Weaving Kona: Aunty Jo Barney’s Life’s Work
By Kate “Kealani” H. Winter Her hands move with quick certainty taming the narrow lauhala strips into a pattern that often only she can see. Today she is weaving a hat that is going to Mexico when it is finished.…
Every Store Has a Story: Keauhou Store in Hōlualoa
By Margaret Kearns Keauhou Store History Yoshisuke Sasaki was born in Japan in 1885 and immigrated to Honolulu at age 15 to work in construction. He later moved to Kona, earning a living making coffins and building redwood water tanks…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Harbor Gallery
Elli and Gunner Mench grew up on farms in the country and were instilled with a hard work ethic. “I was a poor immigrant child from Germany whose parents spoke no English when we arrived [in the US]. I was…
Healing Plants: Pohe Kula
A small wild plant you want to remember By Barbara Fahs Having trouble remembering things? Perhaps you have taken Ginkgo biloba, a popular herbal supplement that is available at health food stores and pharmacies in easy-to-take capsule form. The website…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Chef Pauls LLC
Chef Paul Heerlein attributes his success to his mom who was a part time personal chef, and his father who taught him a good work ethic. Chef Paul has an A.A.S. degree in culinary arts and is an ACF Certified…
Honoring a Five Year Advertiser with Ke Ola: Kona Stories
Kona Stories is an independent bookstore located on Hawai‘i Island. Established in 2006 by Brenda McConnell and Joy Vogelgesang, it features all genres of books. Whether it’s the latest hard cover, best seller, or an old classic, this bookstore is fully…
Fishponds in Hawai‘i: A Small Scale Understanding
By Barbara Fahs Sustainability is a major buzzword today. Growing food, harvesting power from the sun, buying locally produced products to rely less on foreign imports at the supermarket are values and practices that many Americans understand clearly today. Wherever…
Hawaiian Grinds: Homemade ‘Ōpakapaka Laulau
By Sonia R. Martinez The early Hawaiians didn’t have any way of knowing they were in the vanguard of haute cuisine when they came up with the idea of making laulau. The French cook ‘en papillote,’ the Italians ‘in cartoccio,’…
Island Treasures: Marcus Castaing
Marcus Castaing has been making fine furniture and doing architectural mill work for a living in the remote town of Wai‘ōhinu since moving there 34 years ago. “The source of my inspiration is the wonderful expressions of beauty and elegance…
Ka Puana–The Refrain: How To Be Happy In One Reading
By Michael J. Vielman Emotions, we all have a little or a lot, but being able to feel them is first, before being able to control them. Emotions are like the colors of your soul. That’s why people say when…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Pacific Gunite
By Sara Hayashi From a young age, Peter Epperson has enjoyed building and working with concrete. Backyard projects with his father paved the way to opening his own business, Pacific Gunite, in 1986. Peter describes his early interest in concrete…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Arabel Camblor with Clark Realty
In 1990, Arabel Camblor and her husband moved here with their son from Miami, Florida. Faced with limited job opportunities, she helped her husband build his optometry practice. It was perfect with a young five-year-old son just starting school. She…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Kelly Shaw with Koa Reality, Inc.
