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WAIMEA, Island of Hawaii—Hawaii Preparatory Academy will offer three swim/water polo camps for students 8 years of age and older at the school’s Dowsett Pool. Students must be able to swim 25 yards or more to attend the camps.

Session 1 will run March 22-25 (Fee: $115); Session 2 will run June 7-11 (Fee: $140); and Session 3 will run June 14-18 (Fee: $140). Camps begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 11:30 a.m.

Swim instruction will cover the four competitive strokes (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle), starts, and turns. Participants will learn the basics, improve their skills, or master technique. HPA varsity swim and Academy Swim Club coach Mark Noetzel will lead the swim portion of the camp with assistance from HPA and ASC coach Greg McKenna, current varsity players, and swimmers. Noetzel (ASCA/USA Swimming Inc. coach) has worked extensively with swimmers of all abilities—from beginners to Olympic champions.

Water polo instruction will include general water polo skills, ball handling, and team play.

All levels—beginning, intermediate, and advanced—are encouraged to participate. Day one of the camp will include a skills evaluation of each participant.

For more information, contact Mark Noetzel at 808-640-6236 e-mail: mnoetzel@hpa.edu

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Mailani Sills paints during the Parker School in the Art Start program.

Parker School students experienced first hand what it is like to live as an artist for a day. The annual program Art Start gives students the opportunity to learn from local artists in various disciplines and this year took on a new direction by celebrating and reflecting the multi-arts approach reflected within Parker School’s Fine Arts Department. In addition to the visual artists that have been the traditional foundation of Art Start, the program integrated literary, performing and media arts as well.

Visual artist, Dustin Brunelle, shared his talents in acrylic portraits and taught students the techniques for creating expressive human portraits with tips and tricks for lips, eyes, hands and skin tones. “I am so inspired. This makes me want to sign up for art next year. I didn’t know I could do something like this” exclaimed junior Sierra. Mailani Sills said, “I like the fact that he let us be free minded. He gave us instructions but let our creativity flow. Sierra had never done art before and hers was extraordinarily awesome”. “This is an amazingly talented group of students and it was an honor to work with them”, said Brunelle.

Elisha Chun works on her artwork at Parker School.

Local artist, Deborah Thompson helped students beautify the walls of their Snack Shop and give it a Surf Shop feel complete with customized surf boards. Students learned basic acrylic techniques to achieve lighting, shading and composition details in botanical palms and landscapes. Freshman participant, Mariko Langevin said, “I loved it. It was so much fun. I liked how we were able to leave a mark that will still be on campus for years to come.”

Artist Rachel Baker works with Nolan Cooke on stained glass art.

Rachel Baker taught students how to make individualized stained glass pieces. The students in this workshop found out that working in this medium comes with many scratches and cuts but noted the physical injuries didn’t taint their experience. Sara Divya taught a workshop on found image manipulation. Each project was based on a dreams and aspirations theme and students used both digital and hand drawn sources to explore drawing, paint and collage techniques.

Cathy Morgan led an introduction to printmaking where students familiarized themselves with the use of brayers, inks and plates to create several works of art. A project in mixed media collage was led by Laurie Goldstein who helped students explore the use of papers, fabric, colored pencils, acrylic, glue, distressed papers and transfer techniques to create beautiful collages.

Artist Pam Decker and student Sarah Hannon work on transfering art from Photoshop onto jewelry.

Pam Decker’s workshop focused on using Photoshop transferring to create unique one-of-a-kind jewelry including rings, charms and pendants. “That was THE coolest thing. We made jewelry and it really inspired me to want to make more jewelry. A lot of people saw our designs and thought they were so cool” said senior Sarah Hannon.

Performing and literary arts workshops were led by Kim Cope Tait who shared the art and craft of poetry, exposing students to writing and discussing poetry and learning about the publishing process. Megan Bonnici shared her dance skills and helped students create creative dance, movement and choreography. “It was a lot of fun” said freshman Cody Brown”. In the poetry workshop students worked with the dancers and filmmakers in a combined multi-media performance. Jane Sibbett and Megan Bonicci were the collaborating artists.

Sierra Manker works in the Art Start program.

Jane Sibbett who has dozens of credits as an actress on major network television shows and feature films shared her love of performing in her workshop. Junior Briana Boche and nine other Parker students worked with Sibbett during the program, “Art Start gave me a broader perspective on acting and also introduced me to the process of making an actual film rather than just performing on stage. I got to direct a video short which sparked my interest in a new area of the arts”.

