Last weekend’s Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park’s Kahuku Cultural Festival attracted almost 1,000, according to a park news release issued this week.
Those who attended the festival on Saturday included locals, keiki, kūpuna and visitors to the Kahuku Unit of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park in Kaʻū, according to the park’s news release issued Monday. Those attending experienced a day of Hawaiian music, hula, crafts and practices, in addition to learning about native plants and animals.
The setting was lovely, Park Superintendent Rhonda Loh said in the news release.
“Kahuku is a place of tranquil natural beauty and rich history that most visitors and even locals don’t know about,” Loh said. “It was heartwarming to see old friends and new faces. Mahalo to everyone who spent their day with us, and especially to our park staff, volunteers and partners who worked hard to make the cultural festival happen.”
The 985 locals and visitors had options to create lauhala bracelets, twist lei from tī leaves, play Hawaiian games and enjoyed ono kine grindz on the festival grounds. Performers included Debbie Ryder’s Hālau o Leionalani, Keaīwa, Kenneth Makuakāne, the Kīpapa Sisters, Russell Mauga and Da Kahuku Mauka Boyz, and LoriLei’s Hula Studio.
Friends of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, a co-sponsor of the festival, gave away more than 600 ice shave minis.
The festival, which ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the park’s non-profit partners and co-sponsors also included the Hawai’i Pacific Parks Association. The park also thanked the Kaʻū Multicultural Society, Momi Subiono ʻAha Pūhala o Puna, 4 Scoops of Aloha, and the Hawaiian Civic Club, Birds Not Mosquitoes, and UH Mānoa for supporting the festival activities.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park protects unique geological, biological and cultural landscapes in an are from sea level to 13,680 feet, according to information on the park’s website. The park includes the summits of two of the world’s most active volcanoes, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. The park also is a designated International Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage site.
