Heritage of stately gowns recounted at museum talk
Heritage of stately gowns recounted at museum talk
The holoku, Hawaii’s uniquely feminine and stately gown, has graced the islands’ women for nearly two centuries. From 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Lyman Museum hosts a multimedia presentation by Leilehua Yuen, Manu Josiah, and members of the Hilo Lei Day Festival Floral Court, on the history and heritage of these elegant gowns.
From the first such garment, made in 1820 for High Chiefess Kalakua Kaheiheimalie, to holoku designed in the modern era, this program is a celebration of style and culture through time. Storytelling, oli, mele, and hula illustrate the presentation, while members of next year’s floral court model replica historic and vintage holoku.
Lyman Museum is at 276 Haili St., Hilo. Cost is free to members or $3 for nonmembers. Space is limited; first come, first seated.
Info: 935-5021, lymanmuseum.
Hands on History programs planned
Every Wednesday at 11 a.m., the Kona Historical Society hosts Hands on History at the Kona Coffee Living History Farm, allowing visitors to learn, experience, and practice activities important to the daily lives of Kona’s Japanese immigrants during the 1920s to 1940s. The 5.5-acre farm tells the story of these Kona coffee pioneers.
Upcoming Hands on History program activities are: March 16, Roasting Coffee at Home; March 23, Learning Japanese with Calligraphy; March 30, Pickling on the Farm.
Coming up in subsequent months will be Traditional Medicinal Herb Gardening, Lauhala Weaving, Mochi Making and Tofu Making.
Participation is included in the price of admission. For a schedule of upcoming activities, visit the events calendar at konahistorical.org or call 323-3222.
New technology could allow more PV users in grid
The Hawaiian Electric Companies have been honored for the Renewable Integration Project of the Year at the 26th annual DistribuTECH Conference, the nation’s largest annual meeting focused on electricity transmission and distribution.
The winning project, selected from among almost 100 applicants, is the roll-out of the Gridco Systems In-Line Power Regulator (IPR) to determine if the new technology can enable the Hawaiian Electric Companies to monitor and control circuit level voltage and help increase the integration of private rooftop photovoltaic systems on island grids.
The IPR lets utility system operators monitor two-way power flows of electricity on a neighborhood circuit in real time and actively manage the voltage of service to customers as solar power varies throughout the day. The thousands of private PV systems cannot be monitored and may impact power quality and reliability for all customers.
Engineers from Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric and Hawaii Electric Light are working on the project in a team led by Dr. Dora Nakafuji, Hawaiian Electric director of renewable energy planning in the Grid Technologies Department. Tests are underway in Kaneohe and the heavily PV-saturated island of Molokai and sites are being scouted for Hawaii Island.