Ka`u Calendar Monday, Nov. 14, 2016

Supermoon sets, as seen from Ka Lae in Kaʻū yesterday morning. Photo by Richard Taylor

A SUPER FULL MOON SHONE OVER KAʻŪ YESTERDAY, the closest the moon has passed planet Earth in more than 68 years - since Jan. 26, 1948.
     Scientists call the supermoon a perigree moon which occurs when the moon becomes full at the same time it passes nearest Earth during its monthly elliptical orbit, making it look exceptionally large. That path is some 31,000 miles closer to Earth than when the moon passes on the other side of Earth, a path called the apogee.

Supermoon over Kaʻū
Photo by Peter Anderson

Supermoon over Punaluʻu.
Photo by Peter Anderson     

     A supermoon passes less than 223,694 miles from Earth and appears particularly big when seen near the horizon. The next super full moon will be Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017 and again, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018. The next supermoon to be closer to Earth than the recent event will be on Nov. 25, 2034. To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

THE FIRST OFFICIAL COMPETITION AT THE NEW KAʻŪ HIGH GYM is this Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18 and 19, drawing high schools from Keaʻau, Pahoa and Kealakehe. It’s the Trojan Girls Annual Food Drive Basketball Tournament.

      The first three games are Friday, Nov. 18, starting at 5:15 p.m. The tournament resumes all day Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m.

    The ticket required to watch the action is the offering of canned food, at least one can per person, to be distributed to needy families.
     Coach Cy Lopez said he and the team are excited to inaugurate the gym with girls basketball and for the tournament to be for such a good cause. It will also show off the new $18 million, 43,300- square-foot Kaʻū District Gym & Shelter, which opened in October. The gym is expected to also host volleyball tournaments and a camp this summer, organized by Kamehameha School Volleyball Coach Guy Enriques.
     Lopez said that Trojan girls are “looking forward to a great season because most of these players have been on our Hokulele Club basketball team. They’ve been working hard off season throughout the year. They are also very excited to be the first high school team to play in our brand new gym.”
     The new certified kitchen at the gym will be employed for this weekend’s tournament and the food on sale will include kalua pork bowl, laulau bowl, chili, hot dog, nacho salad, Pahala pops and laulau kalua combo.

Kaʻū High Trojans Girls Basketball Team invites the public to be the first to see a high school sports competition in the new Kaʻū District Gym this Friday and Saturday. The team asks the public to donate to their food drive in exchange for free entrance to the Annual Food Drive Basketball Tournament, beginning at 5:15 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. Saturday.
Photo by Jen Makuakane

      The coaching staff for the Trojans is comprised of Lopez, Jen Makuakane and Bridgette Pasion. Trojan team members are listed by grade. Seniors are: Alysha Gustafson-Savella, Zaylee Pascubillo, Charisma Felipe and Tristan Davis. Juniors are: Analei Emmsley, Junially Manantan and Dacy Andrade-Davis. Sophomores are Reisha Kekoa-Jara, Mei Lin Galban-Kinin, Kianie Medeiros-Dancel, and Malia Corpuz. The Freshman is Marilou Manantan.
     Teams competing in the weekend tournament are Kaʻū Varsity and JV, Keaʻau Varsity and JV, and Pahoa and Kealakehe JV teams.

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A new species of butterfly fish can be seen in Hilo at Mokupāpapa 

Discovery Center. The photo was taken at a depth of 180 feet off

 Pearl and Hermes Atoll, in the northwest Hawaiian Islands.

Photo by Craig McFall/NOAA

A NEWLY IDENTIFIED FISH SPECIES found in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands was unveiled for the public on this island last week after being discovered in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
    The presentation was made at Mokupāpapa Discovery Center in Hilo by Randall Kosaki, Ph.D., NOAA’s deputy superintendent for field and research at Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument; Tim Brown, aquarist, Mokupāpapa Discovery Center and Virginia Branco, educator and interim manager, Mokupāpapa Discovery Center.
     The new species on display is a butterflyfish called Prognothodes basabei, which can be seen in the Mokupāpapa aquariums.
     The scientists explained that the butterflyfish was found living in some of the most unexplored ocean environments, a mesophotic coral ecosystem called “the coral-reef twilight zone.” These are deep coral reefs living at depths of 150 to 600 feet.
    “Discoveries such as this underscore how poorly explored and how little we know about our deep coral reefs,” said Kosaki. “Virtually every deep dive we do takes place on a reef that no human being has ever seen.”

