HONOKAA — Honokaa Heritage Center recently celebrated its one-year anniversary.
The museum and visitor center on historic Mamane Street has welcomed about 4,000 visitors since it opened in June 2021.
On Saturday, July 16, the center welcome the public to help celebrate the anniversary.
The drummers of Taishoji Taiko kicked off a day of cultural entertainment, followed by hula kahiko and ‘auana performances by Honokaa’s own Halau Hula Helele‘i Pua ‘O Waipi‘o.
Brother Noland sang and “talked story” to a rapt audience in the afternoon, and Mikiala Yardley closed out the day with music of his own.
Meanwhile, competitors in a Honokaa town scavenger hunt raced up and down Mamane Street, following clues to identify locations significant in Honokaa history, while a steady stream of visitors toured the center’s indoor galleries of curated exhibits and artifacts.
And an assortment of local food trucks supplied food.
“It was fantastic to have had so many people stop by … to see what the center is all about and to help celebrate all that we’ve accomplished over the past year to make Honokaa even more of a destination,” center Director Nicole Garcia said in a press release.
Since opening, the center’s historical exhibits have been open to the public free of charge, five days a week (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday).
Community “talk story” gatherings have provided regular opportunities for locals to share memories and reflections about Honokaa’s history as a multi-ethnic sugar plantation town.
Displays designed by community groups for the center’s storefront windows have showcased a changing series of monthly themes, from Chinese New Year traditions to Filipino-American History Month to paniolo history/Western Week and Honokaa sports legends and local hula halau.
The center traces its origins to the heritage collection first established 11 years ago at the University of Hawaii’s satellite campus in Honokaa.
Its 2021 move downtown and new nonprofit status have afforded an opportunity to expand access and programming.
The center is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 45-3490 Mamane St., Suite C.
Its mission is to celebrate, preserve and educate about the history and heritage of the diverse peoples and cultures of Honokaa and the Hamakua region of Hawaii Island.
For more information, visit www.honokaaheritagecenter.org.
