Posts Tagged With: Liliuokalani Gardens

Queen’s Birthday Celebration Saturday 9/9/2023

Posted on September 6, 2023 by usjapanesegardens

The County of Hawaiʻi Department of Parks and Recreation announces the 24th annual He Haliʻa Aloha No Liliʻuokalani Festival will be held on Saturday, September 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Hilo’s Liliʻuokalani Gardens on the Waiakea peninsula.

graphic design and printing by Aaron Miyasato
graphic design and printing by Aaron Miyasato

The festival, which celebrates the Queen’s birthday and pays tribute to the historical significance of Lili‘uokalani Gardens, will include music, hula, arts, crafts, food trucks, demonstrations, tea ceremony, children’s games, and cultural activities.

Starting at 10 a.m. the Royal Societies will enter with protocol at the Queen’s portrait. More than 600 hula dancers will follow with mass hula as floral blossoms are dropped from a helicopter provided by Paradise Helicopters.

2017 photo by Bill F. Eger

Live entertainment throughout the day will be provided by Darlene Ahuna, Taishoji Taiko, Just Us Band, Christy Lassiter, and Ben Kaili & Kanakapila. Emcees will be Penny Vredenburg, Darde Gamayo, and Ku`ehu Mauga.

Additional public parking will be available at the Kuawa Street Park parking lot. KapohoKine Adventures will provide free shuttle services to the festival. Lihiwai Street will be closed to vehicular traffic from Banyan Drive to Isles starting Friday, September 8, through 6 pm Saturday, September 9.

Among new demonstrations this year are a native plant booth and lei making. Hawaiian games on the western side of the park are organized by Hoolahui Pakipika from Kamehameha Schools. Liliuokalani Trust will have children’s activities in a large tent at the center of the gardens. A bouncing castle and water slide will be available in the meadow to the southern side of the park.

Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens booth will be at the east entry to the park through the torii under a big banyan tree along Banyan Drive. Featured will be Pokemon assistance and a scavenger hunt. Information on pond cleaning efforts will be available there from UH-Hilo students, DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources, and Genki Hou Waihonu. There are 300 genki balls available to be tossed into the pond at select test sites.

Genki balls utilize indigenous microorganisms to clean sludge in Waihonu.

The County of Hawaiʻi invites the public to attend this alcohol-, drug- and litter-free event coordinated in collaboration with private enterprises, community organizations, and numerous government agencies. Recycle bins will be available throughout the gardens.

Coordinator Morton Carter with P&R Culture and Education Division said, “On behalf of the County of Hawaiʻi, we thank the Friends of Liliʻuokalani Gardens and the many private, public, and community entities and persons that worked cooperatively to present this annual celebration in honor of Queen Liliʻuokalani.”

In partnership with the County of Hawai‘i and adding to the day’s activities to honor the Queen’s birthday, The Grand Naniloa Resort will also host events starting with a Pop-Up Mākeke at 10 a.m. Live entertainment will start at 12 pm and continue into the evening, featuring Hawaiian music, hula. Other activities will consist of immersive cultural displays, including hula implements and lei hulu.

More information on He Hali`a Aloha No Lil`uokalani may be obtained by calling the Department of Parks & Recreation’s Culture & Education Division at (808) 961-8706.

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Genki Hou Waihonu

Posted on December 4, 2022 by usjapanesegardens

A collaborative effort of community organizations, schools, and local businesses seeks to bring bioremediation to Waihonu, the traditional fish pond at the heart of Lili`uokalani Gardens in Hilo.

Genki Hou – making healthy again – is the theme of this effort utilizing indigenous micro organisms to eat sludge that has accumulated in Waihonu in places as much as three feet deep.

The effort is based on the success of bokashi balls in a fish pond on the Kona coast and, perhaps more widely known, the success in the Ala Wai Canal in Honolulu. Here is a link to that effort:

Home

Bokashi is a general term in Japanese for fermented organic matter. Genki is a Japanese term meaning well, healthy, robust.

Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens first heard of the potential for bokashi balls at a meeting of Hui Loko Ia, a group of fish pond guardians and caretakers on Hawai`i Island under the umbrella of The Nature Conservancy. Hui Loko Ia met in Lili`uokalani Gardens in November 2019. In mid-2021, the Hawaiian Airlines inflight magazine Hana Hou carried a story on utilizing bokashi balls to clean the Ala Wai canal in Honolulu. Copies of the magazine were distributed to Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens board members, County Parks & Recreation administration, and others with a stake in cleaning the pond.

