Fujita honored at women’s summit
Kona Business and Professional Women’s organization awarded 57-year charter member Alfreida Fujita with its “Woman of the Year” Award at Friday’s statewide Hawaii Island Women’s Leadership Summit held at the Hilton Waikoloa Village.
Workshop speakers Laura Guluzzy spoke on “Boomer Women Aging Well” and Holly DeGeal, gave a talk on “The Human Mosaic — Creating a Diverse Workplace” at the Rise of the Wahine Film announcement presentation.
The summit was an inaugural event sponsored by the Hawaii County Committee on the Status of Women, University of Hawaii at Hilo and the Hawaii Island Women’s Leadership Forum. Nearly 300 people attended this year.
The purpose of the summit was to advance and celebrate the value of women in society, cultivate relationships for networking and move the conversation forward to develop leaders locally.
The summit featured a keynote speaker, panel discussion, 20 workshop sessions and a networking pau hana. Additionally, an array of vendors were showcased at the Summit Expo.
Living history farm hosts Boy’s Day event
May 5, known as Tango no Sekku or Boy’s Day, is an honored holiday in Japan and Hawaii when families raise carp-shaped koinobori flags. These fish-shaped wind socks were made to resemble carp because of the legend that a carp that swims upstream becomes a dragon, a symbol of a strong and healthy boy.
The Kona Coffee Living History Farm, an outdoor museum in Captain Cook, hosts a Boy’s Day event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday and will feature this tradition and the Japanese coffee pioneer’s story during the 1920s to 1940s in Hawaii. Visitors may walk through the coffee and macadamia nut orchards learning the methods used for farming back then, tour the historic farmhouse and visit with the donkey and chickens. Along the way, costumed interpreters are available to “talk story” and answer questions.
The farm is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Visit konahistorical.org or call 323-3222 for more information and directions.
HELCO rep speaking Tuesday
The Kona Executives Association will host David Kurohara from Hawaii Electric Light Co. discussing “The Transformation of HELCO” on Tuesday. The meeting is from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at Humpy’s Big Island Alehouse, 75-5815 Alii Drive. The breakfast buffet is $15 per person. For reservations, email Cindy@KonaExecutives.com. For more infomration, visit konaexecutives.com.
Astronomy program slated at library
The Friends of the Libraries, Kona is hosting an astronomy program on Tuesday at the Kailua-Kona Public Library. Keck astronomer Luca Rizzi will give a presentation on the lives of stars titled “From Thermonuclear Fusion to Black Holes: The Life of Stars.”
The presentation will explain the nature of stars. What is their energy source? How long do they live? How do they die? This talk will answer all these questions and will take attendees on a journey to the highest temperatures and the most violent phenomena in the universe, to find out the true nature of exotic objects such as neutron stars and black holes.
For more information, contact the library at 327-4327 or visit folkhawaii.com.
Senior hui meets Tuesday
The Senior Roundtable Hui in Kona will have “Aging and New Careers” as its topic for Tuesday. The format will be interactive and all age groups are invited. The group meets to discuss an aging topic on the first Tuesday of every month.
The hui will be meet from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Pink Mocha Cafe just above Home Depot. There is no charge for the meeting other than if purchasing coffee or tea. Parking is easy access and free.
Call Laura Guluzzy for more information at 326-2100. All are welcome.
More planting goes on at cemetery
The West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery, which is situated on an arid stretch of lava overlooking the Kona coastline, was once Hawaiian dry land forest. The Rotary Club of Kona Mauka members participated in their effort to repopulate the native plants and trees in the area, returning the honored cemetery to its former glory on Saturday.
Dr. Richard Stevens, a University of Hawaii Center, West Hawaii lecturer in humanities who also serves as the reforestation project coordinator for the cemetery, explained the history of the area and how to recognize the invasive weeds and plants that needed to be removed before repopulating the hillside with native Hawaiian plantings.
More than 25,000 Rotarians and volunteers from 35 districts worldwide rolled up their sleeves to improve their communities as part of Rotarians At Work Day. Rotarians At Work Day happens the last Saturday in April each year and challenges clubs around the world to carry out hands-on service efforts in their community.