Hawaii
Hāmākua Sugar Days Festival Starts This Weekend
Historical images of cane truck drivers during the plantation time, courtesy the Honokaʻa Heritage Center
(BIVN) – Three decades ago, the last local sugar plantation closed in Hāmākua. For the next two weeks, Honokaʻa town will host Hāmākua Sugar Days Festival in reflection on that era.
From the Honokaʻa Heritage Center news release promoting the event:
The 2024 Hāmākua Sugar Days Festival, is a community-driven heritage event that will honor the stories and people who built the economy and culture of the Hāmākua Coast. Timed to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1994 closure of the last local sugar plantation, the Festival will salute surviving plantation workers, highlight the contributions of each of the various ethnic groups that immigrated to work on the plantations, showcase sustainable agricultural initiatives with promise for the post-sugar era, and explore the roots of resilience in the local community as it confronted the economic and social impacts of the closure.
The Honoka‘a Heritage Center is working closely with local community groups to organize and host a diverse lineup of fun, family-friendly events across Honoka‘a Town over a two-week period (Oct. 5-20, 2024). The Festival is expected to attract at least 6,000 attendees, from around the island and state, as well as from overseas.
Festival highlights include:
Recognizing the Sugar Workers Luncheon – Sat., Oct. 5 (Invite only)
If you or a family member worked for Hamakua Sugar Company, please contact (808) 437-1947 for tickets to this free luncheon saluting the sugar workers.
Screenings of New Documentary Film, “Roots of Resilience: Stories of Hāmākua Sugar” (Free to attend)
Throughout the festival, attendees can view free screenings of the Honoka‘a Heritage Center’s new film based on its 2023 oral history project. Roots of Resilience: Stories of Hāmākua Sugar is a one-hour documentary that features compelling first-person stories of local sugar workers, their families, and community members, capturing the profound impact of the sugar plantation era on the Hāmākua Coast. Screenings at the Honoka‘a People’s Theatre on Oct. 11 (5 pm and 7pm), Oct. 12 (2 pm) and Oct. 13 (5pm and 7pm).Softball Tournament – Sun., Oct. 6, 9 am (Free to attend)
An Intergenerational Softball Tournament at Honoka a County Park will bring back the friendly competition of the old “camp against camp” games. Refreshments available for purchase.
Photo of final harvest parade, courtesy the Honokaʻa Heritage Center
Family Friendly Fun at the Hāmākua County Fair – Sat., Oct. 12, all day (Free to attend)
The Hāmākua County Fair promises a day full of excitement for everyone:10:00 a.m.: Parade through Honoka a Town ʻ11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.: Live music on the main stage at the Honoka a Park Complex (Hālau Kuaunu, Ryan Hiraoka, Kingside, Pas & Sala, Hui Hoʻokani, the Honokaʻa Jazz Band, Kalapana Awa Band and more!)All Day:
Vendors throughout the Honoka‘a Park Complex, including local food and artisanal crafts.
Keiki activities: Pumpkin patch, costume contest, races, STEM games, face painting, and bounce house.
“Sugar Town” inside the county gym features vendors of all things sweet, student art show, sale of festival merchandise, lucky number drawings, demonstrations, and commemorative Pogs.
Hāmākua Energy Agriculture and Sustainability Expo, with exhibitors offering information, demos, games, and giveaways focused on sustainable agriculture and ranching. Attendees can explore traditional and modern farming techniques and learn how to incorporate sustainable practices.
On Māmāne Street, visitors can enjoy the Mutt Contest and Poi Dog Pageant at the former Bank of Hawaii parking lot; and a Cultural Village at the Honokaʻa Heritage Center with cultural exhibits and demonstrations. The Plantation Worker Hub at the Honokaʻa Union Hall will be a place for workers and their families to gather, share stories, and even record oral histories.
Cultural Heritage Events – Oct. 14-17 & 20 (Free to attend)
Cultural Heritage Events will celebrate some of the diverse ethnic groups who immigrated to work on the plantation, put down roots, and contributed to the unique “local” culture that characterizes Hawai‘i today:Japanese Night: Oct. 14, 5 p.m. – Presentation by Dr. Patsy Iwasaki about Katsu Goto, plus food, followed at 7 p.m. by the film “Picture Bride” at the Honokaʻa People s Theatre.
Portuguese Night: Oct. 15, 5 p.m.-7 p.m. – Portuguese games, food, demos and exhibits at the Honoka‘a Heritage Center.
Filipino Night: Oct. 16, 5 p.m.-7 p.m. – Guest speaker on Filipino contributions to the labor movement, with refreshmants at the Honoka‘a People s Theatre.
Puerto Rican Night: Oct. 17, 6 p.m.-10 p.m. – Dance to Katchi Katchi music at the People’s Theatre; meet master cuatro maker John Guzman; food and exhibits.
Hawaiian Night: – Postponed; date TBA
Plantation Night at Honokaʻa High School Football Game – Oct. 18, 6 p.m. ($4 Seniors, $8 General admission)
Join us to root for the home team while honoring the Sugar Workers during the halftime show.
