Plantation-era celebration set in Honokaa

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The Heritage Center at the University of Hawaii at Hilo’s North Hawaii Education and Research Center will host a free, public celebration of the rich plantation-era history of Honokaa and the Hamakua region.

The Heritage Center at the University of Hawaii at Hilo’s North Hawaii Education and Research Center will host a free, public celebration of the rich plantation-era history of Honokaa and the Hamakua region.

The Hamakua Sugar Plantation Days Festival will take place 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday on the lawn of the Historic Rickard House in Honokaa.

The event will include ethnic presentations, displays and food from the Portuguese, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese and Puerto Rican communities. Entertainment will feature a concert with Darlene Ahuna, Bulla Kailiwai, Maelan Abran and Ryan Hiraoka, along with Puerto Rican kachi-kachi dance music.

There also will be free screenings of plantation-era films.

The festival is sponsored by the NHERC Heritage Center and made possible through funding from the county’s Department of Research and Development in collaboration with diverse community organizations.

For more information, call 640-8114.