During the summer of 2022, Susie Osborne president of Rotary Club of Pahoa took the lead in organizing other Rotary Clubs to adopt a bokashi ball long term project to benefit the community by cleaning Waihonu. Kua O Ka La Charter School is involved as a location for making the balls and providing storage in a greenhouse during the curing period. An educational element will be offered to other schools.

The first manufacture day was in early November at which 50 people attended and 1,000 balls were made. The second manufacture day was December 3 at which 40 people attended and 700 balls were set aside for the late December ball toss.

Bokashi balls exhibit a white bloom indicating the micro organisms have been activated. A bucket of material was provided to each of seven test sites.

Rotarians from east Hawai`i and Hiroshima joined County officials and Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens Saturday, December 3, to toss the first batch of 700 balls into Waihonu. Each of 100 people present tossed a minimum of three balls into Waihonu, shouting “Genki Hou” with each toss. The theme name was developed by Councilmember and Rotarian Susan Lee Loy.

Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens gather with Susie Osborne at site five preparing for the first genki ball toss. From left to right: Phil Hulbert, Paul Kaneko, Amy Nishiura, K.T. Cannon-Eger, Susie Osborne, Parks & Recreation Director Maurice Messina, Carol Kaneko, Tadashi and Yutaka Kaneko (photo by Charlene Iboshi)

Several participants tossed more bokashi balls for complete coverage of seven test sites in the northern section of the pond from the iconic arched stone bridge to the stone wall along Lihiwai Street. Seven control sites and the test sites will be measured and tested over the next several months.

Site 1 at 5 p.m. Saturday. By 11:30 a.m. Sunday, all the balls had sunk.

“This is part of a greater plan to restore Waihonu,” said Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens president K.T. Cannon-Eger. “Removal of invasive seaweed and repair of crumbling pond walls are two more major elements of a plan that will take approximately five years to accomplish. The end result will be a healthy and productive fish pond for generations to come.”

The second Genki Hou Waihonu ball toss happened immediately prior to Garden Enchantment, the 6th annual illumination of the gardens, on Friday December 23 at 5 p.m.

The next Genki Hou Waihonu ball toss will take place on Earth Day, Saturday April 22, in the afternoon at 4:30 p.m.

For more information on Genki Hou Waihonu, to volunteer or to donate, contact Susie Osborne at halai96720@gmail.com or (808) 640-3439. For volunteer opportunities and events taking place in Lili`uokalani Gardens, contact K.T. Cannon-Eger at ktcannoneger@gmail.com or (808) 895-8130. Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens also maintains a Facebook page.

Site 5 opposite shore from toss: Can you spot the Genki Ball??
Kumu Moses Kaho`okele Crabbe with assistance from Hayden Konanui-Tucker offers a blessing to begin the Garden Enchantment event and the Genki Hou Waihonu effort.
Rotarians from three east Hawai`i clubs join Friends of Liliuokalani Gardens for the second genki ball toss.
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Do You Really Need A Sign?

Posted on December 31, 2019 by usjapanesegardens

The other evening, after a long day cleaning the gardens, we were loading up the truck when a car of young people pulled in to the space next to us. They exited their car holding adult beverages and lit cigarettes.

three buckets of litter collected one morning by sixth grade girls from Kamehameha Schools

As they headed toward the large picnic table at the old sumo ring pavilion in Lili`uokalani Gardens, I said, “Excuse me. You might like to know that this is a no smoking park.”

“Oh, sorry,” they replied. “I never saw a sign.”

this bucket was mainly caps from beer bottles

Lili`uokalani Gardens also is an alcohol-free park as is true of many other public areas. For example, a total of 19 areas in North and South Kona either require a permit or prohibit all consumption of alcohol outright. According to an article in West Hawaii Today, “People found drinking in parks and beaches in violation of the county code can be cited for a petty misdemeanor, which is punishable with up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.”

this bucket was miscellaneous litter including a drink container, plastic straws, and a rubber slipper

 

this bucket contained approximately 600 cigarette butts, most of which were picked up around the old sumo ring pavilion near the small parking lot

Here is the sign people drive past in order to get to the picnic table in the old sumo ring pavilion. $100 for each smoking offense and $1,000 for littering.

sign at the entry to the small parking lot off Banyan Drive near the tea house

Do you really need a sign to tell you how to behave in a public park? Here is one from another district.

Do you really need a sign to tell you to pick up after your dog?

Do you really need a sign to tell you carving or painting on public property isn’t a good idea?

Come on people!

