Hawaii Kuauli Pacific and Asia Cultural Festival returns
The fourth annual Pacific and Asia Cultural Festival will stream live on Facebook and YouTube on Friday and Saturday. Some exciting highlights of the festival this weekend are the BTS Trailer and Interview with Jason Scott Lee and the cast of the soon-to-be-released movie “The Wind and the Reckoning;” the Le Kaua Ailao Fireknife Competition; and the Taste of Pacific and Asia’s People’s Choice Award.
“The Wind and the Reckoning” is set in the 1893, during the time of the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani and the Hansen’s Disease (leprosy) outbreak. The film follows the life of a father and son on the run from mercenaries for three years. They contracted Hansen’s Disease but refused to be taken away from their wife and mother and taken away to Molokai — where all of those who had been infected were quarantined and confined. The father is played by Jason Scott Lee who played Bruce Lee in the film “Dragon: the Bruce Lee Story,” as well as Mowgli in “The Jungle Book.” An interview with the cast and the BTS trailer will be played at the festival with never-before-seen footage from the movie.
The Le Kaua Ailoa Fireknife Competition is the first ever fireknife competition on Hawaii Island. It will feature competitors from Hawaii and the mainland.
This year, the festival will feature The Taste of Pacific and Asia. Pa‘ina by Ocean boxes have been delivered to local chefs and each one will create their own signature dish using all the ingredients. In addition to celebrity chef judges, the live audience will have a chance to vote for their favorite in The People’s Choice Award on Hawaii Kuauli Pacific and Asia Cultural Festival’s Instagram and Facebook pages (@HiKuauli).
For more information, visit www.hikuauli.com.
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Public Libraries to observe King Kamehameha Day holiday
In state observance of the King Kamehameha Day holiday, all public libraries and library support offices will be closed on Friday.
The Hawaii State Public Library System’s digital doors are always open at www.librarieshawaii.org. With just a library card you can download ebooks, stream movies, learn a language, read newspapers and more!
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DOH administering vaccines Saturday in Kona
The state Department of Health will offer the two-shot Moderna and single-shot Johnson &Johnson vaccines from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Kealakehe Middle School cafeteria in Kailua-Kona.
Shots are approved for adults age 18 and older. Appointments are encouraged, but not necessary, and can be made by calling (808) 300-1120 or by visiting www.hawaiicovid19.com. Assistance will be provided for scheduling an appointment for the second Moderna shot.
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Scholarship offered to recent grads
Hawaii Emergency Physicians Associated, Inc. is offering a $3,000 scholarship to a student who demonstrates financial need and who without assistance would have no opportunity to attend college.
It is open to high school seniors who recently graduated from a school in the North/South Kohala/Hamakua regions of the Big Island. Hawaii Emergency Physicians Associated funds this program to encourage students to become productive members of our community with the support of higher education.
Completed applications and required documents must be received or postmarked by July 15.
Applications and instructions are available online at www.nhch.com.
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HVNP’s Uekahuna bluff, other trails reopen
Uekahuna, the awe-inspiring cliff top at the summit of Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, has reopened to the public. A half-mile of Crater Rim Drive and Crater Rim Trail west of Kilauea Overlook to the Uekahuna bluff parking lot have also reopened.
In addition, public restrooms near the former Jaggar Museum site and a half-mile section of trail connecting Namakanipaio Campground to Uekahuna, also reopened.
“We are so pleased to welcome the community and visitors back to Uēkahuna, one of the most remarkable and revered sites in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park,” said Superintendent Rhonda Loh. “Data from multiple post-disaster assessments indicate the areas do not pose an immediate risk as long as people stay on trail and stay away from the cliff edges. The National Park Service will continue to closely monitor the area, and respond as necessary to any changes.”
Uekahuna closed in 2018 when magma drained from Halema‘uma‘u, the summit crater, triggering months of repetitive earthquakes, damaging ash clouds and the eventual collapse of Kilauea summit. A section of Crater Rim Drive dropped into the crater and park buildings, roads and infrastructure were badly damaged. The volcanic events of 2018 are the most destructive in Hawaii in at least two centuries.