

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, Nov. 29, 2013

Free Thanksgiving dinner drew 439 at Ocean View Community Center yesterday. Walk Off the Turkey event is tomorrow at 9 a.m.
Photo by Melissa Tveter

THE HISTORY CHANNEL’S NEW SERIES AMERICAN JUNGLE misrepresents 
hunting in Hawai`i, according to a statement from Department of Land & Natural Resources.  DLNR finds the series’ depiction of hunting activities “to be inaccurate, offensive, and in some cases, potentially illegal.” The department has launched an investigation into possible law violations occurring during filming of the show. Activities such as night hunting depicted in the show, both on public and private land, are illegal.

      Division of Forestry and Wildlife, which oversees DLNR’s hunting program, denied a permit request last spring for the production to film on state forest lands.

Jonathan Roddy Eric DePeralta and Kalei Fernandez in American Jungle.
Photo from The History Channel

      “We denied the film permit request because it failed to provide sufficient details to indicate the show’s content and raised concerns as to possible illegal activities that might be depicted in the series,” stated DLNR chair William Aila, Jr.
      “Cultural insensitivity of the series is also a concern to DLNR,” the statement said. “The series depicts ‘clans’ that are fighting over access trails to territorial hunting grounds that inaccurately portray restrictive access to Hawai`i’s public lands, which are held in public trust for the people.”
      In the first episode of the series, spears and dogs were used to hunt a cow. “However, in an archival review of more than 60,000 historical documents, there is no evidence that native Hawaiians hunted pigs in the forest with spears, let alone cattle,” the statement said. Cattle are not recognized as game animals in Hawai`i and are illegal to hunt without a special feral cattle control permit.
      “Hunting serves important historical, cultural and practical roles in Hawai`i,” said Gov. Neil Abercrombie. “When guided by lawful and ethical hunting practices, hunting supports worthy conservation objectives in protection of native species and habitats against invasive and destructive elements. Portraying our local hunters as primitives demeans our people and their contributions to subsistence and wildlife conservation. This appears to be a fictional ‘reality’ production with no connection to actual hunters in Hawai`i. If we discover any laws or regulations have been broken, we will vigorously pursue legal and/or criminal charges.”

      Others expressing concern in the statement are Hawai`i County Game Management Advisory Commissioner Willie-Joe Camara, Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement chief Randy Awo and Inga Gibson, Hawai`i director of The Humane Society.
      On the Facebook page for rustyboar.com, TJaye Ailama Forsythe, who came up with the idea for the series, responded to DLNR’s statement: “This is a television show, not a documentary. Television shows have fictional and non-fictional elements to them. American Jungle was considered more of a reality show because these are not actors, and they are not reading from a script. If the show was meant to be an accurate depiction of hunting in Hawai`i, we would have created a documentary.”
      See dlnr.hawaii.gov/huntered/2013/11/28/nr13-154h.
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Arroya Rivas, of Na`alehu, questions AKP's plan to produce feedstock and refine it into biofuel. Photo by Julia Neal

`AINA KOA PONO’S PLAN to harvest trees, shrubs and grasses from lands between Pahala and Na`alehu and to plant biofuel crops to feed a $400 million refinery to be built off Wood Valley Road has gained more testimony. In a letter to the state Public Utilities Commission, Arroya Rivas, of Na`alehu, questions whether `Aina Koa Pono’s plan is, in fact, pono.
      “The use of a good-sounding name (`Aina Koa Pono) to promote a project without allowing appropriate time for an independent (i.e. not AKP-related or funded) [review] of the environmental impact report is not “pono” and does not have the `Aina or, for that matter, the community of people who live close by, in their best interest,” Rivas writes.
      “At a time when we need to be move forward with sustainability by empowering the people to grow food, along comes AKP with an idea of a project that struggles with what has been called ‘adolescent technology.’ That is, unleashing the forces of technology without fully understanding the consequences. This is not ‘pono,’ but rather irresponsible and unacceptable.
      “The only project worth our cooperation is one where we can look forward to a better life for our children, our elders, and the people who live here precisely because it is, without a doubt, ‘pono’ for the `aina, the air and the water quality. Proven beyond a shadow of a doubt by an independent and extensive environmental impact study. This `aina and the people of Hawai`i deserve nothing less. 

