Fresh produce at Kilauea Community Agricultural Center
Friday, December 01, 2023 12:05 am
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Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island
Johnny Akana, via his portrait on the wall of Johnny’s He ‘Aha ‘Aina, smiles on the line of people flowing through the food line during the opening of the market in the Kilauea Community Agricultural Center on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023.
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Dennis Fujimoto /The Garden Island
People capitalized on the clear weather in Kilauea to talk story outside the Johnny’s He ‘Aha ‘Aina structure, which opened at the Kilauea Community Agricultural Center on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023.
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Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island
Free keiki horseback rides on the campus of Kilauea Community Agricultural Center helped celebrate the opening of Johnny’s He ‘Aha ‘Aina on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023.
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Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island
Yoshito L’Hote, of ‘Aina Ho‘okupu O Kilauea, meets with Kaua‘i County Council member Felicia Cowden at the opening of Johnny’s on the AHK campus on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023.
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Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island
Thomas Daubert of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge was one of the vendors in the Nonprofit Showcase during the opening of Johnny’s He ‘Aha ‘Aina at Kilauea Community Agriculture Center on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023.
Dennis Fujimoto The Garden Island
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KILAUEA — There was no formal protocol to celebrate the opening of Johnny’s He ‘Aha ‘Aina by the ‘Aina Ho‘okupu O Kilauea ‘ohana at Kilauea Community Agricultural Center on Saturday, Nov. 25.
KILAUEA — There was no formal protocol to celebrate the opening of Johnny’s He ‘Aha ‘Aina by the ‘Aina Ho‘okupu O Kilauea ‘ohana at Kilauea Community Agricultural Center on Saturday, Nov. 25.
Instead, the Kilauea Community Agricultural Center opened its gates to hundreds of people that came to enjoy the Thanksgiving Fair that celebrated the opening of Johnny’s, described by AHK as “the last piece of the vertical integration for the Kilauea Community Agricultural Center.”
Enhanced by the familiarity of people in the Nonprofit Showcase, people spread out over the Kilauea Community Agricultural Center campus to enjoy the live local entertainment, games inspired by old-time Hawai‘i, free petting zoo and horseback rides for keiki, and a beer garden by Napali Brewery.
Located on the road leading to the Kilauea Lighthouse, Johnny’s is now open Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Johnny’s will serve the community with access to Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i-grown produce, fruits and protein,” said Gale Gillespie, the AHK office and sales manager. “It’s named after Johnny Akana, who used to live in Kalihiwai.”
“The life of John ‘Johnny Boy’ Akana of Kalihiwai bridged the eras of old Kaua‘i and modern-day Kaua‘i,” wrote Chris Cook, a former TGI editor, of Akana’s passing in 2004 following a surfing session in Kalihiwai. “His family were konohiki, the caretakers of Kalihiwai.”