A 200-foot dive to study ocean life came up with
a new deep water butterflyfish species.
Photo by Greg McFall/NOAA

     This butterfly fish was first seen from a deepwater manned submersible more than 20 years ago at a depth as great as 600 feet. It was only in recent years that divers with advanced electronic closed-cirecuit rebreathers were able to dive to 330 feet and collect and preserve specimens of the fish to identify it as a new species.
      The new butterflyfish was named after Pete Basabe, a veteran Kona deep diver who has provided support for deep dives for many years for scientific studies on reef fishes.
   “This new discovery illustrates the conservation value of very large marine protected areas,” said Kosaki. “Not only do they protect the biodiversity that we already know about, they also protect the diversity we’ve yet to discover. And there’s a lot left to discover.”
    Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is the largest marine preserve in the world. 
    Mokupāpapa Discovery Center is at 76 Kamehameha Ave. in the historic Koehnen Building in Hilo and is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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TODAY IS ART CONTEST SUBMISSION DAY for every kind of art and for the competition for the annual Kaʻū Chamber of Commerce cover for The Directory, the business and community resource guide for 2017. Bring in art illustrating The Beauty of Kaʻū to Naʻalehu Hongwanji between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. today, Nov. 14. The show opens to the public Tuesday with free entry through Friday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Naʻalehu Hongwanji Breezeway.

     A popular vote will determine the cover of The Directory. All entries are eligible to win the popular vote (the cover) including youth and keiki art, with the exception of previous cover winners for The Directory. Registration is $5 per adult entry, $2.50 per youth entry and $1 per keiki entry. Prizes will be given for: photography, sculpture, woodworking, quilting, jewelry, lei, graphics, painting and weaving.

    During the show, works of art for sale will be priced on a list available from art show volunteers. The results of judging and the selection for The Directory cover will be announced Saturday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. at Naʻalehu Hongwanji, with artists invited to a reception and awards ceremony.  Entry forms are available at local schools and from merchants, on the Chamber website and at the door during art drop-off hours. The Directory is published in January.

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PAINTING WITH PEGGY, Monday, Nov. 14, 12 – 3 p.m., Volcano Art Center acrylic workshop returns. $20/$15 VAC members. Students bring supplies. 967-8222

JUMP ROPE CHALLENGE, Monday and Wednesday, Nov. 14 and 16, 2:15 – 3:15 p.m., Kahuku County Park. Ages 6 – 12. 929-9113

Halau O Akaunu shares hula at Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium

this Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

ʻŌHIʻA WING: OUR NEW MUSEUM is the topic of After Dark in the Park, tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The new museum will house items from the park’s vast museum collection of more than 1.5 million objects. The park’s Chief of Cultural Resources, Laura Carter Schuster, reveals the history and highlights of the collection and plans for exhibiting the objects in the original 1932 park Administration Building, formally a lodging facility called the ‘Ōhi‘a Wing. Free; park entrance fees apply.

HULA BY HALAU O AKAUNU is this Wednesday, Nov. 16 from 6:30 – 8 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Experience the ancient traditions of Hawai‘i come to life through the chant and dance of Hālau o Akaunu. Hailing from Hilo, Hawai‘i, and under the instruction of Mānaiakalani Kalua, Akaunu strives to perpetuate the ‘aiha‘a style of hula borne of this volcanic landscape. Free; park entrance fees apply.

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

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016

Tiapala, friend to many Kaʻū people, has gone home to the Nechung Temple in India after more than 30 years living in Kaʻū.
Photo by Julia Neal

WOOD VALLEY’S RESIDENT TIBETAN BUDDHIST MONK HAS DEPARTED. Lobzang Toldan, best known as “Tiapala,” recently moved home to Nechung Monastery in India after living for more than 30 years in Kaʻū.
     Tiapala moved to the Nechung Temple in Wood Valley in 1984. The temple opened in 1973 and is closely associated with the Dalai Lama who visited in 1980 and 1994.
     Tiapala is known to be very friendly. He led public Buddhist services at the temple, and participated in interfaith services and blessings throughout the Kaʻū community. He rang the gong for prayers and greeted guests. He helped with a coffee farm on the temple grounds and enjoyed picking coffee while listening to Dalai Lama teachings. Most local residents knew him.
     Nechung Temple is today a retreat and active Tibetan Buddhist temple located on 25 acres. The temple has hosted over 50 programs led by Tibetan Buddhist lamas.

