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Join the parade on Saturday, June 13, 2015! Preparations are underway for the annual King Kamehameha Day Celebration Parade, to be held on Alii Drive in Kailua-Kona beginning at 9 a.m. Registration is open to groups and individuals who want to be in the parade, whether marching bands, floats, vehicles, hula halau or equestrian units, either private mounted or pa‘u. Volunteer and sponsorship opportunities are also available. Contact Parade Chairperson Barbara Nobriga at 322-9944

Lily Makuahine Namakaokaia Haanio Kong was born (1927) and raised in Keauhou and is Kupa no Ka aina of Keauhou  ("Kupa" means well acquainted with the land of Keauhou) Aunty Lily is the last surviving sibling of 11 children and is a Daughter of Hawaii. She has seen many changes in Keauhou in her lifetime, but one of the many memories she has is the one great lesson that her father inspired in her as a child: “ Na Malama oe ka aina, Ka aina Ha’awi ia oe, na mea ai”.  Roughly translates to “Take care of the land and the land will give back.  Be greedy with the land and land will eat you up. Growing up, Lily has lived with that lesson helping her mother take care of the land…

  Having a passion for Hawaiian language, culture and hula, Ka'ea has enriched the lives of our keiki as a kumu with several Hawaiian Language Programs from Punana Leo- Hawaiian Language Preschools to  Ke Kula 'o 'Ehunuikaimalino – Hawaiian Language Immersion School for 20 years, until moving to radio fulltime in 2011.  She is  also a lecturer at the University of Hawai'i Center at West Hawai'i Community College and  now teaches Hawaiian Language College courses at HCC and Haleo,  while still supporting the kids at Ehunui whenever she can.  Ka'ea joined the morning team with Jaz in January of 2011, and is  the Content & Brand Manager for KAPA Hwn FM. She continues to spread her Knowledge & Passion for Hawaiian Culture & Language by keeping KAPA active in the community helping…

This year's lineup has just been posted at KonaParade.org. Follow this link for the latest updates: https://konaparade.org/about/parade-lineups/  

After the parade, come to Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel for an art and music festival (ho‘olaule‘a) featuring a stellar lineup of Hawaiian talent. [caption id="attachment_594" align="alignleft" width="640"] Singer and activist Hawane Rios earned a Big Island Music Award in the Hawaiian Language Category[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_597" align="alignleft" width="930"] Singer/Songwriter Ali‘i Keanaaina specializes in the falsetto style of Hawaiian singing.[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_596" align="alignleft" width="225"] Kona singer/musician Nathan Grace and his trio, Kekahi o Keola o Na Ali‘i[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_598" align="alignleft" width="205"] Tahitian dance troupe, Te ‘E‘a o Te Turama, led by Maile Lee Tavares[/caption]  

Big Island singer Hawane Rios will be the headliner at this year's Ho‘olaule‘a. The free concert takes after the parade at Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel beginning at 11:45 a.m. Hawane Rios is a young leader and activist in her community who believes deeply in the healing vibration of music and the power of awareness and unification that it can bring (I ka piko o ke aloha). Recipient of the Big Island Music Award in the Hawaiian Language category, Hāwane was raised in the small ranching town of Waimea, Hawaiʻi. She attended the Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Campus then went on to further her education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, earning her bachelor's degree in Hawaiian Language from Ka Haka ʻUla ʻo Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language. Upon…

Hula dancer and historian Michaela Larson will be this year's Pa‘u Queen at the King Kamehameha Day Celebration Parade in Historic Kailua Village on Saturday, June 14, 2014. For many years, Michaela was the solo dancer at the Mauna Lani Resort, Ritz-Carlton and Fairmont Orchid. Currently, she is the resident historian for Body Glove tours in Kona. Throughout her life on Hawaii Island, Michaela has ridden pa‘u in many parades in Kona and Kohala. A former elementary school teacher in Waimea, Micheala prides herself on imparting knowledge and Hawaiian cultural tradition to the keiki. Her theme for this year's parade will be La‘akea Kealaka‘i O Kealoha ("guided by the sacred light of love"). Her choice of attire and colors will be reminiscent of the Victorian era of the Hawaiian monarchy,…

[caption id="attachment_583" align="alignleft" width="199"] Tiare on horseback, while Barbara Nobriga demonstrates the proper placement of the pa‘u around the foot.[/caption]Kupuna, kumu, mentors, horses and parade participants gathered at Kona Historical Society on Saturday, April 26, for a workshop on the finer points of the pa‘u equestrian tradition. Check out the photos of wahine learning to wrap pa‘u, as well as horsemanship and lei-making sessions.[caption id="attachment_577" align="alignleft" width="300"] Learning to wrap pa‘u[/caption][caption id="attachment_576" align="alignleft" width="199"] Nikki works on her lei-making skills[/caption][caption id="attachment_579" align="alignleft" width="199"] Pa‘u workshop at Kona Historical Society[/caption]

Come to the Pa'u Workshop at Kona Historical Society, Saturday, April 26, 2014 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Participants in this year's King Kamehameha Day Celebration Parade will learn the fine points of the Hawaiian equestrian tradition known as "pa‘u." Workshops include lei making for horse and rider, the wrapping of the pa‘u (skirt) and riding protocol. Lunch will be served. The workshop will be taught by local equestrians and historians Barbara Nobriga, DeeDee Bertelmann, Hannah Springer and more. The public is invited to attend. For information, call Barbara Nobriga at 322-9944.