Beth Dunnington presented a workshop focused on acting in TV commercials. They learned on-camera commercial techniques and performed student-written commercials for their classmates.

Andrea Gibbs led a musical theatre session complete with acting, singing and dancing. Film maker and photographer, Mike Peterson, led a workshop focusing on photography and portfolios.

Tom Quinlan leads an Irish music workshop.

Jessica Salerno-Woodbury, Tom Quinlan and Susan Sanderson shared their passion for Irish culture. Students explored the rich musical heritage of Ireland with reels, jigs, slow airs, Irish ballads, pub songs, poetry, and a good bit of blarney.

“What an incredible day! It felt like Parker School had become The Julliard School of the Arts for the day with students creating and exploring so many different creative modes of expression. The energy was palpable. I am so thankful to all the artists who generously support this program with their time and energy”, remarked Heidi Buscher, Parker School’s visual arts teacher. Art Start allows students to really sink their teeth into something for a full school day and accomplish what would typically take a week or more in the normal classroom schedule when art is sandwiched between academic classes, set-up and clean-up time each day.

This year we thank the many talented literary, visual, performing, and media artists who shared their time and talents with Parker School students during Art Start 2010. Many thanks also go to all the faculty, staff and parent volunteers who assisted the artists and sustained the creative buzz throughout the campus. For more information visit www.parkerschool.net.

JV match

Kealakehe       11      14
Hawaii Prep     25      25

Varsity match

Konawaena       21      14      17
Hawaii Prep     25      25      25

Note: Konawaena does not field a JV team so Kealakehe JV filled in to play the HPA JV.

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Meet the newly sworn in South Kohala Community Development Plan (CDP) Action Committee at March 4 Waimea Community Association Town Meeting

Citizens who have accepted responsibility to serve on the South Kohala Community Development Plan (SKCDP) Action Committee to help both the community and County planners give greater definition to the shared long-term vision and guidelines defined over a nearly five-year grassroots planning process will be introduced during the 5:15 p.m., Thurs., March 4, 2010 Waimea Community Association Town Meeting in the Waimea School Cafeteria.

Seven of the eight members that have been confirmed for the SKCDP Action Committee will attend Thursday’s meeting to be introduced, including Michael Fischer, Margaret Horwatt, Robin Inaba, Achahn Schulze, Fran Tabor, Leonard Labrizzi and Jeannie Palermo. Action Committee member Nancy Alvord will be off island so unable to attend. The ninth member of the committee appointed by the Mayor withdrew due to personal matters, and self-nominations for the position are still being accepted by the County Planning Department.

Introducing the new SKCDP Action Committee will be Hawai’i County Planning Director Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, who will also explain the role of the Action Committee and answer community questions.

Also on the WCA Town Meeting Agenda will be a brief presentation by Doug Sensenig with the Hawai’i Island Land Trust including discussion of possible acquisition of approx 660 acres at the end of Mudd Lane.

The entire community is invited to WCA Town Meetings which are usually held on the first Thursday of the month in the school cafeteria. There is no charge to participate though $12 membership is suggested to support association activities including what will be the 50th Annual Waimea Christmas Twilight Parade and all day Lohaki Giving Celebration on Dec. 4, 2010.

For information, call WCA President Sherman Warner (885-1725) or go to www.waimeacommunityassociation.org.

Personal Information about Members of the SKCDP Action Committee from the Hawai’i County CDP Website:

Michael Fischer (4-year term) was a former administrator with Parker School in Waimea and is retired from the legal profession. Michael has lived in South Kohala for 7 years and his family has been working in health care services in the district for approximately 40 years. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Kohala Ranch Community Association and Fairways at Mauna Lani Homeowners Association and served on the Focus Group that produced the Waikoloa Portion of the SKCDP. Michael is a strong believer in community partnering with government and feels that the Action Committee (AC) should work to ensure that the values and desires expressed in the SKCDP are respected and fostered.

Margaret Horwatt (4-year term) is a 20-year resident of South Kohala and an active member of her community. She graduated from the American/Asian Institute of Chinese Medicine and has practiced acupuncture and massage therapy in Waimea for over 20 years. Margaret is an advocate for youth issues and the environment. She is President of the Youth Horizons Hawaii Non-Profit, which is focused on providing mentoring opportunities and support activities to young people. Currently, Margaret is developing a youth program that offers hands on experiences in alternative energy.