Tiapala welcomed people for prayers and lessons. Photo by Julia Neal   

     The temple is located in Wood Valley on the former site of a Nichiren Shu sect Buddhist temple dedicated by Japanese residents of the area in 1902. A flood destroyed the temple in the early 1920s. After rebuilding, the temple reopened but was closed during World War II when its Japanese language teacher and priest were sent to holding camps for internment. In the 1950s the temple again reopened, but shut its doors in 1963, as most of the Japanese sugar workers had moved from camps in the area to houses in Pahala.
     In the early 1970s Tibetan Buddhist students invited Nechung Rinpoche, the head lama from Nechung Monestery in India, to come to Hawaiʻi. The students found the Wood Valley temple site and thought it would be a perfect place for a temple and retreat center for Rinpoche. Rinpoche came to Hawaiʻi and stayed at the Wood Valley temple for eight years.
     Tiapala served as Rinpoche’s assistant in Tibet and India. After Rinpoche passed away in 1983, the temple in Wood Valley invited Tiapala to be the resident monk. With his departure, a new resident monk is expected to arrive  in the future, coming from from Nichung Monastery in India.
   Today, “Just outside Pahala, this century-old, colorful Tibetan Buddhist temple is wonderfully juxtaposed against a lush 25-acre retreat center where peacocks roam free,” is how the Lonely Planet guidebook for Hawai‘i Island describes the center.
     Visitors are welcome to join in chanting and meditation sessions (held daily at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.), or to just visit the temple and its gift shop. Rooms in a meditative guesthouse are available for stays of a few nights for individuals and groups. See www.nechung.org 

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Kumu Hula Debbie Ryder, on drums, accompanies 

dancers from Hālau Hula O Leonalani of Pahala, as

they celebrate Kahuku with the forest behind them.

Photo by Ann Bosted

Iwao Yonemitsu
Photo by Ron Johnson

THE WESTERN SIDE OF HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK            experienced a double celebration on Friday, Nov. 11. The Kahuku Unit celebrated Veterans’ Day and Fridays becoming permanently open to the public.

     The 116,000-acre Kahuku unit was added to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Naitonal Park in 2003, doubling its size. Since about 2010, this vast area has been open to the public only on weekends from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., often with some Saturdays closed. The extra visitation day each week means more time for Kaʻū residents and visitors to enjoy the unit’s five trails, and will be a small step in closing the gap between the highly visited and publicized eastern side, and the far less visited and essentially undeveloped western side, with its history of ranching, native forests and wildlife.
    Hundreds of people, mostly Kaʻū residents, joined the double celebration, which included a special ranger-led hike, keiki activities, a Hawaiian game like horseshoes, Hawaiian music, hula, educational and activity booths and three food trucks.
     Debbie Ryder and her Hālau Hula Leonalani performed with musicians Gene Beck and Demetrius Oliveira.
     Keola Awong, the Area Manager for Kahuku, welcomed the crowd to the historic celebration. Kahuku park ranger Wendy Vance introduced the well-known World War II veteran and Kaʻū personality, Iwao Yonemitsu, who was honored for his military service in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during WWII..
     Yonemitsu, 93, said he was a “buck sergeant” in the army, who, at the age of 20, chose to serve his country instead of being interned with other members of his generation who were of Japanese ancestry.
   “We were trained in Mississippi for 14 months, before being sent to combat. We were on board a ship for 28 days without knowing which part of Europe we were travelling to.
    “We landed in Italy. I was in charge of four guys, and we had the responsibility of carrying and firing 60mm mortar shells, to support riflemen. We fought from 1943 to 1945. We worked our way from Rome to Florence in Italy, where at least the weather was warm. We were shocked to encounter Italian families begging us for left-over food.
     “France was colder and wetter, but we never pitched a tent.”

