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Stories2025-04-15T16:39:08-10:00

News & Stories

Find out how Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center partners with keiki, kupuna and community. Find us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and watch videos on YouTube.

2024: a Banner Year for Stewardship

March 2025 – At Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center, there’s no better expression of our mission than through community-driven volunteer events. In 2024, our dedicated volunteers helped restore natural habitats, clean coastal areas and outplant native plants.

  • Many women, men and children gathered in the photos with big smiles.

Kānepu‘u Caregivers

August 2024 – Lāna‘i Culture and Heritage Center and nearly 90 community volunteers teamed together to protect Kānepu‘u Preserve.

  • June blog photo

Fostering Aloha ‘Āina

June 2024 – During the Spring 2024 semester, almost 100 Lāna‘i elementary students ranging from Kindergarten through 5th grade participated in on-campus aloha ʻāina workshops.

  • Four men standing together as they look t have finished playing golf in Lanai.

First annual golf tournament on February 10

February 2024 – Together, we raised nearly $40,000 to support our mission to celebrate and preserve Lāna'i's culture and diverse heritage. Congratulations to our first place winners!

  • January blog post of big group of people all sitting to take a picture at the bottom of the steps.

Japanese exhibit on display through spring

January 2024 — Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center celebrates 2024 with a new exhibit of more than 30 artifacts and 25 photos from its vast archive. Honoring the legacy of Lāna‘i’s Japanese community, this exclusive exhibition features a first-hand glimpse of pieces from the island’s Japanese families.

NEWS: Watch on youtube

NEWS: Watch on YouTube

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Avada Galerie

Old Dole Administration Building
730 Lāna‘i Avenue Suite 118
P.O. Box 631500
Lāna‘i City, Hawai‘i 96763