Robin K. Inaba (3-year term) is a 17 year resident of South Kohala and as a self employed architect has worked with organizations such as Tutu’s House, North Hawaii Community Hospital, HPA, Waimea Middle School, Parker Ranch and other groups in North Hawaii. She served on the Parker School Board of Directors and is a member of the American Institute of Architects. Robin supports agriculture in the community through land use planning and would like to encourage sustainable approaches through the built environment. Robin believes that this can be accomplished through the South Kohala CDP AC and will help to improve the quality of life for our children.

Achahn Schulze (3-year term) was Born and raised in South Kohala and after receiving a law degree from the University of Hawaii in 2007, went into private practice. As a lifelong resident, Achahn is passionate about the land and the community of South Kohala. As a result, he has a personal sense of duty and obligation to give back in to his community and feels volunteering for the CDP Action committee is the perfect opportunity. Achahn sees the role of the AC member as being a steward for the implementation of the South Kohala CDP. He would like to see the goals interpreted properly and a system or structure formed by which those goals are implemented.

Fran Tabor (3-year term) has lived in the South Kohala community for over 12 years and was employed as an optometrist with Kaiser Permanente. Fran is a current member of the Waimea Community Association and Waimea Traffic Safety Committee. She is concerned with issues regarding agriculture and urban development and is keenly aware of matters that impact the environment and resource preservation. Fran was an active participant in the development of the South Kohala CDP and contributed her perspective to the process as well as listening to what other people thought in an effort to build consensus. She believes that the role of the CDP Action Committee is to keep the community up to date as to the implementation of the CDP and ask for support and input on that progress.

Leonard Labrizzi (2-year term) is a three-year resident of South Kohala and the Kona Branch Manager for Hawaii Modular Space. Leonard is a member of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce and participated extensively in the development of the Honolulu Metropolitan Traffic Plan. Through his participation in the Honolulu Metropolitan Traffic Plan, Leonard was able to share his experiences as a commercial tractor-trailer driver and an avid bicyclist providing first hand, his unique perspective from two extremes of the transportation spectrum. Leonard feels strongly about being an active participant in community affairs and believes if you have an issue with something, you should make your voice heard.

Jeannie Palermo (2 year term) recently moved to South Kohala and previously worked with the City of Carson as a Economic Development Specialist working with community and business organizations gathering input on various city-led projects. Jeannie is an active volunteer with the North Hawaii Hospice and the Waimea Relay for Life. Her interests include economic development and historic and cultural preservation. Her perspective is that the role of the Action Committee is serve as a liaison between the community and the Planning Department.

Nancy Alvord (2-year term) has lived in South Kohala for five years and is a Real Estate Broker with Mauna Kea Realty. Nancy is Vice President with the HPA Ohana Association, member of the Kawaihae Canoe Club, and has been weaving lauhala with the Lauhala Weavers of Kona for the past six years. She believes that cultural and historic preservation is a high priority and that culture is the backbone of the community. Nancy sees the implementation of the South Kohala CDP will require time and patience and believes it as a worthwhile endeavor.

MEDIA RELEASE

The County of Hawai‘i Department of Environmental Management will be conducting Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection events at its Waimea and Pāhoa Recycling & Solid Waste Transfer Stations in March.

The Waimea HHW Collection Event will be held on Saturday, March 6, and the Pāhoa HHW Collection Event will be held on Sunday, March 7. Both events will provide for residential drop-off of select materials from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. only. During the Pāhoa HHW collection event, the ARC of Hilo’s HI-5 Certified Redemption Center will be closed for the day; residents may use the Kea‘au Recycling & Transfer Station, which will be open.

These events are for household generated materials only; no business or farm wastes will be accepted. For more information on what is acceptable or unacceptable at these events, and for instructions on how to properly dispose of common hazardous household materials, please visit our website at www.hawaiizerowaste.org.

The County of Hawai‘i conducts these events to offer our residents a convenient and environmentally responsible method to dispose of potentially hazardous materials like automotive fluids, used batteries, fluorescent lights, pesticides, etc. Proper disposal of these materials protects our residents’ health and the environment.

Please note that if you are unable to attend these Household Hazardous Waste collection events, the next events are scheduled for Hilo on June 5 and Kona on June 12.