SusZan Warner, National Park ranger based in Kahuku Unit, shows keiki how

 to make attractive bookmarks honoring  Hawai'i Volcanoes
 National Park by pressing inked molds onto the paper. Clockwise from
 bottom left are JerenaVierra-Mukini, Suszan, Sean Self-Ahyee,
Dreana Vierra-Mukini and La'akea Kaawaloa-Okita. Photo by Ann Bosted

    Yonemitsu was in New York City when VE Day was declared, and in San Francisco for VJ day.  
     Back in civilian life, Yonemitsu settled in Naʻalehu. He became Crop Control Superintendent at Hutchinson Sugar Co. in Na`alehu and when Hutchinson and Hawaiian Agricultural Company of Pahala consolidated in the early 1970s, Yonemitsu became Crop Control Superintendent of Ka'u Sugar and retired in 1987.
    He is well known for his history lectures and photo shows on sugar plantation life and its economy. He and his wife Alice have four children.

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NATIVE HAWAIIAN FORESTS and the ‘Ōhi‘a Lehua, Sunday, Nov 13, 9:30 a.m., is the program at Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Participants learn about the vital role of ‘ōhi‘a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, its many forms and flower on this free, easy, one-mile walk. nps.gov/havo

Dick Hershberger wrote the dialogue and plays Jaggar in the
vignettes about the 1916 founding of Kilauea Miltary Camp and
 Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and the their ongoing history.
KMC Theater today. Photo from KDEN

VIGNETTES ON KĪLAUEA MILITARY CAMP'S HISTORY and its partnership with Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park are on tap for 2 p.m. at Kīlauea Military Camp Theater. The Sunday afternoon event is hosted by Kīlauea Drama & Entertainment Network and entitled Kīlauea 1916...and Beyond: A Centennial Celebration. The vignettes, with dialogue written by Dick Hershberger, look back at the people involved with the beginning of KMC and the park, which both opened in 1916. Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door.

SUPERMOON RISING, A supermoon is rising in the Kaʻū sky. This will be the closest full moon to Earth since 1948, according to NASA. The supermoon rises from the ENE at 5:38 p.m. today, and sets on Monday morning in the WNW at 6:50 a.m. The oversize moon, though it will be visually slightly smaller, rises again on Monday at 6:32 p.m. and sets on Tuesday at 7:56 a.m., and rises again on Tuesday at 7:29 p.m.
   The visual effect of a supermoon is due to the eliptical orbit of the moon, a NASA report states. One side of the moon (the perigee) is about 30,000 miles closer than the other side (the apogee).  When the perigee faces the earth the moon looks larger. The moon rising tonight will look about 14 percent larger than usual, and will shine about 30 percent more moonlight on Kaʻū. Watch for another supermoon on Dec. 14. A supermoon already appeared on Oct. 16.

MEDICINE FOR THE MIND, Sunday, Nov 13, 4 p.m. – 5:45 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Buddhist healing meditation for beginners through advanced. Free. Patty, 985-7470.

VAC COMMUNITY OUTREACH, Sunday, Nov 13, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. At the first semi-annual potluck event, members, board of directors and staff share and discuss plans for future programs and events. All are encouraged to attend. 967-8222.

Annual Makahiki Run passed through Kaʻū on Friday.
Photo by Ann Bosted

THE ANNUAL MAKAHIKI RUN AROUND THE ISLAND passed through Kaʻū on Friday. Runners said the circling of the island marks the season for connection and rejuvenation. They described it as a prayer run. It began on Nov. 9, and is scheduled to end today.
    Physical feats are very much a part of Hawaiian culture, and this one is no exception. In four days the runners cover 175 miles, while carrying the staff of the ancient Hawaiian god Lono. Any runner along the way is welcome to join in, for whatever distance. Supporters are available to drive cars for those who spontaneously join the run.
     The first run was held in 2014, and was the brainchild of Lanakila Mangauil, a cultural practitioner from Hāmākua. Originally the Makahiki was the traditional practice of the circuit of the high chiefs and the kahuna. In early times the procession would go clockwise around the island, beginning in Kealakekua, said participants.

BEAUTY OF KAʻŪ ARTWORK IS DUE TOMORROW, Monday, Nov. 14 at Naʻalehu Hongwanji between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The annual Chamber of Commerce art show opens to the public Tuesday with free entry through Friday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Naʻalehu Hongwanji Breezeway.
     A popular vote will determine the cover of The Directory, the 2017 Kaʻū Chamber of Commerce community resource and business guide. All entries are eligible to win the popular vote (the cover) including youth and keiki art, with the exception of previous cover winners for The Directory. Registration is $5 per adult entry, $2.50 per youth entry and $1 per keiki entry. Prizes will be given for: photography, sculpture, woodworking, quilting, jewelry, lei, graphics, painting and weaving.
    During the show, works of art  for sale will be priced on a list available from art show volunteers. The results of judging and the selection for The Directory cover will be announced Saturday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. at Naʻalehu Hongwanji, with artists invited to a reception and awards ceremony.  Entry forms are available at local schools and from merchants, on the Chamber website and at the door during art drop-off hours. The Directory is published in January.

