Sounds of Peace: A Joyful Noise in Honoka‘a
By Catherine Tarleton What does peace sound like? In Honoka‘a, on Peace Day, September 21, it sounds like marching bands and taiko drums, ‘ukulele music, bon dance, bells, and gongs. It might sound like rock and roll with a mix…
Grace Under Stress: Kona Orchid Society
By Catherine Tarleton Older than the volcano, with roots in dinosaur days, orchids were alive and well as far back as 80 million years ago, according to the Harvard biologist who managed to date fossilized pollen from a now-extinct bee…
Giving Back, Paying Forward: Kona Brewers Festival
By Catherine Tarleton What do potato chips, compost, microscopic algae, high school seniors, runners, recyclables, bicycles, beer, and some of Hawai‘i Island’s best chefs have in common? They’re all part of the Kona Brewers Festival (KBF), a three-day celebration March…
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…
Waimea Plantation Daughter Remembers Georgia O’Keeffe: A Conversation with Patricia Jennings
By Catherine Tarleton “I know you paint flowers and skulls in the desert,” said Patricia Jennings, 12, to her family’s famous dinner guest, “and that you have a wonderful brush technique,” she added, recalling an article she’d read in Time…
Pages from Cowboy Romance and Reality: Paniolo Preservation Society Saddles Up
By Catherine Tarleton When I was a little girl, I caught horse fever early and as fervently as a suburban D.C. kid could. I read every horse book in two libraries, drew pictures, wrote stories and fought my brother for…
Gary Washburn: Jazzing Up a High School Band
By Catherine Tarleton It’s a bright, windy afternoon in Honoka’a for the Peace Day Festival, and the Honoka‘a High School Jazz Band is rocking the field with some big, belted-out blues by a diminutive female vocalist. The kids play with…
At Home with Mary Koski: Artist, World Traveler, Lover of Fairies
By Catherine Tarleton In the Waimea home of artist Mary Koski live flowers in windowsills, in bottles and pots on cupboards and table tops. There are two overstuffed puffy cats in the chairs, and smiling children framed on every wall.…
John Tanaka: WWII Hero, Inventor, Artist, Novelist
By Catherine Tarleton John Tanaka’s life spans 80-plus years across two centuries and throughout, he has remained youthful, inventive, positive and forward-thinking. His ageless face and energetic voice make one wonder if there’s a fountain of youth hidden in John…
Inspiring Visions in Glass: Artist Calley O’Neill Teams with Stained Glass Artisan Lamar Yoakum
By Catherine Tarleton If eyes are windows to the soul, then windows must be the eyes of a house’s soul, particularly a house of God, where stained glass windows cast cascading colors to illuminate the people. In the quiet little…
The Bread Line Stops Here
By Catherine Tarleton It’s a party at the Parker School Farmers Market, and Waimea is at her blue-green, sunny Saturday best. Evangelista and Palafox are rocking and reggae-jamming near the entry gate, between Woody’s tomatoes and the Hamakua coffee stand.…
Ka Puana: Everything I Needed to Know About Life I Learned from Potluck
By Catherine Bridges Tarleton “We’re having potluck on Tuesday,” said my boss. “For the January birthdays.” She nodded at the paper on her desk. “What do I sign you up for?” On no. Potluck. The Initiation. What do I bring…