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has a “This Place Matters” campaign to celebrate places of meaning and importance to communities

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Congratulations to Chicago Botanic Garden

Posted on October 24, 2019 by usjapanesegardens

map of the three islands of Sansho-en (Elizabeth Hubert Malott Garden) courtesy of Chicago Botanic Garden

The United States Postal Service announced a set of 10 gardens to be issued on stamps in 2020.

https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2019/1022-usps-unveils-2020-stamps.htm?fbclid=IwAR2DG1Hbd9BQ2rRwPYzW7gF6aNgeNIV8-pwn-e-g-okgEicrsRe-_Q0KLd4

Among the selection is the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese garden at Chicago Botanic Garden, the second time a U.S. Japanese garden has appeared on a stamp.

https://www.chicagobotanic.org/gardens/japanese

The first U.S. garden on a stamp was Lili`uokalani Gardens in Hilo on a Priority Mail stamp in 2017, marking the centennial of Hilo’s treasured cultural landscape.

2017stamp

Issued to mark the centennial of Lili`uokalani Gardens, this also is the first time a Hilo locale appears on a U.S. postage stamp and the first time a Japanese garden appears on a U.S. postage stamp

Other gardens in the new Forever stamp set that also have Japanese gardens within their boundaries are Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens (Ohio), Huntington Botanical Gardens (California), and Brooklyn Botanic Garden (New York).

a viewing platform with cherry tree along the path to the main entry gate at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

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Volunteer day at Lions Legacy Project

Posted on July 8, 2018 by usjapanesegardens

Volunteer Day at Lili`uokalani Gardens

Friday, July 27 – 8 a.m. to noon

at the Lions Legacy Project

The result of a year-long joint effort, the Lions Legacy Project was dedicated Friday, May 4

Please wear gardening clothes and closed toe shoes. Some tools and gloves will be available for loan. There are weeds to pull, gravel to be swept, stones to be cleaned, leaves to be raked. All from 8:00 a.m. to noon on Friday, July 27. Refreshments provided. Meet in the southern shaded corner near Alii Ice and diagonally across from Suisan Fish Market.

 

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Annual Fourth of July 5K Honors Veterans

Posted on June 26, 2018 by usjapanesegardens

RUNNERS AND WALKERS NEEDED
https://www.facebook.com/events/991314517710971/

A Salute to Our Veterans Hilo Bay 5K 8th annual race at 7:00 a.m. kicks off the 4th of July festivities in Hilo at beautiful Lili`uokalani Gardens.

This event supports the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3830 in Pahoa which presently reaches out to many of Hawaii Island’s needy Veterans and their families. Our goal is to increase the size of our facility and our programs to better serve these, their families and the many other Veterans in our Hawai`i Island o`hana.

All Veterans, and especially those named by participants, will be honored.

early morning

later in the day – flags are placed to honor veterans

Come and participate to honor your special Veteran on this day as we celebrate our country’s independence and the Veterans who fought for it. Registration forms and information are available at various businesses around the island or at

http://www.asalutetoourveterans.org/

For Further information contact: Mike or Pat Sauer 965-0565, cell: 936-7611, ohana@sauerfarm.us

emcee D.C. and organizer Pat

#VFWPostPride #VeteransHiloBay5k

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Clean the Pond

Posted on January 23, 2018 by usjapanesegardens

UPDATE: The next pond cleaning day is Saturday, March 17, from 8 a.m. to noon. The current tally on muck removed is 2,875 gallons.

Cleaning Waihonu, the pond at the heart of Lili`uokalani Gardens, is top of the maintenance priority list for Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens. Starting in October 2016, Friends and volunteers under the direction of board member Alton Okinaka have removed more than 2,700 gallons of mud, muck, and debris.

The next volunteer day is Saturday, January 27, from 8 a.m. to noon. There also are land-based chores for those who do not want to get in the pond. Some protective gear (gloves, tabi) are provided. Participants are advised to wear gardening clothes and closed-toe shoes.

debris from demolished homes and businesses ended up in Waihonu during the 1960 tsunami along with tons of mud (photo from the Pacific Tsunami Museum collection on the wall at Coqui’s restaurant Tsunami Room)

The effort has concentrated on removing muck immediately adjacent to the stone edging the pond and three feet from the edge into the pond. This will better enable future mechanized cleaning of the entire pond without further damaging the stone edge.

University of Hawaii-Hilo students, Hilo Y’s Men, and Representative Chris Todd join in the pond cleaning effort where the mud is de-watered before hauling to a nearby farm

Also on the removal list is an invasive seaweed called gorilla ogo (Gracilaria salicornia). As the invasive is removed, native seaweed growth is restored.

Repair of the stone edge around the pond including restoration of a suhama (smooth stone beach) on the bay side goes hand in hand with pond remediation. Having a healthy pond is part of restoring the more desirable fish populations.