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PAINTING WITH PEGGY, Monday, Nov 14, 12 – 3 p.m., Volcano Art Center acrylic workshop returns. $20/$15 VAC members. Students bring supplies. 967-8222

JUMP ROPE CHALLENGE, Monday and Wednesday, Nov 14 ans 16, 2:15 – 3:15 p.m., Kahuku County Park. Ages 6 – 12 . 929-9113


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

Ka`u News Briefs, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016

Tulsi Gabbard gave the keynote address at KMC’s Veterans Day ceremony yesterday.
Photo from Big Island Video News

A VETERANS DAY MESSAGE came from Tulsi Gabbard yesterday as she put on her Army Service Uniform and made her way to Kīlauea Military Camp for ceremonies. The congresswoman who represents Kaʻū, Volcano and the rest of rural Hawaiʻi, wrote about, “Remembering the brave men and women I’ve had the privilege of serving alongside. In all of the political chaos that we have witnessed and experienced this year, it’s important that we pause today to honor the service of our veterans and remember the values that they sacrificed for.”

Flags and program  ready for Veterans Day at Kīlauea Miltary Camp.
Photo from KMC

     She also reflected on the political landscape: “Nationally, we’ve just closed what has been a bitter, divisive campaign season that has left deep, open wounds for millions of Americans. There’s much that remains unknown about what we can expect in the months to come, but what I do know is that now more than ever our progressive movement requires focus and an ‘all hands on deck’ approach." 

    Gabbard continued: “Beyond the results of one election, however, the deeper tragedy is that as Americans we have become alienated from each other. Beneath the anger, distrust and divisiveness is a pervasive anxiety that we are becoming unglued instead of coming together as a nation.
     “If we want to preserve the foundation of our democracy, it’s vital that we find common ground that allows us to work for the greater good of this nation. This does not mean giving up our values. This does not mean swallowing a bitter compromise. Finding common ground means reaching out with respect and aloha, despite the issues that divide us, despite the hurt, despite the fear, and recognize what unites us as human beings.

Iwao Yonemitsu, honored at Kahuku’s Veterans Day celebration, with
Area Manager for Kahuku, Keola Awong, meditating on his words
 about the 442nd and military service. 

Photo by Ron Johnson

     “If you believe the angry box in your living room, you might conclude that America is so deeply divided that finding common ground is impossible. But I don’t believe that for a second. When I walk around my neighborhood, the grocery store, or the farmers market, I don’t see Democrats or Republicans, Progressives or Conservatives. I see my brothers and sisters – living, breathing human beings, with diverse and complicated stories, views and desires that can’t be packaged neatly in a box. I see their fear and anxiety. I see their frustration with a government they don’t feel is listening to them. And I see that there are vast tracts of unexplored, common ground between us. With virtually no exceptions, we want our children to thrive and to feel safe in their home and in their neighborhood. We want peace, justice and the natural prosperity that results from hard work and innovation.
     “As I look at the way forward, I acknowledge there are challenges, and I choose to see opportunity. We have an opportunity to articulate a vision for peace by ending counterproductive regime-change wars. We have an opportunity to stand firm in our resolve to stop destructive trade deals. We must continue to illustrate the impacts that climate change is already having on communities around the world –especially our islands – and move forward on the issues that matter to us.
     “I hope you will join me as we start down this path toward real reform and progress. And as always, continue to fight for equality and respect for all people, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or any other external difference. 

    “I am deeply honored and humbled to represent the people of Hawai‘i and will continue to do my best to bring the spirit of aloha to our nation’s capital.”
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THE CELEBRATION OF KAHUKU OPENING ON FRIDAYS drew people to this unit of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on Veterans Day to learn about history, culture and wildlife. There were opportunities to educate keiki and listen to music by Demetrius Oliviera and Gene Beck. Honored during the day was Iwao Yonemitsu, Naʻalehu resident and veteran of the U.S. Army’s 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a fighting unit in World War II composed almost entirely of American soldiers of Japanese ancestry.