Kelly Shaw has worked with different kinds of people since she was 14 years old, spending many years working with special needs populations and families in crisis. Moving to Hawai‘i Island in 1998, her first job on-island was as a…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Plantation Living and Interiors
Dana Mattos is hooked on collecting vintage Hawaiiana. It all began in 1979 during her senior year at Konawaena High School when she got a job at Hula Heaven/Flamingo’s, a well-known retail store in Kailua-Kona that featured new and vintage Hawaiiana.…
Island Tropical Fruitcake
By Sonia R. Martinez Fruit cake (or fruitcake) is traditionally a dark and dense cake made with chopped candied or dried fruit, nuts and spices, and usually wrapped in linen and soaked in spirits for several weeks. Comedians have made fun of…
Island Treasures: Hawaiian Dolls—Wood Valley
As a little girl in Germany, Sabine Hendreschke had about 30 dolls that all had a name and a “soul.” Her childhood was filled with fairy tales and magic. One of her most cherished toys was a coconut cradle that her parents…
Island Treasures: High Country Farm—Honoka‘a
By Sara Hayashi Protea flowers originate from the southern hemisphere, and their unusual shapes give them an otherworldly appearance. High Country Farm has 1.5 acres of these unique flowers on the Hamakua Coast. Shortly after she moved to Hawai‘i Island,…
The Love Story of Harp and Soul: Manuel and Bernice Roberto
By Gayle “Kaleilehua” Greco The strum of the harp mixed melodically with the sound of the flute leaves an echo lingering in the air. It weaves with the breeze, playing on heartstrings, as if one is sitting in heaven. Lost…
Managing with Aloha: Kūlia i ka nu‘u
Kūlia i ka nu‘u: The value of achievement. “Strive to reach the summit.” Pursue personal excellence in all you do. Sixth in an ongoing series. By Rosa Say As the Hawaiian value of achievement, Kūlia i ka nu‘u promotes personal…
An Abundance of Energy: An Intentional Property in Harmony with Nature
By Cynthia Sweeney Once, people didn’t use such words as sustainable and organic because everything just was sustainable and organic. The earth provided, and people lived completely off the land. We can do that again today, only with state-of-the-art technology.…
Healing Art: The Metamorphoses of Phan Nguyen Barker
By Alan D. McNarie “Never in my life did I see more beautiful, beautiful flowers, foliage, ocean,” recalls Phan Nguyen Barker (pronounced Fawn), of her first days in Hawai‘i. “So I began painting—painting flowers like crazy.” That’s a story shared…
What the World Needs Now: Peace, Harmony, and Love, Sweet Love
By Margaret Kearns Sacred lands, historical treasures cherished and protected by the people of Hawai‘i, exist throughout the island chain. All possess special mana (power or energy) and some much more than others. On Hawai‘i Island, one such place is…
Lights! Camera! Ocean! Waimea Ocean Film Festival
By John J. Boyle As the Waimea Ocean Film Festival lines up for the next set, the fourth year bodes to follow the swell of the previous three, growing in size and direction. With more venues, films, and jaw dropping…
Featured Cover Artist: Lisa Greig
Lisa Greig grew up in a creative atmosphere in Sydney, Australia. Her parents were graphic designers who worked from home and had many artist friends who stopped by. Art has been her passion since she was a little girl. “I…
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…
Kūpuna Talk Story–Kai Kaholokai: Native Hawaiian Cultural Practitioner, Kumu Lā‘au Lapa‘au
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 conversation exploring the cultural legacy they carry in their…
Where Art Found Its Place: Donkey Mill Art Center
By Le‘a Gleason Nineteen years ago—before a collaboration like this existed for South Kona—a group of artists gathered to share a vision. It was this decision to come together to “develop and expand opportunities in the community to enrich lives…
Christmas on Parade: Celebrating the Season Island Style
By Barbara Fahs When the weather is warm, we might not feel very Christmasy. Leave it to the Aloha State to come up with original, distinctive ways to make this time of year all its own. Santa, known here as…
A Mele Kalikimaka to All: ‘Elves’ Around Hawai‘i Island Helping ‘Ohana in Need
By Catherine Tarleton This is the first in an occasional series where Ke Ola Magazine highlights some of the important work of our on-island nonprofits. Enjoy learning about these two organizations and please support them. If you have a favorite…
Ka Wehena: Alo ke alo
Na Kumu Keala Ching Maka i luna, kuli i lalo Alo ka lani, lani ke alo Nani ke alo, alo ke ‘ike Alo ke alo, pili ke alohaMaka i mua, I mua ke ‘ala Alo nā puna, ola ke ola…