      “How long can you keep pushing the `aina to produce 900 tons of feedstock every day using invasive species of plants while at the same time applying great and eventually even greater amounts of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers before the same soil becomes infertile? And this as food prices continue to rise, and the demand for food is on the rise.
      “Keep in mind, too, that eight or more diesel fuel trucks roaring down Hwy 11 would send toxic fumes into the atmosphere where families and children can be seen strolling. And the fact that we do, after all, have an elementary school in Na`alehu directly right off of Hwy 11 along with a preschool program, a much-used family park and a family clinic. …
      “Let’s also consider that 100 or even 300 hundred jobs is nothing compared to the amount and variety of food that can instead be grown in the same area to feed the hundreds of thousands of Hawaiian people who are facing the rise of food prices as you read this letter as well as generate very green and sustainable jobs. 

      “I urge AKP to put your energies and monies toward an earth-friendly energy base technology if that really is your intention. And I urge PUC commissioners to stand firm in the knowing that without an independent and not AKP environmental study, the commissioners would essentially surrender their responsibility to support projects that are indeed without a doubt pono for the `aina and the people.
      “Commissioners, it would be wise on your part to gather information on the truly alternative and sustainable energies available and get informed on what is best for the people and the `aina, or else individuals claiming ‘pono’ will do your business for you and fill their pockets despite the short- and long-term effect to the health of our children, our youth, our elders and the `aina.
      Rivas provides links to articles that she says may be “encouraging and educational:” naturalnews.com/023092_corn_ethanol_biofuels.html and livemint.com/2011/03/23001656/Tata-siqns-up-MIT-energy-quru.html.
      This and other testimony is available at puc.hawaii.gov. Docket number is 2012-0185.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Bong Aquino loads up donations from Ka`u to be shipped free to the Philippines.

DONATIONS FROM KA`U are on their way to the Philippines, with free transport donated by LBC shipping company. The effort is organized by the Big Island Filipino Community Council, with Ka`u board member Gloria Camba. The deadline for donating goods is over, but money is being accepted through a nonprofit to help the victims of the typhoon that killed more than 5,800 people in the Visayan area of the country. 

      A well-known person to Ka`u with family affected by the typhoon is economic development expert Margarita Day Day Hopkins, who has long supported Ka`u Coffee farmers. She planned to travel to the Philippines to reconnect with family in the storm-ravaged areas. 

      To arrange donations, call Camba at 928-8558, Amy Peralta at 928-8470 or Will and Grace Tabios at 929-9993.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Punalu`u is the site of a floating lantern
ceremony tomorrow. Photo by Julia Neal

THANKSGIVING AT OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY CENTER “was decorated like a five-star restaurant” for yesterday’s community Thanksgiving Dinner, said farmer James Hanka, who grew some of the food that was served there. The community association served 439 people at no cost to those who dined on turkey, local purple sweet potatoes, salads, a variety of cooked vegetables and pumpkin, cherry and apple pies. Many volunteers cooked and served the food. Ocean View Community Association board president Gil Robinson said the group wants to thank everyone who donated and volunteered. A silent auction helped raise money for the annual event.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

WALK THE TURKEY OFF tomorrow, Saturday, with Ocean View Community Association starting at 9 a.m. at mile marker 79 along Hwy 11. The annual event is under the state Adopt-a-Highway program. Association members clean from Iolani Street to Lehua, a two-mile stretch, four times a year.

VOLCANO VILLAGE ART STUDIO TOUR is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today through Sunday, featuring items on display and available for purchase. A drawing for pieces contributed by each artist is held at the end of the sale. Maps are available at Volcano Village businesses and at VolcanoVillageArtistsHui.com.
      For more information, call 987-3472 or email eherb@hawaii.rr.com.

KA`U COMMUNITY FLOATING LANTERN CEREMONY, Honoring Past, Present and Future Generations is at Punalu`u Beach Park tomorrow, fro 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. with a community Thanksgiving potluck, Taiko drummers, music and cultural dance are also on the schedule. Sign up for a lantern at Ka`u Resource & Distance Learning Center in Pahala or call 928-0101.

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS in Na`alehu presents a Crèche Festival tomorrow from noon until 8 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. The celebration includes works by local crèche artists, a gallery of nativities, a children’s room with costumes and activities for the entire family.
      For more information, call 339-7402.