Keiki learned to paint images of Kahuku wildlife.
Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

Musicians Gene Beck and Demetrius Oliveira
celebrate Kauhku Unit opening to the public
 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
 Photo by Ron Johnson

   














The Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is now open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saving the ‘ōhiʻa forest was featured at the celebration yesterday
at Kahuku. Photo by Ron Johnson

This Sunday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 26, visitors will learn to identify the many differences of the most prominent native tree in Kahuku, the ʻōhiʻa lehua. Learn about the vital role of ʻōhiʻa lehua in Native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the tree and the lehua flower. The program is offered free from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. 

      On Sunday, Nov. 20, a hike called People and Land of Kahuku will loop two miles over three hours, guided through varied landscapes to explore the human history of Kahuku. 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 Native Hawaiians, through generations of ranching families, to the current staff and volunteers of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Learn about the powerful natural forces at work and how people have adapted to, shaped, and restored the Kahuku land. Enter the Kahuku Unit on the mauka side of Highway 11 near mile marker 70.5, between South Point Road and Ocean View.

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Dr. Jaggar (Dick Hershberger), Lorrin Thurston

(Steve Peyton) and Gov.Walter Frear (Joel Kelley)

 meet to discuss the forming of Kīlauea and Hawaiʻi

 Volcanoes National Park. Photo by Stacy Halemano

THE DRAMATIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KĪLAUEA MILITARY CAMP and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is depicted tonight, Saturday, and tomorrow, Sunday afternoon, in Kīlauea Drama & Entertainment Network’s performance of Kīlauea 1916...and Beyond: A Centennial Celebration. To be performed at Kīlauea Military Camp Theater, the vignettes for Kīlauea 1916 look back at the people who were a part of the beginnings of Kīlauea Military Camp and the unique partnership between KMC and Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, both of which opened in 1916.
      Kīlauea 1916 features many characters including a reporter talking with Isabel Jaggar as she prepares to board a ship in Honolulu to sail to Hilo and her Volcano home. On the dock, musicians play music of the era. Other characters include: Volcanologist Dr. Thomas Jaggar, publisher Lorrin Thurston, Territorial Gov. Walter Frear, Cpl. Ovid Smith, George Lycurgus, Mitsue Tanaka, Shizuka Yasunaka and Hidechi Yasunaka.
     The performance’s and Beyond section continues the history of KMC with stories of veterans, some stationed, some vacationing, at KMC – the most famous being Gen. Dwight Eisenhower in 1946. Other characters include: Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps workers, WWII internees and a fighter pilot, a Navy chaplain in Korea, a Marine in Vietnam and a medic in Iraq. The common thread is the postmaster who weaves the history of KMC through his personal stories of interacting with the people who come there.
     Ka‘ū resident Dick Hershberger, who portrays Jaggar in KDEN’s Living History program A Walk Into the Past, wrote the dialogue.
     Members of the cast include Arlene Araki, Stephen Bond, Bill Chikasuye, Teresa Christian, Asia Helfrich, Dick Hershberger, Joel Kelley, Steve Peyton and Ray Ryan. Karl Halemano coordinates the music, with Hal Tredinnick, Jade Malia Tredinnick, Olivia Halemano and more performing.
     The performance tonight is at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.. Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door.
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BEAUTY OF KAʻŪ ARTWORK IS DUE ON MONDAY, Nov. 14 at Naʻalehu Hongwanji between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The annual Chamber of Commerce art show opens on Tuesday with free entry to the public through Friday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Naʻalehu Hongwanji Breezeway. 

     A popular vote will choose the cover of The Directory, the 2017  Kaʻū Chamber of Commerce community resource and business guide.

     All entries are eligible to win popular vote (the cover) including youth and keiki, with the exception of all previous cover winners. Registration is $5 per adult entry, $2.50 per youth entry and $1 per keiki entry. Prizes will be given for: photography, sculpture, woodworking, quilting, jewelry, lei, graphics, painting and weaving. There are separate youth and keiki categories. 

     During the showing all week at Naʻalehu Honwanji, those works of art that are for sale will be priced on a list available from art show volunteers.
     The results of judging of all categories and the selection for The Directory cover will be announced Saturday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. at Naʻalehu Hongwanji, when artists are invited to a reception and awards ceremony.
     Entry forms are available at local schools and from merchants, on the Chamber website and at the door during art drop-off hours. The Directory is published in January.

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