A Musical Kick-Off To The 2015 Ka'u Coffee Festival

Bolo and Friends performed last night at Pahala Plantation House. The Na Hoku
Hanohano nominee sang Kaiholena, about the mountain in Ka'u, a song written
by Bolo, Daniel Ho and a group of Ka'u Coffee Festival music
workshop attendees. Photo by Julia Neal

No Hoku Hanohano 2015 Award Nominee Bolo, five-time Grammy award-winner Keoki Kahumoku, and jazz musicians Jr. Volcano Choy, and the South Side Serenaders performed Friday (April 24, 2015) evening to kick-off the 7th annual Ka'u Coffee Festival. The free concert event, Pa'ina and Open House, was held at the Pahala Plantation House (a Pahala Plantation Cottages vacation rental), formerly the Ka'u Sugar Plantation Managers House. Attendees were welcome to tour the historic home and enjoy a hula performance by 2014 Miss Ka'u Coffee Queen Amery Silva. 

Miss Ka'u Coffee candidates take a break last night at Pahala Plantation House
at the kick-off party for ten days of Ka'u Coffee Festival events, including
Ka'u Coffee Recipe Contest this afternoon at Ka'u Coffee Mill and
the pageant tomorrow evening at Pahala Community Center.
See kaucoffeefest.com for more. Photo by Jesse Tunison

Miss Ka'u Coffee Pageant Scholarship Chair Julia Neal, owner and operator of Pahala Plantation Cottages, accepted donations for the pageant's scholarship fund during the event. The 2015 Miss Ka'u Coffee contenders made a guest appearance and thanked the community for raising $7,100 towards their higher education. Among the attendees were representatives from donors: Olson Trust, Ka'u Royal Hawaiian Coffee & Tea, Bio-Eco Hawai'i, CU Hawai'i Federal Credit Union, Ka'u Coffee Festival Committee, Ka'u Specialty Coffee, Rep. Richard Creagan, Ka'u Chamber of Commerce, and the Ka'u Coffee Growers Cooperative.

This official Ka'u Coffee Festival event, offered annually since 2014, was co-sponsored by Ka'u Chamber of Commerce, Pahala Plantation Cottages, and The Ka'u Calendar newspaper.

Join us for our upcoming 2015 events: Recipe Contest (April 25), Miss Ka'u Coffee Pageant (April 26), Ka'u Mountain Water Hike (April 29), Coffee & Cattle Day (May 1), Ka'u Star Gazing (May 1), Ho'olaule'a - Main Event (May 2), Coffee College (May 3). See our main site for more information: kaucoffeefestival.com.