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 Thursday, Nov. 28, 2013

Youthful O Ka`u Kakou volunteers helped to restore the rock wall at the Henry Opukahaia Chapel  above Punalu`u.
Photo by Myra Sumida

COMMUNITY SERVICE ORGANIZATION `O Ka`u Kakou is thanking Ka`u and its funders for volunteering time and money for over $62,000 spent on Ka`u projects and organizations between January and November of this year. Members of `O Ka`u Kakou, known as OKK, acknowledged the many hands that contributed materials, monetary donations and thousands of volunteer labor hours to make their projects successful. “`O Ka`u Kakou could not exist without you the people of Ka`u,” said OKK president Wayne Kawachi.
           “`O Ka`u Kakou will assist Hana Hou Restaurant with the annual Keiki Christmas Party on Wednesday, Dec. 11 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone wishing to help is welcome to join in. On Jan. 25, OKK will host its annual Keiki Fishing Tournament. Last year, 324 keiki participated with their families, and OKK served free lunches to 750. Approximately 90 volunteers came out to help, collectively contributing at least 650 hours, Kawachi said.

OKK Pres. Wayne Kawachi
Photo by Julia Neal

Volunteers work on rebuilding the crumbling cemetery wall atop a Punalu`u bluff.
Photo by Myra Sumida

      OKK cares for seven area cemeteries. The community group is expanding its improvement projects as part of the quest to keep Ka`u beautiful, said secretary Nadine Ebert. Most recently, OKK, along with volunteers and keiki, rebuilt the crumbling rock wall surrounding the Henry Opukahaia chapel cemetery atop the Punalu`u bluff. Work at other Ka`u cemeteries also includes Wai`ohinu Catholic Church; Keaiwa near Wood Valley; Pahala Chinese and Buddhist cemeteries; Pahala Community cemetery and the small cemetery just outside of Na`alehu. Members maintain weed control, lay gravel, build walls and repair and paint cemetery structures.       OKK spent 200 hours this year renovating the Pahala Hongwanji old school building for eventual community use. Hongwanji members are looking forward to sharing the use of this building with the Ka`u community, Kawachi said. Last month, OKK members prepared a garden for the Boys and Girls Club at the Hongwanji. OKK also helped the Pahala Catholic Church fix its rectory stairs and continues to work on improvement projects for Pahala and Na`alehu Catholic Churches.

Keiki and adults clean up six miles of highway near Punalu`u four times a year.
Photo by Myra Sumida

   Beautification projects also extend to cleaning six miles of Hwy 11 plus Ninole Loop Road every quarter as part of the Adopt-a-Highway program, which OKK has been doing for several years. The group also cares for the Punalu`u pond, ridding it of invasive plants once a trimester. Breakfast or lunch is always provided free to volunteers.
      Another part of OKK’s mission is to work with local organizations to help them achieve their goals, said Ebert. “We often lend our shave ice, pop corn, and hot dog machines for their fund raising efforts.” Groups include Hannah’s Makana `Ohana Hula Halau, Southside youth volleyball, Ka`u High School sports programs such as volleyball and wrestling, and Pop Warner football. OKK also provided labor for Ka`u Plantation Days, Ka`u Coffee Festival, Red Hat Spaghetti Dinner and Keoki Kahumoku’s Center for Hawaiian Music Studies workshops. OKK also donated to $1,800 to the Ka`u Hospital Charitable Foundation.        Local students also benefit from OKK’s support. This year the group raised $4,390 partnering with Queen Lili`uokalani Children’s Center to purchase preschool and kindergarten supplies for Na`alehu and Pahala students. Dedicated to working with Ka`u schools, OKK has expanded its reach to include hauling several truckloads of dirt for the improvement of the Na`alehu School garden program. OKK also donated $2,000 for continuing education scholarships.

O`Ka`u Kakou cares for seven historic cemeteries in Ka`u. Photo by Myra Sumida

       Working with the seniors of Ka`u holds a special place in the hearts of OKK members as well, said Kawachi. OKK sponsors a bingo luncheon three times a year, with the next one scheduled for February. “This proves to be fun for participant and workers,” he said. OKK continues to provide maintenance for homes and yards of seniors, installing handrails and grab bars, trimming trees and repairing roofs. 

      OKK also took up the reigns to help keep the annual Fourth of July festivities going. “Sponsoring the Fourth of July activities is a challenging event,” said Ebert. This year the parade included 35 entries, including Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare Lee Shibuya, Mayor Billy Kenoi, state Rep. Dennis Onishi and Ka`u County Council member Brenda Ford. Following the parade, a mini-carnival included a climbing wall and water slides for the keiki, free shave ice and hot dogs, as well as bingo and lunch for the adults.
“`O Ka`u Kakou would like to thank the many, many people of the Ka`u community for their kind generosity, said Kawachi.
      Board members of OKK include president Wayne Kawachi, vice president Walter Wong Yuen, secretary Nadine Ebert and treasurer June Domondon. For more information or to join, contact Ebert at ebertn004@hawaii.rr.com or call Kawachi at 937-4773.

