POLYNESIAN VOYAGERS; THE FIRST PACIFIC VOYAGERS

THE FIRST PACIFIC VOYAGERS

STORY OF HAWAII MUSEUM CELEBRATES GRAND OPENING ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 17

Please join us for a special evening Friday, August 17, 2012 5-7:30pm

Live Entertainment by the The Hawaii SerenadersUHMC Institute of Hawaiian Music, and Harpist Tatyana Shapiro-Leiste

Premier of weekly series “Hawaiian History Evenings” with Mele Fong – tonight’s topics Birthday of the Hawaiian Kingdom (Aug. 1810) and Hawaii Statehood (Aug. 1959)

Presentations by Bryant Neal, Mele Fong, Jill Engledow

Maui’s newest attraction, the Story of Hawaii Museum, Gift Shop & Gallery located in the Maalaea Shops, is holding a grand opening celebration on Friday, August 17, 2012 from 5-7:30pm featuring live music, entertaining presentations, and refreshments. As part of the celebration, the museum is launching a regular series, “Hawaiian History Evenings” with Mele Fong. Admission to the grand opening celebration is free and the public is invited to attend.

The Story of Hawaii Museum is a unique exhibit that tells the tale of the Islands presented in a new way — through historic maps, charts, documents, and artifacts. The display is set up in chronological order so that you can follow the history of Hawaii just by taking a stroll around the exhibit. It includes rare prints, maps, and authentic antique pieces, some hundreds of years old.

We are pleased to establish our presence as a community resource,” says Bryant Neal, proprietor and co-curator of the museum, “by instituting “Hawaiian History Evenings,” a monthly series of entertaining and informational presentations by Mele Fong about some of Hawaii’s fascinating stories. Topics are based on significant historical events that occurred in the month; for example, in August, these are the birth of the Hawaiian Kingdom and Hawaii Statehood.

Beginning in September, “Hawaiian History Evenings” with Mele Fong are being held at the museum on the first Friday of every month from 5-7pm. Fong, historian for the Ahahui Ka’ahumanu Chapter IV Wailuku, Maui, is a member of the royal society of Native Hawaiian women that honors Queen Ka’ahumanu, favorite wife of King Kamehameha the Great. She is a mentor at the Institute of Hawaiian Music at the University of Hawaii Maui College (UHMC), and teaches private ukulele lessons.

Fong and her husband, Richard Tom, perform music professionally as the duo “The Hawaii Serenaders” and are part of the entertainment at the Story of Hawaii Museum grand opening celebration on Friday night, August 17. Performances by harpist Tatyana Shapiro-Leiste and the UHMC Institute of Hawaiian Music are also being featured. The program also includes award-winning journalist and author Jill Engledow, on hand to talk about her books and her upcoming presentations at the museum.

Located in the Maalaea Shops near the Maui Ocean Center, the museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for children under twelve years old, and includes a DVD about the mapping of Hawaii. Docent-led tours are $10 per person. For more information, contact Bryant Neal at (808) 283-3576 or visit www.storyofhawaiimuseum.com.