A Treasure at 107: Saramae Williams Landers
By Paula Thomas It’s pretty rare to meet people who are 107 years old. Although we are all living longer, most of us never make it to 90, let alone 100. The current average lifespan is 78. According to the…
Intent is Everything to Luthier Dennis Lake: The Making of an Expert
By Shirley Stoffer When I make an instrument,” luthier Dennis Lake says, “my intention is everything. If I know who I’m creating it for, they are in my head the entire time I’m making the instrument.” Since his early 20s,…
Hopper Sheldon: Eastside Artist Brings Art and Fun to Keiki of All Ages
By Barbara Fahs Keeping pace with eastside artist Cheryl “Hopper” Sheldon can keep you on your toes. Her free “Artday Saturday” enrichment program at the Hilo Farmers’ Market attracts keiki of all ages, from 10 months to 88 years young.…
Kama‘āina Land Child: Barbara Kamilipua Nobriga
By Denise Laitinen Look up the word kama‘āina in the dictionary and chances are you won’t see Barbara Nobriga’s name and photo. But you should. Literally translated, kama‘āina means land child. According to the hardcover edition of the Hawaiian Dictionary…
Aunty Elizabeth Malu‘ihi Lee: Lifelong Weaver Seeks to Pass on Hawaiian Tradition
By Cynthia Sweeney Growing up in Kohanaiki in the 1930s during the Great Depression, Aunty Elizabeth never imagined that one day people would come to Kailua-Kona from around the world to learn lauhala weaving from her. “I never knew I…
From Provence to Puna: Kalani Oceanside Retreat says “Mahalo” to Founder
By Le‘a Gleason Standing in the middle of the expansive lawn at Kalani Oceanside Retreat, Richard Koob waves down two passing guests. “Come join us for volleyball,” he grins, charisma and charm infectious. He hands each a puakenikeni flower to…
Evelyn Musacchia: Laupāhoehoe Farmers Market’s Little Old Rock Lady
By Jessica Kirkwood When I first met Evelyn she was sitting behind a table of brightly painted rocks, her slight frame illuminated by sparkling green eyes and rosy cheeks. “Welcome to the teenie tiny Laupāhoehoe farmer’s market,” she said with…
Kūpuna Talk Story: Herb Kawainui Kāne, Father of the Hawaiian Renaissance
By Keith Nealy As a filmmaker and storyteller, I have been blessed with the gift of sharing the mana‘o (knowledge) of more than 60 of Hawai‘i’s most revered kūpuna in spirited conversations exploring the cultural legacy they carry in their…
Ko Bo Kahui Ho‘oilina Ola: Bo Kahui’s Living Legacy
By Gayle ‘Kaleilehua’ Greco One person can make a difference, and everyone should try,” said John F. Kennedy in his 1961 inaugural address. Craig ‘Bo’ Kahui was seven years old at the time and living in Kalihi on O‘ahu. One…
Ka Puana: A Ranching Legacy Honored
“Smart’s enjoyment of life was in singing, acting, and ranch managing, in that order. That imposition of Broadway on ranch economics was ultimately responsible for certain adjustments to the supporting cast at Parker Ranch – that is, firings, new job…
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…
Storytelling Quilts: From the Wisdom and Wit of Rozemaryn Van Der Horst
By Karen Valentine A storytelling quilt crafted by kupuna Rozemaryn Van der Horst is more than a beautiful rendering of fabrics, hand embroidery, colors, patterns and shapes that tell a story, it is a glimpse into the brilliant mind and…
Mana in a Sacred Place: Keauhou Beach Resort ‘Ohana
By Marya Mann One of the last hula performances at the Keauhou Beach Resort appears before us, spellbinding and alluring. In his soothing baritone, Kumu Keala Ching chants the genealogical history of this powerful place, where kings and queens, leaders…
Music Rocks Her World: Quack Moore and Her Beloved Palace Theater
By Paula Thomas The Palace Theater is a vintage and singular jewel on the Hilo landscape. Located on Haili Street just off the bayfront, the theater is undergoing steady restoration and refurbishment. Overseeing the transformation from “deteriorating” to “shabby chic”…
Calvin Cerrone: Kona Pre-Teen Bodyboarder Making Waves
By Denise Laitinen Calvin Cerrone is not your typical pre-teen. While most 12-year-old boys are glued to video game consoles, Calvin has been winning bodyboarding competitions around the state and racking up sponsors faster than you can say “barrel roll.”…
Lighting the Path: Kumu Keala Ching Liberally Shares His Passion for Hawaiian Culture
