Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Ka`u chapter of Hawai`i Farmers Union United plans to have a booth at Ka`u Farmers Market in Na`alehu where farmers can offer there products to the public. Photo from Earth Matters Farm

KA`U HAWAI`I FARMERS UNION UNITED NOMINATED a provisional board at its meeting Saturday. “We are still looking to fill the position of secretary, so please consider stepping up to the plate because not only is our HFUU chapter shaping up to be a responsible, effective bunch of people, but they are all really fun to be around and make great food," said President Malian  Lahey. Other officers are Vice President Richard Creagan and Treasurer Richard Abbett.

Malian Lahey, President, Ka`u chapter
of Hawai`i Farmers Union United

      The group is planning to have a booth at Na`alehu Farmers Market. “We would like the farmers to bring produce when in season or as available, Lahey said. Farmers will quote their wholesale price and get a receipt when dropping off items at the booth. Ka`u HFUU will mark up the produce 20 percent, then half of the proceeds will go to the person at the booth, and half will go to Ka`u HFUU.
      Items that will go to the booth include truck crops from Gail and Greg Smith, bamboo starts and oranges from Richard Creagan, native plant starts and trees from Thomas King, herbs from Olivia Ling, coffee seedlings from David Kaawa, roasted coffee from Manuel Marques, mangoes from Marla Hunter and redworms from Marilyn Creagan.
      Ka`u HFUU’s next meeting is on Saturday, July 12. For more information, email malian@kauspecialtycoffee.com.

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Duane Kanuha

SOUTH POINT RESIDENTS REPORT that another fire that broke out yesterday was a continuation of the fire that began on Sunday, June 1. Yesterday’s fire was put out quickly. Rancher Tissy Kaniho reminded everyone that campfires are especially dangerous in summer, when the area is extremely dry.

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MORE COMMUNITY INPUT is requested by county Planning Director Duane Kanuha regarding a proposed addition to the zoning code. The measure comes up at 10 a.m. at the Windward Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, July 3 at Aupuni Center’s Conference Room on Hilo. It would “require the planning director to review and consult with a local design review committee for certain land use permit applications situated within a special district to promote consistency with applicable adopted design guidelines and/or standards,” says the agenda.

ALLOWING MULTIPLE FAMILY residential units on land zoned Industrial-Commercial Mixed is also on the Planning Commission agenda for July 3, also proposed by the county Planning Director.
      Agenda is available at hawaiicounty.gov.

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Dave Bateman, candidate for Ka`u's state
Rep. District Five

DAVE BATEMAN IS RUNNING FOR STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES District Five, representing Kona to Na`alehu. Bateman owns Heavenly Hawaiian Coffee Farms, which he and his wife have operated for the past nine years. He is also a retired U.S. Air Force Reserve Colonel, former Assistant Attorney General for Washington state and attorney in private practice for over 30 years. 

      “With the exception of tourism, our island economy is in worse shape now than two years ago. Living costs continue to spiral upward. And our elected leaders continually disrespect the voters by passing laws that the people have clearly said they do not want,” Bateman said, explaining his desire to listen to voices of the local community. He indicated he will push to add employment on Hawai`i Island by increasing agricultural jobs and farming opportunities, and also fight to reduce the high cost of living. Bateman also said he will work to improve education.
      Bateman said he wants to help local families and farmers and promised to be a clear voice for the needs of the “mostly agricultural Kona and Ka`u districts.”
      Bateman is past President of Kona Sunrise Rotary Club and a board member of Kona Coffee Council, Hawai`i Coffee Association and the Coffee Berry Borer Task Force. He and his wife Trudy live in Keauhou Mauka and have two grown children and three grandchildren.
      See bateman2014.com.

