Fairchild awarded FOLK scholarship
Friends of the Libraries, Kona has awarded a $2,000 scholarship to Wrayna Fairchild. The scholarship is offered to assist the recipient in completing her master’s degree in library and information science at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Fairchild plans to become a school librarian. She has been an elementary education teacher for 10 years. She teaches at Kealakehe Elementary School and has also taught at Innovations Public Charter School. She received a bachelor of arts degree in liberal studies and her teaching certificate from California State University Channel Islands.
An affiliate of Friends of the Library of Hawaii, Friends of the Libraries, Kona has been enhancing the services and facilities of Kona public libraries and enriching the lives of Kona residents since 1988. This is the third year of the scholarship award program.
Children’s Day celebration Sunday
The Kona Japanese Civic Association invites the public to celebrate Children’s Day beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday at Kona Hongwanji Buddhist Temple.
The annual event features Japanese food, Japanese dancing and music, Japanese calligraphy, as well as kendama, a jumping castle and rock climbing for children. Shave ice, hot dogs and chips will also be served for keiki.
“Kokomo No Hi” means Children’s Day in Japanese, and this festival is to celebrate children.
This year, Consul General Toyoei Shigeeda of Japan in Honolulu will be the honored guest at the association’s annual meeting, festival and Kodomo No Hi.
The association supports activities that relate to the Japanese culture in Kona. Japanese immigrants came to Hawaii from Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Kumamoto, Okinawa and Yamaguchi prefectures after 1868. Hawaiian King David Kalakaua traveled to Japan in 1881 to visit the Meiji emperor and invited Japan to send settlers to work on Hawaii’s agricultural plantations. In 1885, Jiro Nakamura was the first Japanese consul in Hawaii, the first diplomatic representative from any nation other than the U.S., to be posted in the Kingdom of Hawaii.
In 2009, the association co-hosted the visit of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko to Kona. This was the highlight for many members, who greeted their majesties at Kona International Airport under tight security.
Kona Hongwanji Buddhist Temple is located at 81-6630 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua. Event admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 3 to 10 years old. This includes lunch.
For more information, contact Walter Kunitake at 938-3624 or kunitake@earthlink.net.
N. Kohala library hosts reading program
North Kohala Public Library invites all Kohala readers to participate in the annual summer reading program from Tuesday to July 11.
“Fizz Boom Read!” celebrates the sciences and also provides possibilities for reading and fun-filled library programs for all ages.
Each child, teen or adult who registers and maintains a reading list will receive a prize every week. Parents and older siblings can read to younger children. The program is open to all ages and includes grand prize drawings for teens and adults in addition to the weekly incentives for visiting the library.
Family movie nights, Fizz Boom Science Wednesdays and Friday story time programs highlight the activities during the seven-week program. Stop by the library for a flier outlining the entire schedule or call 889-6655.
Four Fizz Boom Wednesday Science programs for ages 6 to 12 will feature fun and hands-on projects. At 10 a.m. June 4, Ace Hardware will provide all the materials and present “Hardware Science.” Other programs include a microscopic look at germs in the library, simple machines and an Alka-Seltzer rocket.
Preschoolers are invited to story times at 10 a.m. each Friday. The stories, games and crafts will center around nature and science themes
At 6:30 p.m. each Monday through June and mid-July, the library will present family films loosely based on the “Fizz Boom” theme. Beginning with “Frozen” on June 2, the schedule includes, “Dolphin Tale,” “Despicable Me 2,” “The Goonies” and “Monster’s University.”
The Summer Reading Program is possible with the support of the Friends of the North Kohala Library, the Friends of the Library of Hawaii and the Hawaii State Public Library System.
Contact the library three weeks in advance if a sign language interpreter or other special acommodation is needed.
Codependents group meeting Thursday
Co-Dependents Anonymous, 12-step fellowship of men and women whose common purpose is recovery from codependence and the development and maintenance of healthy relationships, holds a women’s meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Thursdays at Unity Church sanctuary, 75-5722 Hanama Place, Kailua-Kona. For more information, contact kona.womensgroup@gmail.com or call 990-2649.
Keiki story time slated Wednesday
With the help of the American Association of University Women, Kona Stories book store will host a story time for children ages 2 to 6 at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the book store. This month’s story time theme is “Music.” Featuring books including “Maka the Magic Music Maker,” “Frog Trouble,” “Boogie Monster” and “I Know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello.” There will be snacks and crafts to represent this theme.
There is a $5 participation fee to cover crafts and snack. Space is limited to 20 children and reservations are required. Call 324-0350.
Lecture focuses on queen’s hanai daughter
Sandra Bonura will be the presenter for Kona Historical Society’s May Hanohano O Kona series lecture from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the West Hawaii Civic Center.
Bonura located and facilitated the return to Hawaii of the long inaccessible 1969 reel-to-reel taped collections of Lydia Kaonohiponiponiokalani Aholo, the hanai daughter of Queen Liliuokalani, which was purportedly the foundation for the popular book “The Betrayal of Liliuokalani.” Recognizing its value to family and history, she wrote about Aholo’s unique story titled “Lydia K. Aholo-Her Story: Recovering the Lost Voice” in the latest edition of the Hawaiian Journal of History.
The speaker is a professor, researcher and historian of 19th and 20th century education of Hawaiian children. She is currently writing the biography of Ida May Pope, the first principal of Kamehameha School for Girls. She was an educational partner with Queen Liliuokalani.
Free of charge, the lecture is open to all. For more information, call 323-3222 or visit konahistorical.org.
Knots and nets class slated Wednesday
The public is invited to learn knots and net making with David Coy from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Yano Hall in Captian Cook. Classes will cover the building and repair of basic and fishing nets and will include sustainable use of these tools with respect for community and aina. The first project will be a carry/cargo net.
Classes will be held Wednesdays from May 28 to June 25 at Yano Hall, from 3:30 to 5:30pm. The cost is $25, which includes supplies.
Registration is required and a minimum enrollment must be met. Call 961-8706 to reserve space.