Golf Tournament – Oct. 20 (Paid player registration required, free to watch)
The festival will conclude with a Plantation Golf Tournament at the historic plantation-era Hāmākua Country Club.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
The Honoka‘a Heritage Center is deeply grateful to the County of Hawai‘i for seed financial support and logistical assistance. We also wish to thank the many generous corporate sponsors whose donations have make the Hāmākua Sugar Days Festival possible. To date, the list (still in formation) includes: Sugar Legacy Sponsor: Hāmākua Energy; Sugar Mill Sponsors: Honokaʻa Hospital and Skilled Nursing, KTA Super Stores, CPB Foundation, Kualoa Ranch, and Turo; Sugar Harvester Sponsor: Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company; Sugar Cane Sponsors: HFS Federal Credit Union, Isemoto Contracting Co., Creative Arts Hawaii, Hawaii Affordable Properties, Honua Ola Bioenergy, Dodo Mortuary, Inc., Big Island Mechanical and Construction, Hawaii Johns, HPM Building Supply, Walmart, R. Sakata Insurance, and Bank of Hawaiʻi; and Sugar Planter Sponsors: Kuwaye Trucking, Donna’s Cookies, Kuhio Grille, Hawai‘i Community FCU, Kolea Hop Water, and I Luv Dumplings.
A growing number of community partners have provided generous in-kind support throughout the planning of the Festival. They include Hāmākua-Kohala Health, Waiākea Hawaiian Volcanic Water, Canada-France-Hawai‘i Telescope, Honoka‘a People’s Theatre, Hawai‘i Community College, and Honoka‘a Public House.
The full schedule of events can be found at the Hāmākua Sugar Days website.
The National Park Service is warning parents to keep their children close after a toddler ran toward the edge of a 400-foot-tall cliff at Hawaii National Park on Christmas.
The young boy was at the park with his family to view the eruption of the Kilauea volcano. They were in a closed area at Kilauea Overlook when he wandered away from his family before the “near miss.” His mother, screaming, managed to grab him just about a foot away from a fatal fall.
“Park rangers remind visitors to stay on trail, stay out of closed areas and to keep their children close, especially when watching Kīlauea from viewpoints along Crater Rim Trail. Those who ignore the warnings, walk past closure signs, lose track of loved ones, and sneak into closed areas to get a closer look do so at great risk,” the agency warned.
Rangers noted that dangers escalate during volcanic eruptions, as people flock to view the spectacle of lava flowing out of the Earth’s crust. The Park Service urged drivers to slow, and watch out for pedestrians, Hawaiian geese, and switch to low beams when other cars and pedestrians are present.
The eruption, which started on December 23, is now in its second pause, according to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. But, it could still restart at any time.
Furthermore, emissions of toxic gas remain high, including particulate matter called tephra. Billions of minuscule pieces of tephra, which include all fragments of rock ejected into the air by an erupting volcano, can be carried on winds for thousands of miles and can cause respiratory issues. Volcanoes also produce dangerous gases, like carbon dioxide and hydrogen chloride.
Tephra has blanketed the closed portion of Crater Rim Drive downwind of the lava.
“The hazards that coincide with an eruption are dangerous, and we have safety measures in place including closed areas, barriers, closure signs, and traffic management,” Park Superintendent Rhonda Loh said in a statement.
“Your safety is our utmost concern, but we rely on everyone to recreate responsibility. National parks showcase nature’s splendor but they are not playgrounds,” she said.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The state Supreme Court has rejected a lawsuit by Maui County Council candidate Kelly King to overturn the general election results.
King lost her race last month to incumbent Tom Cook by 97 votes.
She argued the county rejected too many ballots because of missing or invalid signatures, and that voters weren’t offered enough help to fix the problems.
In Maui County, there were nearly 1,100 deficient ballots compared to the national average. King says Maui County’s rejection rate was nearly double the state average in 2022.
But the high court ruled Tuesday that the County Clerk’s Office followed state law and all administrative rules to cure the deficient ballots.
View the full decision here.
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Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Authorities are investigating how a passenger without a ticket got onto a Delta Airlines flight bound for Honolulu Christmas Eve.
According to Delta Airlines, the traveler boarded flight 487 from Seattle to Honolulu, on an Airbus A321neo aircraft.
The traveler has not been identified, but the airlines confirmed the person was discovered during the taxi out at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Tuesday.
The flight returned to the gate, where the person was removed and arrested. The Transportation Security Administration conducted additional security checks, including customer rescreening.
The flight was delayed 2 hours and 15 minutes and continued on to Honolulu, the airline said.
Delta Airlines said in a statement: “As there are no matters more important than safety and security, Delta people followed procedures to have an unticketed passenger removed from the flight and then apprehended. We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels and thank them for their patience and cooperation.”
Delta said early indications are the unticketed passenger boarded the flight at the gate without presenting a boarding pass.
TSA says the passenger made it through the standard screening, and did not possess any prohibited items.
The investigation is ongoing.
This happened on the same day that a body was discovered in the wheel well of a United Airlines flight that arrived in Kahului from Chicago.
That incident also remains under investigation.
Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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