Sean “Peaman” Pagett: Founder of Frozen Pea Productions
By Hadley Catalano Go ahead and call Sean “Peaman” Pagett’s home phone and listen to the message. Don’t worry, he won’t mind. He doesn’t answer it. After a couple rings the answering machine (updated every 24 hours) picks up and…
Every Store Has a Story: K. Takata Store in Hawi
By Hadley Catalano Shiro Takata had no interest in working in his father’s grocery, K. Takata Store, during his childhood in North Kohala in the 1930s and 40s. He’d much rather play sports outside, and as the fourth son of…
Every Store has its Story: Holy’s Bakery in Kapa‘au
By Hadley Catalano It’s pie day at Holy’s Bakery in Kapa‘au, where handmade empty pie shells, stacked high on baking racks, are waiting to be filled with the Hori family’s signature frozen buttered peach, pear, coconut, and apple pie recipes.…
Every Store Has a Story: Glenwood’s Hirano Store
By Hadley Catalano Every day, while working in her husband’s family store, Shinae Hirano would watch as her elderly father-in-law, Naojiro Hirano, picked up her eldest daughter at the store after primary school. Taking her by the hand, he would…
Debbie Hecht Loves Open Spaces: A Tireless Campaigner for the 2-Percent Land Fund
By Hadley Catalano Debbie Hecht is not your typical sign-waving activist. For the past eight years, since the Tucson, Arizona transplant relocated to the Big Island, Hecht has become the leading voice on what she considers to be one of…
Every Store Has a Story: H. Kimura Store–Oshima and Kimura Families Still Operate Historic Kainaliu General Stores
By Hadley Catalano If you walked into Kimura Store as a child it was almost guaranteed that Mrs. Irene Kimura would give you a piece of candy. While that reason alone might be good enough for any seven-year-old to visit…
Every Store Has a Story: The Saito Family and Pa‘auilo Store
By Hadley Catalano It might just be that a simple bento roll is what has kept the Saito family of Hāmākua in business all these years, and helped their family store to recently reach its 63rd anniversary. You may have…
Crafting Papahe‘enalu: From Tree to Sea: Traditional Wooden Surfboard Shapers
By Hadley Catalano Every surfer remembers that first surfing experience… When Bob Russell began as a child, he surfed on blue and yellow canvas rafts along the Kona Coast. When Keith Tallett grew up in Hilo his father couldn’t afford…
Young Entrepreneurs Grow Organik: From Coffee Bags to Recycled Plastic, It All goes into Clothing and Accessories.
By Hadley Catalano It was a rainy day in late spring and Ed Fernandez had to pick up coffee bags. Not for harvesting purposes but for his popular organic and sustainable clothing and accessories company, Organik. Traversing through the windy,…
Bruddah Kuz’ Family Album—Maunakea Family Productions: Music, Family, and Youth Advocacy
By Hadley Catalano The story of Iopa Maunakea’s community dedication is woven like a melodic theme through his life’s work, beginning with his grandmother, Katherine Maunakea. His story is not complete without hers. As a community organizer in the district…
Folk Art of Bobbi Caputo Brings Family Coffee-Picking Memories Back to Life
By Hadley Catalano It’s summer vacation for Bobbi Caputo. It’s the late 1950s and though she hasn’t yet reached adolescence she’s already versed in the ways of the coffee farming world. Sandwiched between Leonora and Faustino Orpilla, her mother and…
Filming the Story of the Storyteller: Filmmaker Keith Nealy and “Kindy Sproat: A Gift of the Heart”
By Hadley Calatano Keith Nealy will start any conversation off with a good story. With more than 30 years of experience in the art of filmmaking and production, Nealy has become a living library of narratives. Gathering personal anecdotes, tales…
Have You Ever Known a WWOOFer? They’re Helping Farmers All Over the Big Island!
By Hadley Catalano Dana Ronnquist had always been interested in permaculture and organic farming. Growing up in Westchester County, New York, an hour outside the city, the 24-year-old hadn’t had the opportunity to get hands-on experience in what she felt…
Teens Take the Stage in SONG: Stars Of the Next Generation
By Hadley Catalano A group of 15 teenagers—unsupervised and listening to music—gather inside on a sunny Sunday afternoon in early November. It’s hot inside the old attic space of the Aloha Performing Arts Center LOFT and the kids are sweating.…
Jim Sargent Builds Life into Hawi Town
By Hadley Catalano It is not easy being Jim Sargent, but it is rewarding. Sitting behind a large wooden desk in the office of his real estate mortgage business, Sargent could, at any one time, be discussing window trim, scheduling…
The New Face of Tourism: Ecotourism
By Hadley Catalano Pull up your sleeves, find your gardening gloves and lace up your work boots – you’re on vacation. What seems less like rest and relaxation and more like manual labor has become the latest trend for traveling…
