By Petra Wiesenabuer
This last month brought us Kilauea’s episodes 41 & 42 with tephra, ash, Pele’s hair, and higher SO2 levels. For most of us in Puna, this meant making sure our catchment tanks were unhooked from our gutters and cleaning up our homes, yards, and in and around our communities. Many of our schools were closed for at least one day. Following the lunar calendar, we celebrated the Chinese New Year and entered into the year of the horse! In March, we have Spring Break, March 14-22, a well-deserved break for our students and families. March 20 marks the Spring Equinox – the beginning of spring. March 26 celebrates Prince Kuhio Day (no school). Our community of local artists, practitioners, food lovers, and musicians is sharing their talents and offerings with you to find joy, connection, and creative resources. For those of you who were following the Walk for Peace of the Venerable Monks from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., you witnessed a powerful wave of peace, mindfulness, and kindness touching thousands of people on their journey. It is a message we all can perpetuate and expand here in our small Punaverse every single day: Today is going to be my peaceful day! May you and all beings be well, happy, and at peace.
Compassionate Communication
Starting on March 5 a 6-week basic skills course is offered for compassionate communication based on non-violent communication principles. The course focuses on building dependable heart-connection and trust, transforming judgments into life-serving guides, expressing honestly while still being compassionate, handling difficult conversations with confidence, resolving “unresolvable” conflicts and discovering a practical path from anger to peace. The course will be held on Thursday nights from 6 – 8:30 PM at the Leilani subdivision community center on Moku Street. There is a fee of $150. If you are interested, please contact Ano Tarletz Hanamana at (808) 936-6688 or ano@
Walk in the Park – Haʻakulamanu – Sulphur Banks
March 8 from 10am – 12pm – This monthly program on second Sundays is aimed at bringing together the members of the Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park to explore the park’s beautiful trails. This month’s walk explores Haʻakulamanu – Sulphur Banks. We will start at the Kīlauea Visitor Center and follow the trail to Sulphur Banks, then cross Crater Rim Drive to the steam vents and Kīlauea viewing area. This easy walk is mostly on flat and level ground. Be prepared for variable weather conditions, including sunny, windy, chilly, and/or rainy. This event is presented by the Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Program cost is $5.00 for Friends members. Non-members are welcome to join the Friends in order to attend. And, of course, additional donations are always accepted. Park entrance fees apply. You can register here: https://www.fhvnp.org/
Ahuimano Kupupau (The Volcano School of Arts & Science Benefit)
This wonderful event takes place on March 7 from 1-4pm at the Volcano Winery. It is a fundraiser benefiting the Volcano School of Arts & Science Charter School in support of student programs & enrichment, transportation, arts & afterschool programs, Hawai’i-based science and environmental learning. Entry tickets are $75 and include 2 drinks and heavy pupus. There will be live music and an exciting raffle! Tickets can be purchased on-line on the www.volcanowinery.com website.
Chilli Cook-Off
Sunday, March 8, 2026, from 2 – 4 pm, a chili cook-off competition will take place at the Hawaiian Shores Stables. For detailed information, contact Mike at 858-213-6643.
Steam CON – First Annual
On March 14, 2026, from 2-6 pm the Arts & Sciences Center (ASC) at the Hawaii Academy of Arts & Science campus (15-1397 Post Office Rd.) will present the inaugural STEAM-CON signature event. It is created to stage the genius of our community and celebrate the science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics thriving right here in Puna and across Hawai‘i Island. Rooted in ASC’s founding vision to help our community live, learn, and thrive together, STEAM-CON brings together master artists, cultural practitioners, scientists, engineers, inventors, educators, and students for an afternoon of inspiration, connection, and hands-on discovery. This event is designed to spark curiosity, elevate local work, and illuminate pathways for learning, innovation, connection and opportunity that exist close to home. The event will present TED-style talks & featured exhibitions, hands-on creation & demos, fine art, live & immersive experiences, indigenous science & culture in action.
As ASC’s first annual STEAM-CON, this event marks the beginning of a growing tradition. Each year, it will continue to evolve as new voices, ideas, and partnerships come forward, strengthening the web of connection that makes Puna and Hawai‘i Island so resilient and vibrant.
