Hundreds of keiki and ohana showed up Saturday to celebrate 25 years of a cherished playground in Kona.
The event at Kamakana Playground featured entertainment by hula halau, aerial demonstrations, games, food, craft booths and more for the entire community.
Kamakana Playground at Harold H. Higashihara Park was completed in 1997 after grandparents Hugh and Evonelle Hurley took on the daunting task of organizing the community and raising a half million dollars to build a new and exciting playground for Kona after their own grandchildren had visited Anuenue Playground in Waimea.
A couple of years ago, grandmothers who had helped with the original build visited the park with their grandchildren and found a slide boarded off because it was cracked and the playground’s sugar train boarded up because the seats had rotted, among other issues. With the help of the Lions Club of Kona Community Foundation, the Friends of Higashihara Park was created. Money was raised and a series of work days has taken place during the pandemic to waterproof the wood, remove weeds, clean the play equipment, and repair what could be fixed.
Future plans for the park include a one-stall family bathroom near the toddler play area, replacements for the voyaging canoe and sugar train, and resurfacing the playground, as the addition of new equipment requires addressing ADA requirements for playgrounds that have changed since the playground was built.
Mitch Tam of the Lions Club of Kona said the organization has been maintaining the playground two times a year for the past two and a half years in an effort to repair and preserve the beloved play area, including landscaping and replacing derelict equipment.
“The playground is about 50% complete,” Tam said of the repairs to the playground. “The biggest problem is funding to repair and replace equipment. The community needs to get together with us to make it happen.”
He said community sponsors can help by donating materials and manpower to make sure keiki have a safe place to play.
Donations may be made through the Friends of Higashihara Park Facebook page.
