Honokaʻa Heritage Center

Honokaʻa Heritage Center The Honokaʻa Heritage Center in the historic Botelho Building in Honokaʻa Hawaiʻi is now open.

Rain or shine we are still ready for a party at HHC! Music, food, dancing, Parol making!
10/18/2026

Rain or shine we are still ready for a party at HHC! Music, food, dancing, Parol making!

Join us at the Center this afternoon as we commemorate Filipino Heritage Day from 12pm to 4pm!Enjoy a traditional Visaya...
10/18/2026

Join us at the Center this afternoon as we commemorate Filipino Heritage Day from 12pm to 4pm!

Enjoy a traditional Visayan dance performance, indulge in authentic Filipino desserts, participate in parol decorating, and more, as we pay tribute to Hawaiʻi's Filipino community!

Kachi Kachi (also spelled: Katchi Katchi or Cachi Cachi) music has been passed down through generations in Puerto Rican ...
10/16/2026

Kachi Kachi (also spelled: Katchi Katchi or Cachi Cachi) music has been passed down through generations in Puerto Rican families across Hawaiʻi. It is often fast-paced, lively, and played on traditional instruments like the cuatro and guiro. This music, once heard in plantation camps and family gatherings, became a way for Puerto Ricans to stay connected to their roots.

Many local musicians help keep these traditions alive. Some play parties and festivals, while others perform at public events that bring Puerto Rican culture into the spotlight. Thanks to these musicians, the sound and spirit of Puerto Rico continue to be heard across the islands.

We were thrilled to have a talented group of local musicians bring the lively sounds of kachi kachi music to last year’s Puerto Rican Cultural Heritage Night and, of course, the music had everyone up and dancing in no time!

Photo credit: Sarah Anderson

During World War II, people in Hawaiʻi and across the country found ways to support the war effort from home. One way wa...
10/14/2026

During World War II, people in Hawaiʻi and across the country found ways to support the war effort from home. One way was by purchasing war bonds.
War bonds were loans to the U.S. government that helped pay for the enormous costs of the war.

For many, buying a bond was also a way to support loved ones serving overseas and contribute to the war effort. Everyone could participate - families, businesses, schools, and community groups purchased bonds, while War Savings Stamps allowed people to save toward a bond a little at a time.

War bond drives and fundraising events brought communities together in support of the war effort. One such drive was held in front of the Honokaʻa High School auditorium.

In this photo, Alfred Awong is shown purchasing war bonds, while teacher Ellen Montgomery can be seen on the far right, volunteering at the event.

Photo by: Paul Christensen Collection / University of Hawaiʻi

A special book signing is joining the fun at Japanese Cultural Heritage Day on November 1, 2026!We’re adding even more e...
10/14/2026

A special book signing is joining the fun at Japanese Cultural Heritage Day on November 1, 2026!

We’re adding even more excitement to our jam-packed celebration! Join us for a special appearance by local author Brandi-Ann Uyemura, who will be signing copies of her beloved children’s book, I Am a Bon Dancer, from 10am to 2pm.

Books will be available for purchase at the event, so you can take home a special keepsake and meet the author behind this wonderful story!

Japanese Cultural Heritage Day will be held at the Hamakua Jodo Mission temple located at 44-2947 Kalōpā Rd., in Pāʻauhau Mauka. We canʻt wait to see you there!

Remember when everybody knew everybody? When summers seemed endless, friends became family, and growing up along the Hām...
10/12/2026

Remember when everybody knew everybody? When summers seemed endless, friends became family, and growing up along the Hāmākua Coast gave us memories that would last a lifetime? It’s time to come home, reconnect, and relive those special days!

For the past several months, representatives from the Honokaʻa High School Classes of the 1960s have been meeting monthly to plan Growing Up Hāmākua: Classmates Come Home, a special gathering for everyone who grew up in the Hāmākua area during the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s.

The event will take place on Saturday, November 21, 2026 from 2pm to 7pm, at the Honokaʻa Heritage Center and will be filled with old friends, familiar faces, laughter, and plenty of reminiscing!

Enjoy an afternoon and evening of entertainment, heavy pūpū, a no-host bar, trivia & games, silent auction, and more, as you reconnect with former classmates, friends, and community members!