Should there be any comments or questions on the above, please contact Chris Chin-Chance, Recycling Specialist with the Department of Environmental Management at 961-8554 or email to recycle3@co.hawaii.hi.us. Mahalo for your kōkua.

iPhone version of video

Photography by Baron Sekiya | Hawaii 24/7

Cherry blossoms blooming at Waimea's Church Row Park.

The Honokaa High School Jazz Band entertains the crowd at Parker Ranch Center.

Chef Toshi Kobayashi (left) from Imari Restaurant at the Hilton Waikoloa puts on a cooking demonstration at Kamuela Hongwanji.

Artwork by Zoe Johnson on display. Johnson demonstrated 'throwing' clay on a potter's wheel.

The festival celebrates the blooming of Church Row Park’s historic cherry trees and the Japanese tradition of viewing them – hanami – and to welcome the arrival of Spring. Get a free 2010 Cherry Blossom Calendar here.

MEDIA RELEASE

A widening and improvement project for Mamalahoa Highway through Waimea town is scheduled to begin this week.

The estimated seven-month project will alleviate traffic congestion and improve traffic flow through the town’s center.

Goodfellow Bros. is the contractor for the project, which encompasses a stretch of roadway from North Hawaii Community Hospital to the 56-mile marker east of Waimea.

Included in the project are:

* A new center left turn lane on Mamalahoa Highway from Kinohou Street to the 56 mile marker
* Improve the existing traffic signal at the Kamamalu Street intersection
* Relocating the center median strip which runs by Church Row
* Additional lanes and improvement of drainage along a 4,900-foot stretch of the roadway

Improvements are based on the Waimea Traffic Circulation Study commissioned by the county in 2006 with input from the Waimea community to retain the rural, ranching character of Waimea, according to Warren Lee, director of the county Department of Public Works.

Both lanes of traffic will remain open for the duration of the project; weekday construction hours are expected to be 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. No work is scheduled for weekends or holidays.

Weather permitting, the improvements should be completed by the end of October 2010, at an estimated cost of $4.5 million.

To keep the community updated on the project’s progress, Goodfellow Bros. will host weekly public meetings; time and place of these meetings are yet to be determined, Lee said.

For more information about this project, visit www.dpw.co.hawaii.hi.us

The Waimea Traffic Circulation Study is also online at www.co.hawaii.hi.us (click on ‘project information’)

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Last Thursday, (Feb 11) Rowenn Cabalo, of Waimea, dedicated father of two young children, lost his life while surfing. The family is devastated and in desperate need of donations to help them through this crisis. Please help, Big Island!

A Celebration of Life for Rowenn will take place at 10 a.m, Saturday (Feb 20), at Anaeho‘omalu Bay.

Any donations GREATLY appreciated.

Please send to:
Chantelle Cabalo
P.O. Box 7045
Kamuela, HI 96743

Mahalo!
Shannon Rudolph

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Gerry Herbert of Kawanui Farm in South Kona.

Gerry Herbert, who has been farming nearly four decades and today operates Kawanui Farm in South Kona, became skilled in the use of hand tools through building a farm without electricity and training in blacksmithing in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A master tool maker, Herbert believes in the restoration and proper maintenance of old tools, many of them superior to the newly made ones of today.

Herbert will share his expertise and a practical perspective as well as hands-on simple techniques during a Toolcare training from 9 a.m. to noon, Sat., Feb. 13, 2010. This is the first of six classes offered as part of Mala’ai: The Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School’s 2010 “It Takes A Garden To Grow A Community” Workshop series.

The community is invited to join students, school families, faculty and teachers from the Hawai’i Island School Garden Network (HISGN) for the workshops. The program is free for WMS students and their families and HISGN teachers. For all others, a $25 donation is suggested per workshop, or $100 for all six, or individuals may request a work-trade scholarship — 2 hours of volunteer service to the Mäla’ai school garden in exchange for each workshop.

Mala‘ai volunteer John Hollands shares tool safety tips.

Joining Herbert as a workshop presenter sharing advice on the fine art of tools, including how to restore old tools, buy new ones, maintain the ones you have and use them correctly, will be John Holland, another Hawai’i Island gardening expert. Holland has gardened since growing up in a small rural town in Kansas, where he learned from his father. “Son, always know how to garden, wherever you live. There’s no better security.”

Heeding his dad’s advice and discovering his own enjoyment of growing things, Holland went on to create backyard gardens in six states over the last 60 years including muggy East Texas, cool San Francisco Bay, hot Sacramento, the damp cool Coastal Range, moderate Sierra Nevada and now the Big Island.