By Karen Valentine A gentle, humble, and graceful man commands a presence on stage or facing a group of students—rapt and listening intently. A kumu hula (teacher of hula), kumu ‘ōlelo (… Hawaiian language), kumu oli (… chant), practitioner of…
A Mission of Enduring Gratitude: One Boy’s Life Opened a Door for Community Caring
By Karen Valentine A beam of light filters through the thickly compacted branches towering overhead, highlighting the myriad hues of green: from light and delicate fern shades to deep and mysterious jungle tones. “My cathedral,” 25-year-old Daniel “Danny” Sayre calls…
Talking Story with Uncle Robert: Revered Puna Kupuna Holds Court at the End of the Road
By Denise Laitinen If you live in Puna, chances are you know where to find Uncle Robert’s. No need for directions—everyone knows that his family’s four-acre compound can be found at the end of Kapoho-Kalapana Road. The site of Uncle…
“Cowman A-Moo-Ha”: On the Run for World Peace
By Fern Gavelek It’s easy to spot the Kailua-Kona resident known simply as “Cowman” running races and triathlons all over the world. Sporting his trademark, horn-topped helmet and hand-drawn t-shirts, Cowman has been competing in marathons and triathlons for over…
Youth Invade Volcanoes National Park with Enthusiasm: Internship Program, in its Third Year, Exceeds Expectations
By Alan D. McNarie “I always thought that geology was just historic things in the past,” muses Tyler Atwood. “But here the volcano changes every day. The entire elevation of where you stand changes every day. They just paved Chain…
Healing the Land Takes a Big Vision: Andre and Jyoti Ulrych and Starseed Ranch in Kohala
By Cynthia Sweeney This is the rugged and windswept coastline where King Kamehameha I rested after warfare. This raw and scenic countryside is also old, depleted sugarcane land, devoid of nutrients, with elevated levels of arsenic and unfit for growing…
Lelehua Yuen: Living Within the Stories
Hawaiian Culture and History, Interpreted with Artistry By Paula Thomas She is bathed in bright light on stage in a white mu‘umu‘u, her hands ever so delicately miming the picking of a lei blossom and bringing it close for its…
Earl Bakken, at 88, Has Many Dreams Come True
Visionary Philanthropist Wants Kids to Have a Better Future By Fern Gavelek He goes to bed every night with pen and paper at his side. “That’s because I dream of ideas while falling asleep,” says Earl Bakken, M.D. HON. C.…
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…
Leo Sears: Curtain Going Up
By Catherine Tarleton Little did Leo Sears know, back in Kansas, that his first onstage experience in a local high school play, Curtain Going Up, would be an appropriate title for his own life drama and career. Even though his…
Marked Teachings: Tattoo as Transformative Art
By Jessica Kirkwood The tattoo is not just a form of art, but a sacred dance in symbolic healing. Marked in momentum, the rhythm beats fast from the coiled snake. Journeying, thoughts come forth from the void. Let them go.…
It Was a Hard Day’s Night for Cindy Coats: Now She’s Back, With a Little Help From Her Friends
By Margaret Kearns Holualoa resident Cindy Coats recalls distinctly the moment she declared her chosen profession. “I was 10 years old and had just seen the most incredible movie with my mother,” she says. The movie? It was The Beatles’…
The Irrepressible Alice Moon: Downtown Hilo’s Dynamo
By Denise Laitinen It’s a postcard-perfect morning in downtown Hilo, with bright blue skies and Hilo Bay sparkling in the sunlight—the kind of day that makes you feel lucky to live in Hawai‘i. With the Farmers’ Market in full swing…
Coping with Cancer: A Journey and a Place to Chill at Kokolulu
By Cynthia Sweeney He is a professional counselor who has traveled the world giving workshops in stress reduction using techniques such as acupressure and massage. He also spent 20 years studying qigong with a Chinese monk. She is an oncology…
A Victorian-Age Indiana Jones: Actor Peter Charlot as Professor Jaggar, Intrepid Scientist/Adventurer
By Alan D. McNarie The gray-haired figure stands on the side of a green mound next to the empty Volcano house in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. “I’m Professor Jaggar,” he tells the group of visitors, “and we’re here to save…
