Celebrate “Lets Grow Hilo” Downtown

Media release by the Hilo Downtown Improvement Association

HILO, Hawaii: The community is invited to celebrate the bounty being grown in public spaces around Historic Downtown Hilo. Beginning back in 2010 edible and non-edible landscaping began appearing around downtown, part of a Hilo Downtown Improvement Association project called Let’s Grow Hilo. “We are now ready to share this abundance with our community,” said project coordinator Samantha Robinson. “Let’s Grow Hilo is all about sharing with our community how easy it is to grow your own food anywhere.”

The first Hilo Harvest festival will kick off on Saturday, March 10, 2012 from 2pm-6pm on Mamo Street between Kilauea and Kino’ole Streets. This block of Mamo Street will be closed to traffic at 12 noon that day, and lined with booths sharing information and wares.
The free, zero-waste event, is hoping to raise funds for the Let’s Grow Hilo project. “Come celebrate and support the Let’s Grow Hilo program, working to beautify our Downtown and create edible landscaping in public spaces” said Alice Moon, executive director of the Hilo Downtown Improvement Association. All proceeds from the event will be used to continue and expand the Let’s Grow Hilo program.

There will be a plant sale, free live entertainment with Ka ‘Umeke Ka’eo Hawaiian Immersion Public Charter School, the Honokaa Jazz Band and others, vendor and info booths, keiki face painting, caricature drawing by Kathleen Kam and lots of space to visit friends and family and learn more about how to grow your own food. The plant sale will allow people to purchase and take their plants with them or plant them in Downtown Hilo as part of the Let’s Grow Hilo program. “There is a $5 recommended donation, which will get you a pupu plate of the harvested and donated food. Or, bring your own dishware for a free pupu plate,” said Robinson.

The Let’s Grow Hilo project is the first project to earn support from the community through www.ourdowntownhilo.com. The website is “crowdsourced place-making” website for the EnVision Downtown Hilo 2025 community based vision and living action plan. Having earned the community’s support, Let’s Grow Hilo is now working with the Planning Department to create a long-range plan for the project. “We are honored and excited about the support we are receiving from the community through www.ourdowntownhilo.com, and are looking forward to the next steps on this project,” said Moon.

Major contributors to the event include Naung Mai Thai Kitchen, Café 100, Island Naturals Market & Deli, Mr. K’s Recycle & Redemption Center, Pacific Biodiesel, Connections Public Charter School, Sustainable Island Products, Hilo Shark’s Coffee, High Fire Hawaii, and Hilo Surplus Store. “We mahalo the hundreds of volunteers and contributors to the project and wish we could mention them all,” said Moon.

The event is produced and coordinated by the Hilo Downtown Improvement Association with assistance from Uamau Productions and volunteer Lehua Hauanio. For more information or to request auxiliary aid or reasonable modification, please contact the DIA at 935-8850, visit www.downtownhilo.com, or email askalice@downtownhilo.com.