Pahala Library Celebrates 50th Anniversary Friday

Hula, music and other entertainment will be on tap Friday, April 19, as the Pahala Public School and Library celebrates 50 years of service to the Ka`u community.

The public is invited to the free event scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The library is located at 96-3150 Pikake St.

Participating will be local hula halau, the Ka`u Middle & High School ensemble and ukulele class and the Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka`u with a craft demonstration.

Airbrush tattooing will begin at 1 p.m., followed by student winners of the Haiku Poetry Writing Contest presenting their entries at 2. Topics will be based on the theme of this year’s National Library Week which is “Communities Matter @ Your Library.”

Chosen by the American Library Association, the theme reinforces that libraries are trusted places where people can “gather to reconnect and re-engage with each other, to enrich and shape the community, and to address local issues.”

The Friends of the Ka`u Libraries is sponsoring the celebration. Door prizes will be awarded to the winners of contests such as the 50^th person to enter the library’s doors tomorrow, and the person who guesses the number of materials in the library’s collection.

A book sale will be conducted by Friends today and Friday as part of the celebration of National Library Week. Proceeds will benefit the library.

According to state library officials, Pahala Public & School Library opened on March 2, 1963 and was the first public and school library built in Hawaii.

The library serves the community of Pahala as well as the students and faculties of Ka`u High and Pahala Elementary schools.  It also provides back-up assistance for the Naalehu Public Library.

Contact the Library as soon as possible if a sign-language interpreter or other special accommodation is needed.  For more information, call the library at 928-2015.