HAWAI`I ELECTRIC LIGHT CO. has joined with its sister companies Hawaiian Electric Co, Maui Electric and American Savings Bank to contribute $100,000 to the Filipino Community Center of Hawaii to help Typhoon Haiyan victims in the Philippines. The donation will be matched by the Consuelo Foundation, through its promise to match up to $2 million.Electric company workers are also making personal donations that will also be matched by Consuelo.
     Connie Lau, Hawai`i Electric’s CEO said: “We appreciate the good work of the Consuelo Foundation in partnership with the FilCom Center to support this humanitarian cause “Our thoughts are with the people impacted by this devastating disaster.”

State Rep. Richard Onishi, winner of the Hawai`i Farm Bureau's top legislator award,
 walked in the Independence Day Parade this year in Na`alehu. Photo by Julia Neal

EAST KA`U STATE REPRESENTATIVE Richard H.K. Onishi has been named 2013 Legislator of the Year by the statewide Hawai`i Farm Bureau. Onishi serves as vice chair of the Agriculture Committee and member of the Finance, Economic Development and Business, Tourism, and Veterans Military Affairs & International Affairs Committees.
      Among his priorities is the development of agriculture on Hawai`i Island with efforts focused on securing funding sources, increasing opportunities for the industry and making it more available and competitive.
      The Hawai`i Farm Bureau’s Legislator of the Year awards are given to state lawmakers who demonstrate excellence in leadership and a demonstrated initiative to advance the interests of Hawai`i’s farmers and ranchers.
      The recipients are formally recognized at Hawai`i Farm Bureau’s Annual Meeting after being nominated and voted upon by a committee comprised all of Hawai`i Farm Bureau County chapters, representing agricultural stakeholders from across the state.  This past legislative session, Onishi worked toward the passage of legislation to improve agriculture in the state and especially on Hawai`i Island. The Legislature passed an appropriation of $800,000 to combat the coffee berry borer infestation, $1.5 million for agricultural livestock feed subsidies, $1.75 million for the new farmer and biosecurity loan programs and $600,000 for a biodigester to convert food waste to livestock feed.
      Additionally, Onishi has supported $75,000 annual appropriations for two youth education initiatives, the Department of Education’s Future Farmers of America program and the University of Hawai`i’s 4-H program.
      “I am extremely honored to have been selected as this year’s awardee — especially in my first year in office. I appreciate the recognition of my colleagues in the agriculture industry and will continue working toward the development and cultivation of our essential agriculture industry,” Onishi said.

       Ka`u Farm Bureau's annual meeting is Monday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m., Pahala Community Center.

Lisa Louise Adams will show her art at the Volcano Hui Artists tour starting tomorrow.
Photo from Volcano Village Artists Hui

THANKSGIVING FEASTS ARE AVAILABLE throughout Ka`u today.
      Kilauea Military Camp’s buffet is from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Crater Rim Café in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, featuring roast turkey, green bean casserole, corn chowder and more. Call 967-8356.
      In Na`alehu, South Side Shaka’s Restaurant begins serving its Thanksgiving dinners at 11 a.m. Call 929-7404.
      Also in Na`alehu, Hana Hou Restaurant presents a buffet from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. along with dinner from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Call 929-9717.
      Ocean View Community Association offers its annual meal, open to the entire community, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the community center. 

VOLCANO VILLAGE ART STUDIO TOUR is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday. The self-guided tour sponsored by Volcano Village Artists Hui allows the community to visit seven artists’ studios and features items on display and available for purchase.
      A drawing for pieces contributed by each artist is held at the end of the sale. Maps are available at Volcano Village businesses and at www.VolcanoVillageArtistsHui.com.
      For more information, call 987-3472 or email eherb@hawaii.rr.com.

KA`U COMMUNITY FLOATING LANTERN CEREMONY, Honoring Past, Present and Future Generations is at Punalu`u Beach Park this Saturday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Floating Lantern Ceremony this Saturday. Photo by Matt Coats

      It includes a community Thanksgiving potluck, Taiko drummers, music and cultural dance followed by the lantern release. Floating lanterns for inscribing messages and decorating will be provided to the first 100 registrants. Pre-registrations are being taken by Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, Inc., which is co-sponsoring the ceremony with health insurer HMSA, at 928-0101. Sign up at the Ka`u Resource & Distance Learning Center. 

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS on Mamalahoa Hwy in Na`alehu presents a Crèche Festival Saturday from noon until 8 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. The celebration includes works by local crèche artists, a gallery of nativities, a children’s room with costumes and activities for the entire family.
For more information, call 339-7402.