A wonderful new addition has come to Makawao Town. It took A Village and 15 days to create the Makwao History Project.
We got the keys to the space on Nov 1st, spent a full day of cleaning, and went to work painting the space the next day with a hard working core group of volunteers . We were ready to begin the creation, gathering, and installation of the new museum on the 3rd of Nov.
I had the privilege of doing the installation with Darrell Orwig. Darrell was the Gallery Director of the Schaefer Gallery at Maui Arts and Cultural Center for many years. In the art community of Maui, Darrell is held in highest regard.
I laid out what I thought to be the most important areas to consider for the history of our community. The sections I wanted to see highlighted were, Makawao Town, Schools and Churches, Island Cultures, Pineapple and Plantations, Paniolo and Ranching. Darrell had the great idea to designate areas with graphic silhouettes which he drew and painted. He and I worked well together, and I felt so privileged
to work with such an artistic ,creative , funny and experienced person. I
made a friend for life.
We also asked local artist Debrya Fair to create vintage signs for each area.
Then, I spent a few days gathering memorabilia from the A and B Sugar Museum, my own home, Hale Ho'okipa Inn Makawao, and other private lenders.
Eddie Flotte, my favorite Maui water color artist donated a series of his renditions of the old buildings of Makawao. We also counted on the community coming forward with their treasures, and they did. Once we had the goods, we had one whole week to design and install!!! Others were busy planning the opening party,sending out invitations and researching all the memorabilia and donated photos.
Someone asked me why I was committing my time and energy to this project. I had some vague notions, but, it became crystal clear on our Grand Opening night.
An older gentleman was one of hundreds who came to our Grand Opening. I was touring a friend around and we were in the Schools and Churches section. This elder fellow was taking digital photos of a very old Makawao School pamphlet. I asked him if those were his classmates, and he quietly replied, "No, it's my Sister." Tears sprung to my eyes and I felt humbled and satisfied .I instantly knew why I had invested so much in this project.
Our own Cowgirl Hall of Fame resident came into the History project a few times with her treasures. They included a photo of her beloved husband, his bio and his well worn cowboy hat. Other elders have stopped by with their family and friends to hang out and talk story, and share their memories. One woman had tears in her eyes, she was sad that so much had changed, but she was delighted to visit the Makawao History Project to see old photos and old friends.
There are still so many untold stories. Our Living Treasures will not be around forever, and they have so much to share. We have enough funding to stay open until Dec 31st. I hope we can make it through our busy season until the end of Feb, so that many of our Upcountry visitors are also able to enjoy the museum. If anyone wants to make a donation, please let me know, and I will happily give further details. We are staffed by volunteers, but, we need more rent $ and other expenses to keep our doors open. Lots more photos are available on our Makawao History Project Facebook page, and a website is also being created now. For those who read the Maui news online, more info is available in this article.
Check out our new video that is on Maui Akaku community television :video It's a great video with interviews and our Grand Opening.
To give back to your community is a great joy. I am so very honored to have been a part of this Village, Makawao Town, my town.
With Aloha,
Cherie
Aloha,
My grandson recently came over from Big Island for a visit and we shared some great Upcountry adventures.
Aukai really likes to ride horses so we set up a ride with Pi'iholo Ranch on a beautiful sunny morning. I really enjoy Pi'iholo, they are first rate, take great care of guests, and the location is very close to Makawao.
Our horses were sweet, Aukai really loved his friend, Buddy. We
rode through pasture with amazing views, and upcountry rainforests on
the large ranch. Our wranglers, Tara and Meagan, took us by guava
patches and my horse loved the guavas that Aukai fed him. At one
point, we had a cattle round up and Aukai charged into the herd to get
them back into the proper pasture and behind closed gates. That was a highlight of our ride. It felt like we were working the ranch for a little while. This
makes the third ranch ride we have taken together in lovely Upcountry.
The Pi'iholo Ranch is owned by the
Baldwin family, a long time Panilolo and ranching family who have lived
on Maui for many generations. Peter Baldwin founded the Pi'iholo Ranch with the help of his three sons.
We also had an exciting adventure on the Pi'iholo Ranch Zipline. Our friends, Jo and Olivier joined us for the day. Jo and Aukai were pretty brave, always jumping to the front of the line ready to zip away.
It was a short but beautiful walk in between zip lines. There are several lines, with the last one being really long, and very high. This was my favorite line as I was able to have a few of upper Makawao that I don't often get to see.
Our guides were fun, caring and very professional. I had been looking forward to the zip experience for a few years while waiting for my grandson to be the required 75lbs. It was worth the wait, and we all had a great time.
Pi'iholo Adventures did not disappoint. I am very happy to be able to recommend either one of these fun adventures to my guests.
Whooo..check out Aukai flying down the zip!
Have fun... Aloha..Cherie
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