Region Capture

KONA HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S SUMMER EXHIBITS FOCUS ON KONA RANCHING

The Kona Historical Society is launching two special exhibits at two different sites this summer, inviting the public to learn more about Kona’s fascinating, largely hidden history of cowboys and ranching, as well as share and contribute to this unique community story.

Kicking off this culmination project is Kona Historical Society’s Pop-Up exhibit, “Kona Ranching and Kona Cowboys: Our Story.” This exhibit is a part of the Society’s monthly Hanohano ‘O Kona Lecture Series and will only “pop up” from 5:30 to 7 p.m. May 25 in the Council Chambers at the West Hawaii Civic Center. It will delve into the origins of ranching in Kona and all of Hawaii, specifically sharing the special role our community played in this commercial industry in the 1800s. It will also focus on early sites, key individuals, as well as how the land shaped this distinctive cowboy culture and life. A historical lecture on this topic and introducing this exhibit will promptly begin at 5:30 p.m.

Part two of this project is the second exhibit, “Kona Ranching and Kona Cowboys: Our Way of Life,” which will run July 12 through July 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, at Kona Historical Society’s H.N. Greenwell Store Museum in Kealakekua. This exhibit will feature homestead life, families and tools, giving an intimate look into the people, traditions and ties that remain vital and strong in Kona, now more than two centuries after cattle and horses first landed here.

A special preview of the “Kona Ranching and Kona Cowboys: Our Way of Life” exhibit and reception will be held on July 9 for Kona Historical Society members and invited guests only.

Admission to these exhibits is by donation. The Kona Historical Society is a community-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving and sharing the history of the Kona Districts and their larger context in the history of Hawaii.

The Kona Historical Society is grateful for the generous Grant-in-Aid funding from the State of Hawaii and the Legislature for this project. The Society also thanks Hawaii County for its support of the Hanohano ‘O Kona Lecture Series. Both government entities have been great partners in helping the Society bring increased educational and cultural opportunities and programming in West Hawaii.

For more information about these exhibits and the Kona Historical Society, visit www.konahistorical.org. To learn more on how to become a Kona Historical Society member or renew your membership, call 808-323-3222 or email [email protected].