“My interest is to encourage people to choose a few basic tools that are most helpful to them, while remembering one’s hands are your most intimate useful tools. Our hands must be cared for as well as our clippers, digging instruments and other tools,” said Holland.

Future workshops in the series will include

• Composting & Vermiculture (worm composting) with Norman Q. Arancon on Feb. 27
• Kalo: The Traditional Mo’olelo and Dryland Cultivation with Lanakila Mangauil on March 13
• Seeds and Seed Saving with Nancy Redfeather on March 20
• Cooking From The Garden with Amanda Rieux and Matilda Tompson on April 24
• Waimea Wet Side/Dry Side Garden Tours on May 1.

Mala’ai’s workshop series is made possible by a grant from the Richard Smart Fund through Hawai’i Community Foundation. Space is limited To register, email pcook@malaai.org or call Patti Cook at 937-2833.

Gloves and garden tools will be provided for the workshops and participants are urged to bring appropriate weather protection and drinking water. A potluck lunch will follow.

The five-year-old, ¾-acre Mala’ai school garden reflects the work of over 1,000 pairs of student hands working with hundreds of community mentors. Mala’ai is funded entirely by community friends and grants to provide Waimea Middle School students with hands-on, place based learning experiences connected to academics, healthy life choices and food self-reliance. Every WMS student participates in the garden via Physical Education and Health classes as well as in conjunction with other core subjects. Patterned after Chef Alice Waters’ “Edible School Yard” in Berkeley, CA, Mala’ai integrates Hawaiian cultural learning and values into its lessons and practices and is considered a leader in the Hawai’i Island School Garden Network (HISGN).

The organic Mala’ai school garden includes both traditional Hawaiian food crops such as kalo, mamake and sugarcane, and a far-flung variety of other food and flowering crops and trees.
More than 2,800 pounds of produce has been harvested from the school garden during the first Semester to be enjoyed by students and their families.

Mala’ai is a 501c3 not-for-profit. Contributions are always welcome to help sustain the project and are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Volunteer help is also needed to assist with garden classes, weeding, mowing, grant writing and also with securing a wide array of donations needed to keep the garden flourishing. For more information, go to www.malaai.org

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WAIMEA, Island of Hawaii—Ka Makani Theatre at Hawaii Preparatory Academy presents Metamorphoses, Mary Zimmerman’s award-winning play based on Ovid’s poem, The Metamorphoses, an account of Greek mythology. Performances are at 7 p.m. February 25-27 at the school’s Gates Performing Arts Center. Tickets, which only are available at the door, are $10 for adults and $5 for students.

Metamorphoses, which is set in and around a large pool of water onstage, is a series of short stories that incorporate Greek mythology with the universal themes of transition, loss, and love. The play is geared toward older students and adults; some material, as well as the tone of the play, might not be appropriate for elementary-age students.

Metamorphoses was nominated for the 2002 Tony Award and received the 2002 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play. Zimmerman won a Tony Award for her direction of the play. The off-Broadway production opened a few weeks after 9/11, giving the play’s themes an even greater collective significance.

Ka Makani Theatre’s production is directed by Sheryl Goodspeed, with music by Marina Tichotsky. Jared Terpak is the set and lighting designer and costumes are by Lolly Davis. Glen Morphus of Pacific Lining Systems built the pool.

The cast features: Katie Boehm, Kara Erickson, Alyssa Evans, Ruby Fink, Gabi Geiger, Linnea Gregg, Makoa Johnson, Teddy Lederer, Logan Martin, Aaron Nishina, Kawaiola Peck, Tomi Peebles, Nick Purdy, Hiipua Rapozo, Lauren Richards, Delaney Ross, Daniel Shams, Sierra Shumate, Angie Shumov, Leah Smith, and Julia Varboncoeur.

For more information, call 881-4099.

16th Annual Waimea Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival

9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Sat., Feb. 6, 2010

To celebrate the blooming of Church Row Park’s historic cherry trees and the Japanese tradition of viewing them – hanami – and welcoming the arrival of spring. As always, will include a host of activities at venues throughout town — from Parker Ranch Historic Homes on Mamalahoa Hwy. 190 to the Hawaiian Homestead Farmer’s Market ‘First Saturday’ Celebration on the lawn at Kuhio Hale on Hwy. 19.

