Kona Farm Fest, photo by Kona Historical Society

(BIVN) – It was lively day on Saturday at the Kona Coffee Living History Farm as the Kona Farm Fest was held.

The Kona Historical Society shared this media release:

Hundreds of Kona residents and visitors from around the world visited the Kona Coffee Living History Farm on Saturday, September 30 to enjoy activities and entertainment centered on the “Farm to Table” theme during the sixth annual Farm Fest Open House celebration. The Farm welcomed more than 400 guests to the celebration this year.

Every year, Kona Historical Society, a nonprofit organization and Smithsonian Museum affiliate, hosts this free event to give back to the community. This celebration honors Kona’s heritage by offering hands-on activities that share cultural traditions practiced by Kona’s coffee industry and its pioneers. Those activities included coffee picking, gardening, lauhala weaving, Japanese calligraphy, and pan-roasting coffee.

At this year’s celebration, guests enjoyed a cooking demonstration with Chef Sam Choy. Sam pickled vegetables gathered from the Kona Coffee Living History Farm’s vegetable gardens and explored the many fruit trees on the farm to make a refreshing juice. Sandy’s Drive In returned to the farm and served their delightful version of a traditional plantation dish, Chicken Hekka. Farm Fest also welcomed fellow Kona businesses and organizations to share their locally sourced goods, including Scandinavian Shave Ice, Greenwell Farms, Hawaii `Ulu Producers Cooperative, Hawaiian Ola, and Tea and Cake.

The Kona Coffee Living History Farm, homesteaded by Japanese immigrants, reveals the story of Kona’s coffee pioneers in the 1925-1945 era. Historical interpreters guided patrons through the kitchen where the smell of steamed rice wafted through the windows of the farmhouse. Meanwhile, at the kuriba (mill) and hoshidana (drying rack), interpreters shared the resourceful ways Kona’s first coffee farmers processed their crops and solved problems with limited supplies in innovative ways.

Guests also had the opportunity to say “Happy Birthday” to the youngest member of the Kona Coffee Living History Farm ohana. Mele, one of two Kona Nightengale Donkeys at the Kona Coffee Living History Farm, turned a year old earlier this year. Donkeys were an important part of the economy of Kona coffee farms, and the Farm’s resident Nightengale, Charlie, has been helping to train Mele to share this important aspect of Kona’s history.

Kona Historical Society is a community-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and Smithsonian Museum affiliate that has spent the past four decades collecting, preserving and sharing the history of the Kona districts and their rich cultural heritage within Hawaii. The Kona Coffee Living History Farm is the only living history coffee farm in the nation. This award-winning, historic farm that tells the story of Kona’s coffee pioneers during the early 20th century. This event was generously sponsored by Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union, Hawaii Tourism Authority, Candy Sargent, and Farm & Garden.

For more information, call Kona Historical Society at 808-323-3222 or visit konahistorical.org. To get the latest updates regarding Kona Historical Society programs, historic sites and special events, “LIKE” Kona Historical Society on Facebook.