Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Lobsters found their way to Punalu`u Black Sand Beach for the inaugural Ka`u Coffee Festival Lobsterpalooza on Sunday. See more below. Photo by Julia Neal

“HAWAI`I EXPERIENCED A GREAT first quarter of 2016,” according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism’s second quarter 2016 Statistical and Economic Report.

“We are pleased to see that during the first quarter, total civilian labor force, civilian employment and civilian non-agriculture payroll jobs were the highest quarterly numbers in Hawai`i’s history,” DBEDT Director Luis P. Salaveria said. “With nearly 2.2 million visitor arrivals, first quarter 2016 was the second best quarter since visitor numbers were recorded.”
General excise tax revenue, an indicator of current economic activities, increased 4.6 percent in the first quarter this year. DBEDT expects that Hawai`i’s economic growth, as measured by the growth of real gross domestic product, will continue the strong growth at 2.3 percent in 2016 and 2.4 percent in 2017, unchanged from DBEDT’s February forecast. These growth rates are higher than the U.S. economic growth rates of 1.8 percent for 2016 and 2.3 percent for 2017, as forecasted by the 50 top economic forecast organizations and published in Blue Chip Economic Indicators.
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Yvonne shows off her soon-to-be gone lobster. Photo by Julia Neal

LOBSTERPALOOZA ON SUNDAY brought another event to the 10-day Ka`u Coffee Festival.

The picnic on the lawn at Punalu`u Black Sand Beach featured skewered pupus, Kona Cold Lobster and charbroiled Spencer Steak raised locally by Kuahiwi Ranch and served with roasted potatoes, Cajun-style local sweet corn, Ka`u Coffee Mocha Torte, lilikoi lemonade, brewed ice tea and plenty of Ka`u Coffee.
Co-sponsored with Hana Hou Restaurant and `O Ka`u Kakou, the event featured live Blues entertainment with Larry Dupio Band and special guest Full Tilt Band.

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL events continue.

Hikes today and tomorrow exploring Ka`u Mountain Water System are sold out, but Ka`u Coffee Mill is taking names for a waiting list. Email lisa@kaucoffeemill.com, or call 928-0550.

Coffee & Cattle Day at Aikane Plantation for $25 per person on Friday at 10 a.m. features a ranch lunch and an opportunity to learn about how coffee growing is integrated into cattle ranching and other agriculture. Contact Phil and Merle Becker at aikaneplantation@hawaii.rr.com or 808-927-2252.

Chris Manfredi organized Lobsterpalooza. Photo by Julia Neal

Night sky viewing from Makanau Mountain on Friday still has room at $45 a person. Visit the mountain with the heiau and see the moonlit sky from the traditional lookout point over Ka`u. Email lisa@kaucoffeemill.com, or call 928-0550.
Ka`u Coffee Festival Ho`olaule`a on Saturday features a full day of entertainment, displays, Ka`u Coffee tasting, farm tours, the Ka`u Coffee Experience and food at Pahala Community Center from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Meet the farmers and Miss Ka`u Coffee 2016, her court and more pageant winners and participants.
Win $1,000 in prizes and cash at Buy Local; It Matters. Bring receipts, business cards or product labels from local business participants to the Ho`olaule`a for a chance to win. See kaucoffeefest.com for a list of participants.
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Jami Beck tied for first with acting and
modeling in Miss Ka`u Coffee Talent
competition. Photo by Pam Taylor

MISS KA`U COFFEE PAGEANT 2016, held Saturday at Ka`u Coffee Mill, will be televised on Na Leo TV channels 53 and 54 several times this month and in early July. The program showcases Miss Ka`u Coffee, Junior Miss Ka`u Coffee and Miss Ka`u Peaberry candidates competing in categories such as Talent, Evening Gown, Swimsuit, Career Outfit, Character Outfit and Hobby Outfit.

Contestants showed their talents during the pageant. Jami Beck and Shaira Badua tied in the Miss Ka`u Coffee division, with Beck acting and modeling and Badua dancing hip-hop. In Junior Miss Ka`u Coffee division, Karlee Fukunaga-Camba won with Tahitian dance. Jazmyn Navarro won first place in the Miss Ka`u Peaberry division with her hula.