Tickets are just $20 per person and will help support the Honokaʻa Heritage Center and its mission to preserve the stories, history, and treasured memories of our Hāmākua community for generations to come.

Help us spread the word and tag your old classmates, call up your friends, and let everyone know it’s time for a homecoming. The more, the merrier!

We hope to see you there!

For more information, please contact us at (808) 437-1947 or visit our website at: www.honokaaheritagecenter.org



Gloria Lukzen Ilima Fujimoto Deborah Cypriano Hauser Bernie Souza Milo Ferreira

When Chinese immigrants completed their labor contracts in Hawaiʻi, many went on to open restaurants, laundries, stores,...
10/10/2026

When Chinese immigrants completed their labor contracts in Hawaiʻi, many went on to open restaurants, laundries, stores, and other businesses, becoming an important part of Hawaiʻi’s local history.

Around 1912, Leong Lam F**k opened the L. Ahfoo Restaurant in Honokaʻa, located in what is known today as the Souza Building. We’re fortunate to have an original sign from the L. Ahfoo Restaurant, generously loaned to us for all to see. The sign once hung inside this popular restaurant of yesteryear is now on display in the Chinese section of our exhibits.

Stop by our Heritage Center and check out the L. Ahfoo Restaurant sign in person!

If you’ve ever wondered how sugar cane was turned into the sugar, the centrifuge played an important role in that proces...
10/08/2026

If you’ve ever wondered how sugar cane was turned into the sugar, the centrifuge played an important role in that process. After sugar cane was harvested and processed into syrup and crystallized sugar, large centrifuges were used to help separate the sugar crystals from the remaining molasses.

The sugar mixture was placed inside, and as the centrifuge spun, the liquid molasses was forced through the basket’s perforations while the sugar crystals remained behind. This was an important step in producing raw sugar and was part of the process that transformed sugar cane into sugar.

This photo, taken at the Haina Mill, shows an employee cleaning one of the centrifuges used in the sugar-making process. The equipment may look simple compared to today’s technology, but it represents an important piece of Hawaiʻi’s plantation history.

Photo by: John & Anne Bowen Collection

Did you know that Honokaʻa Town experienced a building boom in 1927?In 1927, the Botelho Building was built by Judge Man...
10/06/2026

Did you know that Honokaʻa Town experienced a building boom in 1927?

In 1927, the Botelho Building was built by Judge Manuel S. Botelho. The businesses conducted in the Botelho Building, which was conceived to be a state-of-the-art garage, were a main store, a show-room, and office for the manager, a room for the post office and an office for the postmaster on the first floor. The second floor consisted of a large social hall as well as six large office rooms. An adjacent car repair shop was also constructed. The total cost for construction of the Botelho Building was $26,000.

Honokaʻa also got a new Bank of Hawaiʻi building that same year and during its construction banking business was carried out in the old Honokaʻa Club. The bank cost $18,000 to build. Other building constructions in Honokaʻa were the Ferreira Building and the New Union Church (now the Honokaʻa Methodist Church).

We are extremely lucky that so much of Honokaʻa remains, making our town the most intact wood-framed plantation town in all Hawaiʻi!

Let’s take a little trip down memory lane! Here’s a fantastic photo from 1983 featuring the faculty and staff of Paʻauil...
10/04/2026

Let’s take a little trip down memory lane! Here’s a fantastic photo from 1983 featuring the faculty and staff of Paʻauilo Elementary & Intermediate School.

And here’s something exciting to look forward to…..Paʻauilo Elementary & Intermediate School will be celebrating its 80th Anniversary in November 2028! The organizers are already in the planning stages and are looking for community members to join the 80th Anniversary Planning Committee. If you’d like to be part of making this special celebration happen, head over to Instagram and follow for more information.

But for now....let’s hear from the alumni! Who was your favorite teacher at Paʻauilo Elementary & Intermediate School? Was it the teacher who made you laugh? The one who inspired you? Or maybe the one who always seemed to know when you were up to something? 🤣

Tag or name that special teacher in the comments below. Let’s see how many beloved teachers we can remember!

Photo by: Fujimoto Family Collection

Address

45-3490 Mamane Street Suite C
Honokaa, HI
96727

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm
Saturday 9am - 4pm

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