OHA and DLNR meet with Miloli‘i residents
At the request of Trustee Bob Lindsey and Miloli‘i resident, William Kaupiko, an informal meeting with the CEO, Kamana‘o Crabbe was held at the pavilion in Miloli‘i. Representatives from the DLNR were also requested to attend and hear the concerns of the beneficiaries. According to the community this was the first time DLNR and the OHA have ever come to their village for a meeting. They expressed deep gratitude for our willingness to gather and hear their mana‘o. – Photo: Blue Ka‘anehe
Celebrate Kona coffee
Hawai‘i Island coffee lovers are encouraged to summon their creativity and gather up recipes to be part of the 48th Annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival from Nov. 9 to 18.
There’s a quick turnaround for entries – the following have a Nov. 2 deadline except where indicated – but attendees can also watch and cheer on their favorites. Applications are available at konacoffeefest.com/application.
Kona Coffee Cultural Festival Lantern Parade
Community groups and individuals are invited to walk along Ali‘i Drive on Nov. 9 starting at 5:30 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for best teen/adult, best youth, best children and best overall categories.
KTA Super Stores Kona Coffee Recipe Contest
Submit your favorite recipe using 100 percent Kona coffee and receive a button and $25 KTA store grocery certificate for entering. Prizes will be awarded in professional, amateur, culinary student and keiki divisions.
Kona Coffee Cupping Competition
Farmers can enter their coffee to be scored on the globally accepted and recognized Specialty Coffee Association cupping format and evaluated in double-blind commercial and specialty divisions. For detailed entry information, visit pacificcoffeeresearch.com/cuppingcompetition.
Kona Coffee Lei Contest
Lei entries will be accepted until 9 a.m. on Nov. 17 at the Festival’s Ho‘olaule‘a at Makaeo County Pavilion (Old Airport Park). The contest includes two categories, wili and kui.
A complete listing of events is available online at www.konacoffeefest.com. Information will also be shared through social media
@konacoffeefest.
Jake’s Clubhouse enhances music education
Jake Shimabukuro and Music for Life Foundation have transformed a portable classroom into space to for music education at the ‘ukulele virtuoso’s former school, Ala Wai Elementary.
The Jake Shimabukuro Clubhouse for Music Appreciation, or Jake’s Clubhouse, is equipped with more than 100 ‘ukulele, 12 guitars, four pianos and 15 percussion instruments. The space also holds a mini recording studio, a stage, ‘ukulele repair workshop and classroom space.
“Everything in there belongs to you. Get in there. Get inspired,” Shimabukuro told students. “Whether or not we know it, we are all musicians. Music is the language of the universe. It helps us to communicate with each other. It helps us to connect with each other.”
Principal Michelle DeBusca said teachers will be able to sign up and use the space, and she anticipates the clubhouse will be a resource center for students before, during and after school.
Toddler books feature Maui, Hi‘iaka
Two new board books from BeachHouse Publishing are based on well-known Hawaiian legends.
In “Maui Slows the Sun,” Maui lassoes the sun over Haleakala to slow its pace and lengthen the day. In “Hi‘iaka Battles the Wind,” Hi‘iaka uses her lightning skirt to scare battering winds away from Waipi‘o on Hawai‘i Island.
Both books are written by Gabrielle Ahuli‘i Holt and are illustrated by former Big Island resident Jing Jing Tsong. The books are aimed at keiki ages 0-4 and are available at local booksellers and online through Mutual Publishing, The Islander Group or Amazon.com.
Planning for bicentennial of Kamehameha’s passing underway
The nonprofit Ahu‘ena Heiau Inc. has started planning to commemorate the 200th anniversary of King Kamehameha the Great’s passing on May 19, 2019.
The commemoration will be held at Ahu‘ena on Kamakahonu Bay in Kona’s Historic Kailua Village. The heiau served the king as a religious temple, and was also the center of political power on Hawai‘i Island, where Kamehameha and his advisors gathered each night.
Historic events at Ahu‘ena Heiau make it a culturally significant site; it was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1962 and was placed in the state’s Register of Historic Places 25 years ago. The heiau is where King Kamehameha I died in 1819, and where months later his son Liholiho (Kamehameha II) broke the ancient kapu system that had guided Hawaiian government and society. The site is also where the first Christian missionaries from New England were permitted to land on April 4, 1820.
The 2019 commemoration events include a procession of chanters down Ali‘i Drive and a sunrise ceremony with appropriate protocols at the heiau. Chanters and cultural groups interested in participating can contact Kealoha Kaopua at kealoha@ibphawaii.com or Kauhane Heloca at moonihoawa@yahoo.com for more details.
The events resume on May 11 with a Hō‘ike at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel Lū‘au Grounds.
Aloha Kidney offers free classes
Aloha Kidney is offering free classes to provide information, tools and advice for combating chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Of Hawai‘i’s ethnic groups, Hawaiians have the highest risk for kidney failure. The classes will help those at any stage of CKD, those who have excess urine protein and those at risk. Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and family history increase the risk for kidney disease. The classes can also be helpful for those interested in kidney and overall health.
The classes are held in Honolulu on Saturday mornings, Aiea on Saturday afternoons, in Windward O‘ahu on Monday evenings and online for neighbor islands and Waipahu on Thursday afternoons. Call 585-8404 to register or visit www.alohakidney.com to submit a form online.
Health Department combats opioid misuse
The Hawai‘i Department of Health has received an $8 million federal grant to continue its efforts to stem opioid misuse.
The grant was part of $1 billion in grants the U.S. Department of Health awarded specifically to combat the national opioid crisis. According to a survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, heroin use and opioid misuse had dropped over the past couple years. From January 2017 to August 2018, opioid prescriptions dropped by 21 percent, while prescriptions for naloxone, which is used to counter opioid addiction, increased 264 percent.
Hawai‘i’s opioid death rates are lower than the national average – the state saw 77 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2016, half the national rate. However, “No state is immune from this public health issue,” said Dr. Bruce Anderson, director of the Hawai‘i Department of Health. “This grant provides another step in a positive direction for Hawai‘i to implement HHS’ comprehensive five-pronged strategy to address opioid misuse across our islands.”
