Come and enjoy time with family and friends as the Kauai Museum celebrates “Na Mele O Kaua’i,” the “Songs of Kauai.” The annual Aloha Festival Court with mele (song) and music on Ohana Day will be held Saturday from 10:30
Come and enjoy time with family and friends as the Kauai Museum celebrates “Na Mele O Kaua’i,” the “Songs of Kauai.”
The annual Aloha Festival Court with mele (song) and music on Ohana Day will be held Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 4428 Rice Street in Lihue.
Listen for the sounding of the pu (conch shell) and witness the arrival of the Aloha Festival’s Royal Court at 10:30 a.m. on the museum porch. Following the procession the Royal Court will be treated to hookupu (gifts), mele and hula.
Kauai slack key guitar legends, Paul Togioka and Hal Kinnaman will perform together in a musical talk story session with author and publisher Pam Brown from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the museum courtyard.
Togioka grew up in Kekaha and is now one of Hawaii’s most popular slack key guitar artists. He has won multiple Hawaiian music awards and two compilation CDs on which he performs were nominated for the Grammy Awards.
“When I perform slack key, I am able to connect with people from all over the world,” Togioka says. “It’s a wonderful thing. Music shares aloha.”
Kinnaman is Kauai’s most prolific author of slack key guitar instructional books. His ukulele skills are as impressive, with a unique repertoire of Flamenco, Bach and slack songs.
The event is also a birthday tribute for E Ola Mau O Liliuokalani, who is the last reining monarch of Hawaii nei. She lived from Sept. 2, 1838 to Nov. 11, 1917.
To honor the anniversary, the Queen Liliuokalani Children’s Center will perform actual na mele composed by Queen Liliuokalani from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Museum’s main gallery of the Albert Spencer Wilcox Building.
The celebration concludes with performances from Kauai’s Living Treasures from 2 to 3 p.m.
Uncle Larry Rivera will perform some of his “Love and Aloha Show” as a musical treat for guests who appreciate the legacy of one of Hawaii’s most enduring musical performers.
Uncle Charlie Pereira, a master of holeiupena (throw-net fishing) will offer demonstrations of how to sew the traditional fishnets of Hawaii. Listen to his stories of old Kauai and tales of the sea.
Aloha Festival events occur from September through October to celebrate Kauai’s cultural heritage with Royal Court presentations, cultural entertainment, food and traditions. These months are the traditional time of Makahiki — a time of peace and celebration.
The event offers discounted Museum admission rates for visitors and kamaaina discounts for local residents. Call 245-6931 for information and visit http://kauaialohafestivals.net for full details and all museum activities.