Look for pink banners identifying site locations and enjoy Japanese and multi-cultural performing arts, demonstrations of bonsai, origami, sumie, calligraphy, tea ceremony, mochi pounding, sake sampling and a host of craft fairs. Free shuttle transportation among venues. Info: 961-8706.

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PARKER RANCH HISTORIC HOMES HOSTING CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVITIES

Parker Ranch’s Historic Homes in Waimea have worked with Annu Shionoya of the East West Fine Arts Gallery to put together special demonstrations and exhibits to celebrate the 2010 Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival on Saturday, Feb. 6.

At the historic Puuopelu home between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. traditional Japanese tea ceremonies will be observed by Emi Wakayama. Tea Ceremony, also known as Chanoyu or Sado, is a ritual way of preparing and drinking tea. Strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism, every hand movement is choreographed and requires long hours, even years, of training.

To Japanese, the Tea Ceremony elevates drinking tea to a spiritual discipline. Shrouded in symbolism, Tea Ceremonies have been around since the sixteenth century. They are a way of communicating, consensus building, and teaching discipline. It is fascinating to observe and visitors will enjoy learning more about this centuries-old tradition.

In addition, guests will enjoy a performance by the Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Quartet. Music from India, Japan, China, France and Germany will be presented on Shakuhachi and gold flutes, harp, harmonium, piano and voice. The group consists of Gene Tamashiro, Jean Pierre Thoma, Mahesh & Brihan Roberto, and Annu Shionoya. The repertoire will consist of music by Miyagi, Debussy, Faure, and traditional Indian and Chinese melodies. Dancer Shizono Nasu will perform a Mai dance.

Oriental arts by Masanori Katsuyama (wood block prints) from Kyoto Japan and a local artist, Susumu Sakaguchi (acrylic original and giclee prints) from Volcano will be on display at the Historic Homes Puuopelu Gallery as a tribute to sharing cross-cultural traditions of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Traditional kimonos will be on display and available for purchase. Please stop by to see the Cherry Blossom quilt and other Waimea made quilts.

Food will be available through Crivellas who will be serving portugese bean soup and malasadas.

The historic homes and tours of Mana Hale and Puuopelu, along with their gardens are open to the public on Cherry Blossom day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission will be complimentary.

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PARKER RANCH STORE HOSTING LORNA LIM

Parker Ranch Store will host a live performance of the new CD release “Polinahe” by Lorna Lim of her new CD release Polinahe! Lorna’s beautiful voice and her connection to Big Island’s music tradition place her among Hawaii’s living treasures.

Lorna recorded “Polinahe” for hula dancers in a style that reflects her personal musical tradition. The translation of the title – “poli”, meaning from the heart, and “nahe”, meaning sweet and pure- sums up Lorna’s musical style and the beautiful quality of her voice.

This is the second time the Parker Ranch Store has hosted a live performance by Lorna Lim. After her performance, this talented musical artist will be available to autograph a copy of her new CD.

In addition to Lorna Lim, the Parker Ranch store will also host Leo Mills and her feather lei making skills. What better way to celebrate than with our favorite lei maker in house. Leo Mills returns to the Parker Ranch Store showcasing the art of feather lei making.

Her popular lapel pins in the form of either our local favorite owl or majestic pheasant are a great authentic souvenir of the area. Her skill and dedication to this art is a must see! She will be on hand with demonstrations and selling her wares.

Parker School in Waimea. Photography by Baron Sekiya | Hawaii 24/7.

MEDIA RELEASE

Parker Ranch and Parker School – two significant stakeholders in Waimea – will top the agenda of Waimea Community Association’s (WCA) next Town Meeting at 5:15 p.m., Thurs., Feb. 4, 2010 at Waimea School Cafeteria.

Parker Ranch CEO William Maris will provide an update on the Connector Road, which is currently under construction, and discuss the previously announced Parker Ranch business transition.

Several representatives of Parker School led by Headmaster Carl Sturges will provide an update on proposed expansion plans for the town-center campus.

Also attending will be County of Hawai’i Planning Director Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, who will brief the community on the County planning process, requirements and opportunities for community input related to Parker School’s expansion plans.

All of the presenters will be available for questions as time permits.

As always, everyone is invited to WCA Town Meetings and there is no charge to participate, though membership is encouraged. Annual membership is $12 per person with funds used to help support the association’s outreach education programs and to support what will be the 50th Annual Waimea Christmas Twilight Parade and Sat., Dec. 4, 2010.

For more information, contact President Sherman Warner (885-1725).