Lydgate Park scene of weekend observance Tree planting, cleaning of beaches, improvements at Kamalani Playground and a festival stressing the importance of protecting the earth will be the highlights of the Earth Day Weekend celebration at Lydgate Park this Saturday
Lydgate Park scene of weekend observance
Tree planting, cleaning of beaches, improvements at Kamalani Playground and a festival stressing the importance of protecting the earth will be the highlights of the Earth Day Weekend celebration at Lydgate Park this Saturday and Sunday.
The two-day event will be the high point of Earth Awareness Week, which began last Saturday and ends this weekend.
Earth Day was founded in 1970 to educate Congress about environmental concerns and is celebrated throughout the world.
The celebration locally will remind Kauaians of the need to become more self-sufficient as world resources decline, said Michael Daly, a representative for Earthfest, which is co-sponsoring the event with Lovelink, a children’s art for peace project started by Daly.
Other participating groups are Friends of Kamalani Playground, which played an integral role in the construction of the public playground at Lydgate Park in the 1990s, and Aloha Lodge, a community organization from Moloa’a.
“Kaua’i, being an isolated island, creates a major impact globally, in that we import almost everything,” Daly said. “Kaua’i has the responsibility to develop self-sufficiency whenever possible.”
Daly said Saturday’s event will involve:
l The construction of a seven-ring, ground-level labyrinth at the park by Sacred Steps of Kaua’i, a Kapa’a community group.
l A beach cleanup and tree planting.
l Installation of a kitchen, warmers and a sink.
l And a 6 p.m. discussion led by Aloha Lodge on the island’s sustainability, the impact of development, organic farming, recycling and protection of island rivers, streams and reservoirs. The discussion will take place under a huge tent set up by Aloha Lodge, which is associated with Earthfest and Lovelink.
Tools will be provided to about 60 volunteers who have signed up for Saturday’s work, Daly said.
Sunday’s Ho’olaule’a (a time of celebration and reconciliation), which will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will feature food booths, games, pony rides and shave ice, Daly said.
The focus of the day will be “He Ho’okupu no ka Honna,” a luau and ocean offering, Daly said.
“We really want to welcome Hawaiians to come,” he said.
During a meeting that day, Hawaiian sovereignty advocates Butch Kekahu and Puanani Roger will talk about Hawaiian and global unity, while Daly will talk about the need for the protection of the environment.
Earth Day, Daly said, provides a forum for the Hawaiian culture and is a time to respect human rights and the environment.
Pre-school children from Punana Le’e o Kaua’i, a Hawaiian immersion school, will offer a blessing for the food at 6 p.m., said Daly.
A painting mural will be created at the park by Lovelink, and at 9 p.m., a musical group called Burning Brush will perform at the park.
Residents and visitors are invited to both events, which are free except for the sale of food, Daly said.
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net
