About Town 2-13-13

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Imiloa plans spring intersession program

Imiloa plans spring intersession program

Junior explorers and innovators in kindergarten through third grade are invited to attend Imiloa Astronomy Center’s Camp Imi-possible Spring Intersession Program planned from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 18 to 22.

Keiki explorers will be immersed in a week of science experiments and activities using light, telescopes, optics and color. Parents will join the celebration on the program’s final day.

Drop-off is available as early as 7:30 a.m. with pickup by 4 p.m. Pack a snack and healthy lunch; these are not provided.

Enrollment is open, but space is limited. Tuition is $180 for members and $200 for nonmembers.

A limited number of need-based scholarships are available. Find applications and scholarship information at imiloahawaii.org/183. Submit completed applications and payment at Imiloa’s front desk. For more information about the program, contact Craig Mitchell at 969-9720 or cmitchell@imiloahawaii.org.

Dry forest symposium slated March 1

The 2013 Nahelehele Dry Forest Symposium will highlight dryland forest ecology and restoration efforts in Hawaii. The symposium will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 1 at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel.

The program includes presentations on tropical dry forests in a changing world; a cultural perspective on resource management; tortoises as weed control for native Hawaiian plants; and Joseph Rock, author of “Indigenous Trees of Hawaii.”

“A King in China: the Life of Joseph Francis Rock,” will be screened at 7 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Aloha Theatre in Kainaliu. Admission is $5 and can be paid at the door or included with registration.

Registration is $55 before Feb. 19, and $70 after. Lunch is included. Student registration, if made by Tuesday, is $40; $50 after. Find registration forms at kohalacenter.org/nahelehele13/registration.html. Return forms to Cortney Okumura via email, cokumura@kohalacenter.org, or fax them to 885-6707. For more information, contact Okumura at 443-2757.

Libraries closing
for Presidents Day

In observance of Presidents Day, all public libraries will be closed from Saturday through Monday.

Kealakekua Public Library, which is normally closed on Thursdays, will be open Thursday.

Visit librarieshawaii.org or call a local library for public service hours.

Hakalau siren test planned Thursday

The Siren in Hakalau, Highway 19, north of mile marker 15 and Chin Chuck Road, North Hilo District, will be tested Thursday between 8 and 11 a.m.

Residents in the area may hear the siren sound for 30 seconds during the identified time period. Technicians will use data gathered from this test to verify operational status and complete maintenance actions.

The monthly Emergency Alert System and Siren Warning System test will take place as normally scheduled, at 11:45 a.m. March 1.

Hawaii Island residents may call Hawaii County Civil Defense at 935-0031 with any questions or concerns regarding this test of the Statewide Outdoor Siren Warning System.

Tropical Paws scheduled April 5

Hawaii Island Humane Society’s 17th annual Tropical Paws benefit begins at 6 p.m. April 5 at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai.

The event features silent and live auctions, buffet dinner, entertainment and dancing.

Tickets are $100 per person, or $1,500 for a reserved table of 10, and available at HIHS’s Keaau, Waimea and Kona shelters, select island retail locations and online at HIHS.org.

Programs supported by Tropical Paws include The Second Chance Fund, which provides medical care and treatment for abused animals, and The Spay/Neuter Community Assistance Program.

The Petco Foundation sponsors Tropical Paws at the Platinum Collar level; more sponsors and donations are needed.

Visit HIHS.org or call 329-1175 for more information or for donation and sponsorship opportunities.

Silva shares Hawaiian history Friday

Hawaiian language professor Noenoe K. Silva will discuss how Hawaiian language newspapers and documents reveal the kupuna’s world in a Puana Ka Ike lecture from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday in the Keauhou Shopping Center courtyard.

In her lecture, “Recovering the Moolelo (stories) of our Kupuna,” Silva will describe the archive of writing left by recent ancestors.

“From the 1820s on, they translated not only moolelo from the oral tradition for us, but worked tirelessly to create new works of history, literature, geography and so on,” Silva said. “They also wrote down their own experiences and political analyses of the events of the 1893 overthrow and their many attempts to prevent the 1898 annexation.”

For more information on this presentation, contact Joy Cunefare at (800) 842-4682, extension 25340 or email info@kohalacenter.org.