Cherry blossom festival goes virtual
Church Row Park’s historic planting of cherry trees has turned the town pink and in celebration the new 2021 Virtual Waimea Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival will go live Friday.
Held annually the first Saturday of February at numerous Waimea venues, the usual, in-person Cherry Blossom Festival was canceled due to COVID-19. Heralding the coming of spring, the festival has traditionally offered a full day of Japanese and multicultural performing arts, plus hands-on demonstrations of bonsai, origami, traditional tea ceremony, fun mochi pounding and a host of colorful craft fairs.
Produced by Na Leo TV and the Culture and Education Division of the Hawaii County Department of Parks and Recreation, the 90-minute-long virtual version marks the festival’s 28th year. The virtual festival will air at 7 p.m. on Spectrum TV Channel 53 and online at www.naleo.tv/channel-53.
“The Waimea Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival truly exemplifies how community, private enterprise and government work together for a common goal,” says Roxcie Waltjen, parks culture and education administrator and long-time festival organizer. “This year’s virtual celebration pays tribute to all those people, who over the course of the past 28 years, have generously contributed their time, effort, resources and knowledge to perpetuate the traditions of ‘Hanami,’ or ‘Viewing of the Flowers in Springtime.’”
The video also shares the fleeting beauty of cherry blossoms, a lineup of local entertainment typically enjoyed during the festival and messages from a variety of local dignitaries.
Festival organizers look forward to a “live” festival in 2022. For more information, call (808) 961-8706 or find updates on Facebook at WaimeaCherryBlossom HeritageFestival.
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Fix-a-Leak Week coming up
The Hawaii County Department of Water Supply will help customers reduce water waste and save money by offering daily conservation tips in celebration of Fix-a-Leak Week, which runs March 15 though 21.
How to look for household water leaks, easily repair a leaking toilet and report a broken water line are among the tips that DWS will post weekdays starting March 15 on its website, www.hawaiidws.org, and on Facebook. Additional flyers will explain how to turn off a water meter before repairing household plumbing and the proper way to install a low-flow showerhead.
The county is not distributing free-dye tablets this year due to COVID-19. The department said the low-cost tablets are available locally and through online vendors.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has sponsored the annual Fix-a-Leak Week events since 2009 as a way of highlighting areas where water waste is commonplace inside many homes, outdoor areas and workplaces. The EPA estimates 10%of American homes have water leaks that waste at least 90 gallons of water each day.
Micro-grant program opens
The state Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the Micro-Grants for Food Security Program, which provides support for small-scale gardening, herding and livestock operations to help produce food in areas that are insecure.
In August, the USDA awarded Hawaii more than $1.9 million for the program established under the 2018 Farm Bill.
Information on the Request for Proposals may be found at https://hands.ehawaii.gov/hands/opportunities/opportunity-details/20023 . The maximum award for an individual is $5,000 for a project of 12 months.
Applications/proposals must be emailed to hdoa.addrfp@hawaii.gov and received by noon, April 23. Questions can be addressed to the state by calling (808) 973-9595 or sending an email to hdoa.addrfp@hawaii.gov
To assist interested parties with the application requirements, a Zoom webinar has been scheduled for 10 a.m. March 15 at https://bit.ly/3qyegQN. Meeting ID: 983 7226 2871; passcode: HDOAMDB. Additional information, inluding a recording o the webinar, will be posted at www.hdoa.hawaii.gov/add/md.
Eligible proposals will be reviewed by a panel in each county and awards are expected to be announced in May, with first disbursement of funds expected in 2021.