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KA`U’S WASTE COULD BE BURNED TO CREATE electricity if Hawai`i County chooses one of three finalists who submitted alternatives to burying trash in landfills. The county has announced that Covanta Energy Corp., Green Conversion Systems, Inc. and Wheelabrator Technologies, Inc. made the short list out of eight vendors who submitted bids for the project, according to Nancy Cook Lauer, of West Hawai`i Today.
      Cook Lauer reports that “it’s possible, though not likely, that the three companies are offering some other solution to the county’s waste reduction request for proposals,” since all three companies specialize in waste-to-energy systems.
      According to the county, Hilo landfill will be full in approximately two years. Cook Lauer said ash from combustion of waste would probably be trucked to Pu`uanahulu landfill in West Hawai`i as it is the county’s only lined landfill.
      A final decision is expected in January 2015.

Covanta Energy Corp. is one of three finalists in the county's search
to find an alternative to landfills.

      At yesterday’s meeting of the county Committee on Agriculture, Water and Energy Sustainability, more than thirty residents testified on a resolution to stop the project and issue new requests for proposals.
      Kohala Council member Margaret Wille author the resolution, saying the RFP “was flawed because the specifications in the solicitation didn’t align with what Kenoi said his intentions were when he met with the County Council in January to explain the project,” according to Cook Lauer.
      Cook Lauer reports former Ka`u Council member Bob Jacobson telling the council that “it is the policymaking body, not the mayor, and it should stick to the policies it laid out in its zero-waste initiatives instead of falling back to the ‘old polluting technologies.’ Instead of doing the right thing, (Kenoi) put forth this perverted RFP.”
      Cory Harden, representing the Sierra Club’s Moku Loa group, said, “Instead of committing taxpayer dollars to a big silver bullet that ties us to off-island interests for decades, we should first try multiple small-scale local operations that allow us to change course as needed.”
      According to Cook Lauer, only one testifier approved of the incineration plan, saying she thought waste-to-energy is a good idea, “provided there is upstream segregation to remove the valuable components.”
      Most testifiers said burning trash would reduce the county’s incentive to reach its zero-waste goal, and some expressed concern about cost and the environmental risk, Cook Lauer said.
      See westhawaiitoday.com.

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Owners of Hilo Coffee Mill are selling the business they started in 2001.
Photo from Hilo Brokers

ONE OF THE PROCESSORS AND BUYERS OF KA`U COFFEE is up for sale. The Hilo Brokers real estate listing for Hilo Coffee Mill says, “With excellent retail frontage along Hwy 11, this business is in a prime position to take advantage of the up to 1.6 million visitors who use the roadway each year to access the nearby Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
      “Over 6,000 actively producing coffee trees supply a well established retail and wholesale business with more than 2,500 square feet of production and showroom space.
      “This environmentally friendly operation comes equipped with a large solar array providing substantial cost savings on utility bills. There are many options for the use of space under the solar array, and currently provides cover for a weekly farmers market.”
      Listing details and images are available at hilobrokers.com. 

      For more information, call 938-5757 or email HiloBrokers@gmail.com.

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League of Women Voters sponsors a Candidate Forum Saturday.

AT STEWARDSHIP AT THE SUMMIT FRIDAY from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., volunteers meet at Kilauea Visitor Center to help remove invasive Himalayan ginger from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park trails. Free; park entrance fees apply. 

CATHY AND TYSON BLACK SHARE THE ART of coconut leaf weaving Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS SPONSORS a Candidate Forum 
this Saturday, June 21. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. at Christ Church,
 81-1004 Konawaena School Road
 in Kealakekua.
      County Council District Six candidates are featured from 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. State Representative District Five candidates meet the public from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
      For more information, call 933-VOTE (933-8683).

JIM WILSON, HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL District Six candidate, offers a talk story this Sunday, June 22 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. Refreshments will be served.
      For more information, email jimwilsoncouncil@gmail.com.

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

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf.
Click at bottom right to turn pages.

Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Volunteers from Southside Volleyball team, Pacific Quest and `O Ka`u Kakou removed invasive plants from the pond at Punalu`u Black Sand Beach Sunday. Photo by Katherine Okamura 

BAY CLINIC’S KA`U FAMILY HEALTH & DENTAL CENTER will benefit from a grant of $4,000 from the Friends of Hawai`i Charities, Inc. Funds will be used for preventive health care outreach and education activities. Bay Clinic’s Pediatric Care Management Program provides childhood immunizations, developmental screening, preventive dental care, as well as non-emergency primary medical care for all children regardless of insurance status living in East and South Hawai`i Island.

      According to Bay Clinic CEO Harold Wallace, poor nutrition and limited access to health care are known to cause mental and other developmental delays that affect a child’s ability to learn and develop good social skills, and untreated medical and dental diseases are major factors in excessive absences from school.
      “As a patient-centered medical home, our services are designed to provide coordinated and comprehensive primary medical and dental care for our patients from birth and throughout their lives,” Wallace said.

      The goal of the Pediatric Care Management Program is to increase access to primary medical and dental health prevention, screening, treatment and education services for all children, and most especially the children who would otherwise not have timely access to healthcare.
      To make an appointment for keiki, call the Bay Clinic’s Ka`u Family Health & Dental Center at 929-7311.

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

THE BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY ORGANIZATION, which lobbies at the national level, is joining the lawsuit to overturn Bill 113, Hawai`i Island’s ban on genetically modified crops. Anita Hofschneider reports in Civil Beat that the global trade group spent almost $8 million lobbying federal officials last year.
      Karen Batra, of BIO, told Hofschneider the group joined the lawsuit “to show its support for local farmers, including one of its members, the Hawai`i Papaya Industry Association,” also a plaintiff in the case. “Bill 113 is a direct assault on the technology and on the local farmers and growers that utilize that technology to increase their productivity,” she said. “Biology is something that evolves, so you’re going to have evolving pests and evolving plant diseases. You shouldn’t prevent the use of science and technology coming to the aid of this industry.”

Here the giant camera is carried out to sea from New Bedford, Mass. on the
Kathie Marie, also transporting the Hawaiians to document the scallop
population on the floor of the Atlantic. Photo by Richard Taylor

      Hawai`i County Council member Margaret Wille, who introduced Bill 113, said BIO’s decision to join in the lawsuit is a sign of the industry’s influence on local farmers. “It’s just another indication of how these multinationals are sort of using the local organizations,” she said.
      Hawai`i Agriculture Board member Richard Ha, one if the plaintiffs in the suit, told Hofschneider, “It’s good that they’re involved and we have a common interest. But they’re not running us by any stretch of the imagination.”
      See civilbeat.com.

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TWO YOUNG KA`U MEN are in New England this summer, doing what Hawaiians often did in the late 1700s and 1800s, join a ship from New England to explore and work at sea. Isaac Davis and Preston Kana`i Tamura Kuahiwinui are working with Ka Lae resident Richard Taylor, photographing the sea floor to document scallop beds from the boat the Kathie Marie. 

      Recording of scallop bed locations and estimation of the population helps regulate the industry. Davis also worked in New England last summer with Portuguese fishing crews and with Taylor’s scallop project. The crew operates a large camera with a joystick, guiding it along the ocean floor with its ups and downs. The documentation is funded by the scallop industry and helps determine how many and from where scallops are to be harvested each season.

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Volunteers move from a cleared area of Punalu`u pond to continue removing
invasive plants. Photo by Katherine Okamura

`O KA`U KAKOU SPONSORED A CLEANUP at Punalu`u Pond Sunday. Participating were volunteers from OKK, Southside Volleyball Club and Pacific Quest. 

      Southside boys are staying at Pahala Plantation Cottages while they train for the Boys Junior Nationals Championship being held in Houston, Texas from June 28 through July 5. Players from Ka`u are Emmett Enriques, Kai Enriques, Brian Gascon, Addie Enriques, Avery Enriques, Nai`a Makuakane and Kameron Moses.