Fourth graders from a pond science class in Keaukaha form a bucket brigade to help remove mud

To volunteer for this or future garden work days, please refer to the Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens page on Facebook or contact Alton Okinaka at alton@hawaii.edu or telephone (808) 383-4917.

More information on gorilla ogo is available here:
https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/info/invasive-species-profiles/gorilla-ogo/

Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens is a 501(c)(3) non-profit operating on a Memorandum of Understanding with the County of Hawaii Department of Parks & Recreation. Friends work to provide maintenance on special projects, raise funds for capital improvements, and plan events to celebrate the centennial of the gardens 2017-2019.

 

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Capturing light and moments in time

Posted on January 12, 2018 by usjapanesegardens

second annual Banyan Drive Art Stroll map/brochure contains a schedule of events for the entire day

The second annual Banyan Drive Art Stroll features events at several locations in Makaoku, the old name for Waiakea peninsula.

Featured on the cover of this year’s brochure/map/schedule is the award-winning work of William Wingert, a painter who will demonstrate from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Lili`uokalani Gardens in the square-roof pavilion close to the red bridge.

Wingert’s home is Hawaii Island where he lives and  paints outdoors, and in his Kealakekua studio. He also teaches painting at the Donkey Mill Art Center in Holualoa, along with an outdoor painting class in Waimea, and drawing and master copy workshops in his studio.

Working in oils and charcoal, William produces landscape, portrait, and figurative work.

Darrell Orwig, artist educator and this year’s judge of the art entries, said of Wingert’s painting: “The artist has rendered smooth, velvety reflections. The overall composition pleases the eye.”

Art on the theme of “The Beauty of Lili`uokalani Gradens” will be on display at the Castle Hilo Hawaiian Hotel and available for voting for the People’s Choice Award from noon to 6:00 p.m. Saturday, January 13.

“This is a very competent collection of work,” Orwig said. “Judging is never easy. Any one of the entries could have been chosen for an award. What I have selected is based on the appeal of the subject matter, craftsmanship, and concept of the piece relative to the theme of the exhibit.

Orwig selected four pieces for honorable mention: Jared Goodwin’s photograph “Path of Reflections,” Diane Renchler’s painting “Looking out from within,” and Marilyn Montgomery’s “Lili`uokalani Portrait” and “Curved Bridge.”

(c) Jared Goodwin, 2018 grand prize winner in photographers calendar contest

“My first honorable mention is a photograph titled ‘The Path of Reflections’ by Jared Goodwin,” Orwig said. “It is a handsome piece and exhibits a clear perspective and a well-balanced composition.” Goodwin’s photograph also was selected by photographers contest judge Charles Wood as the grand prize winner in the calendar contest.

Goodwin is among photographers who will give tours through the gardens. Meet him at 1:45 p.m. near the stone path featured in his award-winning image.

Diane Renchler’s piece “Looking Out from Within” won honors from art exhibit judge Darrell Orwig

“The Red Pagoda Looking Out from Within” by Diane Renchler also received honorable mention from Orwig. “The artist has formalized the space by using a very symmetrical design. The repetition of the palm trees with their reflections in the water produces an almost musical quality to the piece.”

Marilyn Montgomery’s portrait of the Queen was selected for honors by judge Darrell Orwig

“Several artists chose to render a portrait of Queen Lili`uokalani, the namesake of the gardens,” said Orwig. “I chose the pastel painting by Marilyn Montgomery. It combines a feeling of a hand-colored photograph that gives the impression of a snapshot of a moment in time gone by. There also is a sense of a strong woman willing and ready to face her adversaries head on.”

Orwig also selected Montgomery’s “Curved Bridge” for honorable mention. “What I see in this piece is reminiscent of classic impressionism. The treatment of the water reflections and composition are a joy to look at.”

Montgomery is among plein air painters who will be in the newly restored small shelter near the arched stone bridge. Her time slot is noon to 1:30.

Retired now from editorial and advertising illustration, Montgomery worked some in the animation film industry. She says her last real job was as a digital imager and color specialist.

Winners will receive gift certificates from Akamai Art Supply, Cunningham Gallery and Framing, and Ben Franklin.

The Banyan Drive Art Stroll, set for Saturday, January 13, will hold events and exhibits throughout the Waiakea peninsula. Photographers whose images were selected for the second annual Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens calendar will be on display at Hilo Bay Café with grand prize presentation by Paradise Helicopters at 1:00 p.m. Artists will demonstrate en plein air in Lili`uokalnai Gardens from 1 to 3 p.m. Brandon Tengan will demonstrate fish printing (gyotaku) at Suisan Fish Market at 3 p.m.

