HANAPEPE — Capitalizing on the interest in Hawaiian culture churned up by the recent 60th annual Merrie Monarch Festival, the Hanapepe Economic Alliance announces its “Hanapepe: Our Hawaiian Sense of Place” gathering that runs from Thursday through Saturday, April 20 to 22, 2023.
The event celebrates the Hawaiian people and the culture, history and place as relating to Hanapepe town and the adjoining Hanapepe Valley.
Hanapepe, known through its marketing efforts as “Kaua‘i’s Biggest Little Town,” hosts the series that includes lectures, hands-on demonstrations and workshops, musical and performing arts presentations, cooking demonstration, literary events, and others that will highlight and celebrate the rich culture and diversity of the Hawaiian people, states a release from the Hanapepe Economic Alliance.
Most of the events are free with the exception of the hands-on demonstrations and workshops. Fees for these events will include materials and supplies fees payable to the event’s presenter at the time of the workshop.
The Hanapepe United Church of Christ hall is the primary location of the weekend schedule that includes table displays and presentations, workshops, the cooking demonstration and other activities.
Located across from the Hanapepe UCC, the Hanapepe Public Library will open the series on Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m., and host the lecture presentations on Friday in the library’s meeting room. Most of the presentations will take place Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Storybook Theatre of Hawai‘i will present information on Hawaiian and Polynesian geography, mo‘olelo, Hawaiian quilts and artifacts that will include items on loan from the Kaua‘i Museum.
Peppered through the three days, hands-on workshops include Ni‘ihau shell earrings, and fresh flower lei making by the Kanahele ‘ohana, including Kaleo Jake Kanahele.
Kae‘o Bradford will lead kahili pa‘alima kahili feather making, coconut weaving, ipuheke‘ole making and hula.
Master wood carver Kenneth Bray will lead a Hawaiian wood carving session, and master wood carver Tepairu Manea will lead the drum making session.
Sharon Dela Pena of Ho‘ola Lahui Hawai‘i will lead the Hawaiian cooking demonstration and food tasting of a healthy Hawaiian chicken hekka in the UCC hall.
At the Hanapepe Public Library meeting room, Julie Diegman, Ph. D., of the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project, will discuss the program with other speakers presenting a talk about the mosquito issue and its effect on native birds in Koke‘e.
More information on the topics and the “Hanapepe: Our Hawaiian Sense of Place” can be found at www.hanapepe.org.
The three-day festival is supported by a grant from the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority and Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau.
The Hanapepe Economic Alliance, presenting its weekly Friday Art Night from 5 to 8 p.m. for the 22nd year, is partnering with the Hanapepe United Church of Christ, the Hanapepe Public Library, the Storybook Theatre and Talk Story Bookstore, Kaua‘i Soto Zen Temple Zenshuji, Ho‘ola Lahui Hawai‘i, Filcom Cares and Inkspot Printing to present “Hanapepe: Our Hawaiian Sense of Place.”
• Info: hanapepe.org