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UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I IS RECEIVING A $3 MILLION grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for energy research. This grant comes as part of the DOE’s nationwide initiative to advance hydrogen production and delivery technologies to produce, deliver and dispense hydrogen at a cost equivalent of less than $4 per gallon. Expanding use of hydrogen in transportation can help to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, save drivers and families money over the long-run and reduce carbon emissions.


      “This federal investment recognizes Hawai`i’s continued leadership in the field of renewable energy research,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono. “As part of the DOE’s initiative to advance cost-competitive hydrogen-based energy, the University of Hawai`i is contributing to efforts that could lead to significant advances in renewable technologies and create a stronger, more sustainable Hawai`i.”

      This grant will fund ongoing research at the University of Hawai`i that examines use of specialized cells, known as photoelectrodes, to harness solar radiation and use it as an energy source to split water molecules into their original building blocks of hydrogen and oxygen. Once separated from the oxygen, the hydrogen will then be utilized for fuel purposes.

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Ka`u residents can help The Nature Conservancy identify weed locations in
Hawaiian rainforests by studying high-resolution images online.
Photo from The Nature Conservancy

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IS LAUNCHING the Hawai`i Challenge, a crowdsourcing campaign to help save the islands’ remaining native forests, including, in the future, those in Ka`u. 

      Less than 50 percent of Hawai`i’s native forests still thrive in high-elevation, remote areas of the islands, but they are threatened by invasive weeds and other human impacts. The Hawai`i Challenge targets two plants that started as ornamentals, but have become invasive: the Australian tree fern and the African tulip tree.
      Through DigitalGlobe’s online crowdsourcing platform, Tomnod, anyone can contribute to saving native Hawai`i’s forests by tagging the locations of invasive weeds in high-resolution aerial images. Visit nature.ly/1vw5voZ to start.
      “Crowd participation to identify weed locations in remote, dense Hawaiian rainforest will help us do our job to protect perhaps the most precious resource the forest provides – our fresh water,” said Jason Sumiye, director of Landscape Science for The Nature Conservancy of Hawai`i.
      By crowdsourcing the project, staff in Hawai`i are hoping to identify the number and location of these invasive plants much more quickly than they could on their own, as well as provide a quality check to the individual currently during the image analysis.
      “The crowd can take our analysis ability from one person to thousands of people by sharing the images online through DigitalGlobe’s Tomnod platform,” Sumiye said. “We look forward to the help of armchair conservationists everywhere.”
      DigitalGlobe is best known for its work with rescue and response crises like the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. They have never worked on an environmental project before.
      “DigitalGlobe’s purpose is “Seeing a Better World™. Using all of our tools to make the world better lines up with The Nature Conservancy’s goal to protect nature and preserve life,” explained Luke Barrington, senior manager of Geospatial Big Data with DigitalGlobe. “We’ve had a huge response to global problems in the past, and we’re eager to engage our volunteers to solve new types of problems,” he said.
      This project is beginning with Conservancy-provided high-resolution aerial photography of Kaua`i’s remote rainforests. If it is successful, the Conservancy has thousands more acres – and images – to analyze from across the state.

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

Ka`u residents can meet County Council District Six
candidate Jim Wilson Sunday.

HALAU ULUMAMO O HILO PALIKU under the direction of kumu hula Mamo Brown presents a hula performance tomorrow from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS SPONSORS a Candidate Forum 
this Saturday, June 21. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. at Christ Church,
 81-1004 Konawaena School Road
 in Kealakekua.
      County Council District 6 candidates are featured from 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. State Representative District 5 candidates meet the public from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
      The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan organization established to promote political responsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in government.
      For more information, call 933-VOTE (933-8683).

JIM WILSON, HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL District Six candidate, offers a talk story this Sunday, June 22 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. Refreshments will be served.
      For more information, email jimwilsoncouncil@gmail.com.

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

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf.
Click at bottom right to turn pages.