Dates and times for broadcasts are Friday, May 20, 2:30 p.m.; Sunday, May 22, 7:30 a.m.; Monday, May 23, 12:30 p.m.; Tuesday, May 24, 12 p.m.; Wednesday, May 25, 12:30 p.m.; Thursday, May 26, 8:30 a.m.; Friday, May 27, 1 p.m.; Saturday, May 28, 1:30 p.m.; Monday, May 30, 10 a.m.; Tuesday, May 31, 7:30 a.m.; Wednesday, June 1, 9 a.m.; and Friday, June 3, 1 p.m.
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HAWAI`I ISLAND HUMANE SOCIETY-KONA will implement changes to help the Ocean View community cope with dog-related issues on Monday, May 23. The changes follow an HIHS community meeting that addressed free-roaming dogs, barking dogs, cruelty and neglect, and unspayed and unneutered animals.
HIHS will have an animal control officer in Ocean View every Monday and Friday. On those days, they will have dog food readily available to anyone who may need it. Call in advance, and they will deliver it.

Shaira Badua tied for first with hip-hop dance
in Miss Ka`u Coffee Talent competition.
Photo by Pam Taylor

Fees are waived fees for any animal pick-up. A fixed amount of free spay/neuter coupons will be available at Ali`i Vet, or you may call the Kona Shelter at 329-1175 to be put on a list for a free spay/neuter.

HIHS has increased the number of dog traps to trap free-roaming dogs in “hot spots.”
A $10 micro-chipping clinic will take place once a month at Ocean View Farmers Market beginning on Saturday, June 4 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. HIHS will pass out brochures and information on how it can help with animal-related issues.
Kona Shelter Manager Roxy O-Neal urges residents to contact HIHS with any concerns, problem areas or suggestions. “HIHS is your community resource, and we want to help improve the lives of the animals and people in the Ocean View community,” she said.
Call 329-1175 for more information.
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THE U.S. SENATE ADVANCED a $1.1 billion bipartisan compromise amendment to address the Zika virus to the appropriations bill currently being debated on the Senate floor. While the funding is short of the Obama Administration’s $1.9 billion emergency request, the compromise measure will lay a foundation to fight Zika without including cuts to other important public health initiatives.

Tahitian dance by Karlee Fukunaga-Camba won first
in Junior Miss Ka`u Coffee Talent competition.
Photo by Jen Makuakane

“Zika is a public health emergency,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. “This is our government’s most basic responsibility – keeping us safe. I am glad that senators from both sides of the aisle have finally come together on a deal to provide the critical funding needed to address Zika. …”

Zika funding has “nothing to do with one’s views on the size and scope of the federal government – because even if you believe that government should do even just a few things, preventing a catastrophic epidemic has got to be one of them. …We have to act now,” Schatz said.

“Over 500 Americans have contracted the Zika virus while traveling this year, and with the summer months almost upon us, it is only a matter of time before we see a locally-acquired case,” Sen. Mazie Hirono said. “While I am a co-sponsor of legislation to fund the President’s full emergency request, the compromise measure advanced today is a good first step to provide states and counties in Hawai`i with the vector control, research and education resources needed to fight Zika. We must remain vigilant and keep ahead of Zika, which has the potential to be a major public health crisis.”
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FORMER PAHALA RESIDENT Marion Kittelson-Villanueva next month will read her recently published book Mr. Kiko Searches for Aloha, written under the pen name Marion Louise. Pahala Public and School Library hosts the free Summer Reading Program on Tuesday, June 14, 2016, at 12 p.m.

Miss Ka`u Peaberry contestant Jazmyn Navarro
danced hula and won first place in Talent.
Photo by Pam Taylor

The children’s picture book for ages four to eight tells of cultural implications and highlights values of individual differences. The coqui, a singing tree frog of Puerto Rican fame, finds himself as a misfit in Hawai`i. Not by choice, Kiko faces the other species in the rainforest and comes to know true rejection. Will there ever be any aloha for this new arrival?

Kittelson-Villanueva, a retired secondary schoolteacher and elementary school librarian, was born in Hawai`i of Puerto Rican and Portuguese decent. This is her first creative writing experience.
A copy of the book has been donated to both Pahala Public & School Library and Na`alehu Public Library and is available for borrowing with a Hawai`i State Public Library card.
After the program, there will be a simple craft for children.
For more information, call Pahala P&S Library Manager Debbie Wong Yuen at 928-2015.
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FIND YOUR PARK on the Big Screen Friday at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Learn the significance of the War in the Pacific National Historical Park in Guam, established as a tribute to those who fought and died during the Pacific Theater of World War II. Due to a film’s graphic nature, the program may not be suitable for younger audiences.
Free; park entrance fees apply.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.