An invitational art exhibit and silent auction plus entertainment are scheduled for the Grand Naniloa lobby and lounge. Registration for door prizes will be at Banyan Gallery.

Sponsors include Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens, Banyan Gallery, Paradise Helicopters, Akamai Art Supply, Cunningham Gallery, Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, Grand Naniloa Hotel, Hilo Bay Café, the County of Hawaii Parks & Recreation Department and Suisan Fish Market.

The outside of the map/brochure features Wingert’s winning image plus recognition of sponsors

This is the first event of 2018 to continue celebrating the centennial of Lili`uokalani Gardens (2017-2019).

The inside of the map/brochure features a schedule of events organized by location

For more information, see the Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens Facebook page.

Darrell Orwig retired from the Maui Arts and Cultural Center where he set up the Schaeffer International Gallery and was its director. He has juried many exhibitions on Maui, Kaua`I and Hawai`i Island. Orwig has a retrospective exhibit at Hui Noeau in 2011, a one-man exhibit at the East Hawaii Cultural Center in 2016, and participated in a group exhibit at the Wailoa Center in Fall 2017.

 

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Floral Design Workshop & Installation a success in August — Plans made for Celebrate 18

Posted on December 8, 2017 by usjapanesegardens

A floral design workshop with Hitomi Gilliam, world renown AIFD designer and educator, started in the planning stage more than six years ago. The results of a regional floral design effort in western Michigan — Nature’s Creative Edge — were seen in September 2011 and samples of the event brochures were brought home to Hawaii.

The Hawaii Floriculture & Nursery Association arranged for Hitomi to offer a design class to florists, professional and hobbyist, at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel Saturday, August 19, 2017 after which designers moved in teams to 16 sites in Lili`uokalani Gardens.

The designs remained in place throughout the weekend, were judged by professionals in the floral and landscape industries, and also were voted on by the public for People’s Choice Award.

site scouting at Lili`uokalani Gardens with Amy Nishiura, Hitomi Gilliam, Eric Tanouye, and Judy Schilling

At the end of the installation day, floral design judges selected their choices. First went to Phoebe Anderson and her team for a culturally significant design near the bamboo thicket. Judges noted that the three-dimensional design made good use of the surrounding features, even to having a window through which the stone lantern might be enjoyed.

Site5Bamboo-IMG_0487

Phoebe Anderson and her team had site #5 by the bamboo patch (photo by Bill F. Eger)

Second place went to Susanne Law AIFD from Vancouver, B.C. whose design made use of the zip-ties used to attach flowers to the frame.

Susanne Law’s design in the bicentennial garden
(photo by Greg Lum)

site 12 before

Third place went to Shelley Hanaoka in site #12 near a niwaki pruned black pine with the Oshima sister island monument in the background.

The following day, the public was able to vote for a People’s Choice award, which went to Michelle Gamble and team.

site #1 by Shoroan, the Urasenke tea house
People’s Choice award

Here are a few images of the other floral designs at the balance of the 16 sites in Lili`uokalani Gardens.

site #2
site #3
site #4
site #6
site #7 and the judges
site #8
site #9
site #10 before
site #10 under construction
site #10
site #11 before
site #11 by Greg Lau
site #13 (photo by Sonia Martinez)
site #15 (photo by Sonia Martinez)
site #16 in the meadow(photo by Sonia Martinez)

In a follow up meeting, Hitomi Gilliam, the Hawaii Floraiculture and Nursery Association, and Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens agreed to plan for a larger event to be held next year in mid-October.

To keep in touch with Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens, please visit our page on Facebook.

Please refer to the Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens page on Facebook for current information on centennial events and volunteer work days.

 

Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens is a registered non-profit with 501(c)(3) status. The organization follows three paths: organizing volunteer maintenance, raising funds for capital improvements, and planning centennial events.

Mailing address is: Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens, P. O. Box 5147, Hilo HI 96720.

 

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Bamboo patch one area for maintenance Saturday, December 9

Posted on December 7, 2017 by usjapanesegardens

Volunteers are an essential part of maintaining and improving Hilo’s treasured cultural landscape, Lili`uokalani Gardens. The volunteer day for December is Saturday 12/9. Time is 8 a.m. to noon.

MelCasey2016

Mel and Casey Jones assist with bagging bamboo leaves. Now the lantern is visible as is the gravel pathway on the other side.

Please wear gardening clothes and closed toe shoes. A few pairs of gloves are on hand, but if you have gloves, please bring them. Contact Alton Okinaka with any questions: K.T. Cannon-Eger <kteger@hawaii.rr.com> or (808) 895-8130.

Refreshments and lunch will be served to all volunteers.

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