Ka`u News Briefs Monday, June 16, 2014

Roofing and siding for the new Kau Gym & Disaster Shelter are in progress on the Pahala school campus. An annual Southside Volleyball Camp to send local youth to a national tournament where they are seen by college recruiters is all week at the old gym, led by Kamehameha Schools volleyball coach Guy Enriques. Photo by Julia Neal

SOUTHSIDE VOLLEYBALL CAMP takes place this week and last at the old Ka`u High Gym, with coach Guy Enriques preparing local youth for Junior Boys National Championship at the George Brown Convention Center in Houston, June 28 – July 5. The team of 17-year-olds comprised of nine players is coached by Enriques. The team of 15-year-olds, with 11 players and coached by Enriques and Sam Thomas, will defend its national championship from last year. Enriques is also head coach for Kamehameha Schools, and Thomas is assistant coach.

Home of the Trojans since the 1930s, the old gym serves as a base for volleyball
camp this week to send Southside Volleyball teams to a national competition. The
new gym is scheduled to be available for next summer, creating two practice and
tournament locations on the campus. Photo by Julia Neal

      Families of the teams are still raising funds for the event. Call Guy Enriques at 217-2253. Accommodations for the camp are provided by Pahala Plantation Cottages. Enriques said he hopes that by next summer the camp and volleyball tournaments in Ka`u can be held in the new $18 million gym being built on the school campus, as well as the old gym.

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

KA`U RESIDENTS CAN PARTICIPATE in this week’s Hawai`i County Council committee and regular meeting via videoconferencing at Ocean View Community Center. Committee meetings tomorrow are Public Works and Parks & Recreation at 9 a.m.; Finance Committee, 9:15 a.m.; Planning Committee, 9:45 a.m.; and Agriculture, Water & Energy Sustainability, 10:15 a.m.
      The council’s regular meeting is Wednesday at 9 a.m. All meetings take place at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona.
      On the County Council meeting agenda is the second of three required readings of a bill calling for the term of the County Clerk to be extended to six years. If the measure passes County Council, it will be on November’s general election ballot as a charter amendment.
      Agendas of all meetings are available at hawaiicounty.gov.

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

AFTER ANALYZING BILLS PASSED BY THE U.S. SENATE and House of Representatives last week in response to reports of long wait times for appointments with Veterans Affairs physicians and possible related deaths, the Congressional Budget Office says federal government spending on veterans’ health care could double, reports Matthew Dal for Associated Press.
      Dal said that, according to the budget office, the Senate bill would open up VA health care to as many as eight million veterans who now qualify for VA health care but have not enrolled. By making it easier to get outside care, the Senate bill and a companion measure in the House also would encourage veterans to seek VA coverage for a bigger portion of their health care, the report says.
      Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee of which Ka`u’s U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono is a member, told Dal the bill was expensive, but so were the wars that veterans have served in. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan alone will have cost at least $3 trillion, he said.
      “If we can spend that kind of money to go to war … surely we can spend (less than) one percent of that amount to take care of the men and women who fought those wars,” Sanders said.
      The Center for a Responsible Federal Budget, a bipartisan policy group devoted to cutting federal deficits, raises concerns about the legislation, saying it “includes an unprecedented open-ended mandatory appropriation that basically gives the VA a blank check to spend as it wishes. Given recent reports, one would think Congress would want more accountability at the VA, not less.”
      The two chambers now work toward reconciling differences in their bills.
      See hawaiitribune-herald.com and crfb.org.

