Waimea Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival

On the 4th of February, Waimea is hosting its 30th anniversary of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Starting from about 9am and going to 3pm.

Looking at the history of it, their website notes, "The festival marks the blooming of the historic cherry trees at Church Row Park and celebrates the age-old Japanese tradition of hanami, which translates to 'cherry blossom viewing party.' After a seasonal winter chill, the trees typically bloom in early February."

If you have never seen cherry blossoms in bloom, it's a sight to behold. And if you have seen them in the past, you know it's irresistible.

All over Waimea you will see festival banners with more details of the various events. Our approach is to go without any particular agenda but never can hurt to plan ahead!

I also wanted to share the artwork for the 2023 festival -- "Mejiro and Cherry Blossoms" by Kona artist Laurel Oglesby. Her pastel was chosen as the winner by the festival committee among a field of 13 entrants. Depicting a bird locally seen flitting among cherry blossoms, the painting has been reproduced on a limited number of collector posters available for $10 at Waimea Arts Council's Firehouse Gallery.

Finally, let me leave you with a Hawaiian word of the day: Waimea -- which translates to "reddish-brown waters."

Aloha! Check availability for both houses at: https://www.airbnb.com/p/oceanfront-ac-pool

If there are topics you would like to know more about in future blogs, kindly let me know at koilipoint@gmail.com. Mahalo! Len