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11 am to 3 pm

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Music has always been a joyful part of Lāna‘i life, lifting spirits and bringing people together. Talented local musicians kept Hawaiian music alive at parties and community celebrations, playing instruments like guitar, bass and ‘ukulele.⁠ ⁠ Local musicians in the first photo from left: Clarence Fujimoto (left), Robert Amaral (middle) and Sam Shin (right).
Once a bowling alley built by plantation workers in the 1950s, this historic building served as a community hub for tournaments. 🎳 Built in 1951-52 with more than $50,000 in donations collected by plantation workers, it’s a true testament to community spirit. Several local families including the Daldes, Tamashiros and Fuchigamis managed the operation until it closed in the late 1970s. ⁠ ⁠ It later served as a Community Center and many still cal it the 'bowling alley' – a nod to history not forgotten. Well history has a way of repeating itself. In fact, plans for restoring it as a a bowling alley are now underway.
The story of the Gay family’s life on Lāna‘i is captured through their diverse operations. In 1915, Charles Gay had a beach home in Keōmoku, formerly the residence of Maunalei Sugar Company's manager. Not far from there, the Gays ran a pig farm in Keōmoku - one of many ventures that also included a watermelon patch in Nahoko between Keōmoku and Maunalei. ⁠ ⁠ The Gay’s Kō‘ele property housed livestock with stables and a woolshed. By 1905, Charles Gay was raising sheep with estimates at 50,000. By 1920, only several hundred sheep remained.
A heartfelt mahalo to the Lāna'i community for volunteering on March 29 to help preserve Ka Lanakila Church in Keōmoku. Volunteers cleaned the grounds, removed invasive plants and learned about the church’s rich history.⁠ ⁠ Your support ensures this cherished piece of Lānaʻi’s heritage will be preserved for future generations. Special thanks to KS Kaiāulu and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for their continued support.
Established in the 1930s, the Pālāwai Piggery was a first-class operation featuring cement-floored pens, a slaughterhouse and rail tracks for feed transport. It provided pork for not just Lāna‘i but also markets in Honolulu and Lāhaina. The piggery supported the island’s economy and food sustainability until 1951.⁠ ⁠ In the 1960s, the site found new life under veterinarian Dr. Nick Palumbo and his family, who transformed it into a vibrant community hub lovingly nicknamed “Pigeon City.” From class reunions to campouts, it became a well-known gathering place. This phase of the piggery ended in 1989 when David Murdock purchased the island. Murdock (now 102 years old) has since sold the island.
In support of Lānaʻi Community Health Center, Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center partners with the health center for its Prince Kūhiō Day celebration on March 26 from 10 am to 12 pm.⁠ ⁠ Island residents and visitors can bring their 'ohana to Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center for a day full of fun, culture and learning. This event will feature a variety of engaging activities for keiki and families to enjoy: weaving small mats from coconut leaves, creating pū ʻohe, making family mobiles with cut-out leaf rubbings from native plants and so much more.
Music has always been a joyful part of Lāna‘i life, lifting spirits and bringing people together. Talented local musicians kept Hawaiian music alive at parties and community celebrations, playing instruments like guitar, bass and ‘ukulele.⁠ ⁠ Local musicians in the first photo from left: Clarence Fujimoto (left), Robert Amaral (middle) and Sam Shin (right).
Once a bowling alley built by plantation workers in the 1950s, this historic building served as a community hub for tournaments. 🎳 Built in 1951-52 with more than $50,000 in donations collected by plantation workers, it’s a true testament to community spirit. Several local families including the Daldes, Tamashiros and Fuchigamis managed the operation until it closed in the late 1970s. ⁠ ⁠ It later served as a Community Center and many still cal it the 'bowling alley' – a nod to history not forgotten. Well history has a way of repeating itself. In fact, plans for restoring it as a a bowling alley are now underway.
The story of the Gay family’s life on Lāna‘i is captured through their diverse operations. In 1915, Charles Gay had a beach home in Keōmoku, formerly the residence of Maunalei Sugar Company's manager. Not far from there, the Gays ran a pig farm in Keōmoku - one of many ventures that also included a watermelon patch in Nahoko between Keōmoku and Maunalei. ⁠ ⁠ The Gay’s Kō‘ele property housed livestock with stables and a woolshed. By 1905, Charles Gay was raising sheep with estimates at 50,000. By 1920, only several hundred sheep remained.
A heartfelt mahalo to the Lāna'i community for volunteering on March 29 to help preserve Ka Lanakila Church in Keōmoku. Volunteers cleaned the grounds, removed invasive plants and learned about the church’s rich history.⁠ ⁠ Your support ensures this cherished piece of Lānaʻi’s heritage will be preserved for future generations. Special thanks to KS Kaiāulu and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for their continued support.
Established in the 1930s, the Pālāwai Piggery was a first-class operation featuring cement-floored pens, a slaughterhouse and rail tracks for feed transport. It provided pork for not just Lāna‘i but also markets in Honolulu and Lāhaina. The piggery supported the island’s economy and food sustainability until 1951.⁠ ⁠ In the 1960s, the site found new life under veterinarian Dr. Nick Palumbo and his family, who transformed it into a vibrant community hub lovingly nicknamed “Pigeon City.” From class reunions to campouts, it became a well-known gathering place. This phase of the piggery ended in 1989 when David Murdock purchased the island. Murdock (now 102 years old) has since sold the island.
In support of Lānaʻi Community Health Center, Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center partners with the health center for its Prince Kūhiō Day celebration on March 26 from 10 am to 12 pm.⁠ ⁠ Island residents and visitors can bring their 'ohana to Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center for a day full of fun, culture and learning. This event will feature a variety of engaging activities for keiki and families to enjoy: weaving small mats from coconut leaves, creating pū ʻohe, making family mobiles with cut-out leaf rubbings from native plants and so much more.
Be a part of the history of Ka Lanakila Church, a cornerstone of Lānai’s past. Built in 1903, this church was the heart of the Keōmoku community, offering Hawaiian language services and serving as a gathering place for families. Though the village declined in the 1950s, the church remained a cherished site. After restoration efforts began in 2010, Ka Lanakila continues to stand as a historical landmark and a connection to Lānaʻi’s rich heritage. It's the last remaining wooden structure from the once-thriving Keōmoku Village and holds profound significance for the people of Lānaʻi.⁠ ⁠ We’ll be back to conduct stewardship around Ka Lanakila on March 29. Tag friends and sign up at our link in bio to join us! We need you. Go to LanaiCHC.org to sign up for our enews to get all our notifications about this event and others coming up.
Kō‘ele Ranch was once the heart of Lāna‘i’s ongest-running industry. Ranching shaped the island’s landscape and culture from 1854 to 1951.

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