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Hawai`i Ag Board member Richard Ha

HAWAI`I AGRICULTURAL BOARD MEMBER RICHARD HA explains the rationale behind a lawsuit brought against Hawai`i County on his blog hahaha.hamakuasprings.com. Ha is one of several plaintiffs suing the county over its ban on open-air use of genetically modified crops.
      Ha says the lawsuit seeks clarity and equal treatment for farmers. “Farmers are law-abiding citizens, and we play by the rules. We thought that the Feds and the state had jurisdiction. We want clarity about the rules of the game.
      Ha also says, “Only Big Island farmers are prohibited from using biotech solutions that all our competitors can use. How is that equal? It’s discriminatory against local farmers.
      “Like almost all the farmers, (I) have never sued anyone. But there comes a time when you have to stand up for what is right.
      “The group we formed, Hawai`i Farmers and Ranchers United, grows more than 90 percent of the farm value on the Big Island.
      “This is about food security. The GMO portion of food security is small. This is not about large corporations. It is about local farmers. It is not about organics; we need everybody. But organics only supply four percent of the national food supply and maybe one percent of Hawai`i’s. Our organic farmers are not threatened by modern farming. Hawai`i organic farmers are threatened by mainland, industrial-scale organic farms. That is why there are hardly any locally grown organics in the retail stores. It’s about cost of production. Also, on the mainland winter kills off the bad bugs and weeds, and the organic farmers can outrun the bugs through the early part of summer. Hawai`i farmers don’t have winter to help us.
      “Most importantly, this is about pro-science and anti-science. That is why farmers are stepping up. We know that science is self-correcting. It gives us a solid frame of reference. You don’t end up fooling yourself. In all of Hawai`i’s history, now is no time to be fooling ourselves.”

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Pahala Senior Center sponsored an outing to see Ka`u resident Dick Hershberger
portray Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas Jaggar in A Walk into
the Past. Photo from Julie Pasquale

LOOKING FOR A FUN VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY that can include a healthy meal? The Pahala Senior Nutrition Center provides recreation, education and on-site lunches for independent seniors aged 60 and beyond. Age is the only qualification to join, and a healthy lunch is served daily. 

      While the center is affiliated with Hawai`i County Parks & Recreation Department and has a part-time staff person who coordinates the meals and activities, it is primarily run by a group of senior volunteers who help with set-up and clean-up, lunch service, activities and transportation. 

      “Volunteers can help as much or as little as they want, so this is a great opportunity for those looking to have fun while doing good,” said coordinator Julie Pasquale. 

      Pahala Senior Center is located at the Senior Housing complex on Holei Street. Hours are weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with lunch service at 10:30 a.m. Anyone interested in participating is encouraged to stop by or call Pasquale at 928-3101 for more information.

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VOLUNTEERS CAN SIGN UP THROUGH TODAY for Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Forest Restoration Project on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants cut invasive Kahili ginger in an area of `ohi`a forest in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park that recovers well once the ginger is removed.
      Call 352-1402 or email forest@fhvnp.org.

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EVOLUTION OF DANCE AS A SOCIAL JUSTICE and social change tool is the topic at Volcano Art Center’s Dancing at the Source, Dancing on the Edge: Branching Out tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at its Niaulani campus in Volcano Village.

      For more information, call 967-8222 or see volcanoartcenter.org.

Ka`u Auto Repair won Most Patriotic at last year's Na`alehu Independence Day
Parade. Photo by Julia Neal

HALAU ULUMAMO O HILO PALIKU under the direction of kumu hula Mamo Brown presents a hula performance Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.

NA`ALEHU INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE sponsored by `O Ka`u Kakou is less than two weeks away on Saturday, June 28, starting at 11 a.m. Businesses, organizations and individuals who wish to participate, volunteer or donate should call Debra McIntosh at 929-9872 or see okaukakou.org/4th-of-july-parade and click on the volunteer button.
      Prizes are awarded for the most colorful entry and the most patriotic entry. The parade route begins at Na`alehu Elementary School and ends at Na`alehu Hongwanji Mission.
      After the parade, OKK provides fun times at the park for all ages with free shaved ice, hot dogs, games for keiki and Bingo for seniors.
      “Let’s meet, after the parade, at 12 noontime at Na`alehu Park to celebrate our nation’s birth with family and friends,” said organizer Lee McIntosh.

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

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf.
Click at bottom right to turn pages.