Volcano Art Center in the Park – Aloha Fridays
Aloha Friday cultural demonstrations are held each week (March 6, 13, 20 & 27) from 11 am – 1 pm on the porch of Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Activites include lei making, botanical printing, ukulele instruction, and lauhala weaving. Topics occur on a rotating schedule. All supplies are provided. These free cultural events are supported in part by Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority. Although these cultural events are free, donations are appreciated, and park entrance fees do apply. Call 808-967-7565 or email [email protected] for more detailed information.
The Crafty Racoon Art House
The Crafty Racoon Art House, our newest store in Pahoa town, right by Pahoa Kaleo’s, across from The Veli, offers a variety of classes, including pottery classes, acrylic painting, watercolor techniques, gel block printing, mending, etc. There is also space work on your own projects using the Raccoon’s resources with guidance available from studio artists. Melissa Hargis and her staff are super friendly and welcoming. For all their weekly classes, you can make reservations through their website or in person at www.craftyraccoon.com. The shop features a coffee bar with reasonable prices and is open Mon-Fri 11 am-6 pm, Sat 10 am-6 pm, Sun 11 am-5 pm. Follow their FB page for their regular updates.
Pahoa Night Market – Live Music, Food & Vendors
The Pahoa Friday Night Market at the old Luquin’s/Akebono location has been a great success and continues to bring live music, great food trucks, market vendors, and a restricted area, where alcoholic beverages are served. It is open from 3 pm to 8 pm every Friday and Saturday.
Big Island Meadery in Keaau
Big Island Meadery – our first meadery on the Big Island, making mead (honey wine) from their own honey. They also have weekly food specials and are open Tuesdays-Saturdays from 10 am – 6 pm. For March, they have the following schedule for food vendors, adding their special touch. March 7 features a Book Romantics Pop-up Store & Spring Makeke (3-6 pm), March 20 offers a Lauhala Earring Weaving class (5-7 pm, $65 p. person).
Support for Cultural Practitioner: Piʻilani Kaʻawaloa
On Sunday, March 15th, Makuʻu Farmers Market from 12 pm – 5pm, the Ka’awaloa Ohana and friends invite you to join them for a day filled with Auntie Pi’ilani Ka’awaloa’s favorite mele Hawaiʻi, hula, and fellowship, as we come together in aloha to uplift and honor Aunty Piʻilani Kaʻawaloa. Piʻilani Kaʻawaloa is a native Cultural Practitioner of Kupahuʻa, Puna, and a deeply cherished member of the Puna community. Throughout her life, she has lovingly served the keiki and lāhui of Hawaiʻi—teaching at Kamehameha Schools and Pāhoa High School, and guiding her beloved haumāna hula of Hālau Ka Hīnano o Puna with wisdom, patience, and aloha. She also faithfully serves the Lord as the Kahu of Ka Mau Loa o ka Mālamalama.
Flow Fest – Black Rock Amphitheater
March 27-29, 2026: Flow Fest 2026 is a gathering of music, movement, land cultivation, and community set in one of Hawaiʻi’s most powerful natural spaces — Black Rock Amphitheater, located at 12-4901 Kaimu Chain of Craters Road. Born from earlier incarnations on Hawaiʻi Island, this festival carries forward a living story. When lava reshaped the land and Green Lake was lost, the community adapted. Flow Fest did not end — it transformed. Now held within a natural black lava amphitheater, Flow Fest 2026 honors rebirth, resilience, and reclamation. This is a celebration of a new day — rising together on land forged by fire, under open skies filled with stars, sunsets, and moonrise.
Featuring Nahko & the Medicine People and a curated lineup of artists rooted in conscious music, reggae, world, and community-driven sound. More than a concert, Flow Fest is an experience — where rhythm meets ceremony, dance meets intention, and strangers become family. Friday: Doors open: 2:00 PM, Music starts at 3:00 PM. Saturday: Doors open: 2:00 PM, Music starts at 3:00 PM. Sunday: Doors open: 2:00 PM, Music starts at 3:00 PM.
Mālama nā Kūpuna
Rooted in the rich cultural soil of Hawai‘i Island, Mālama nā Kūpuna farm-to-table program fosters connections among the kūpuna and the larger community through monthly gatherings. Their next event will be on March 20 from 11 am-2 pm at the VFW 15-775 Maluhia Rd, RSVP by March 15, contact: Patty Kroh – (209) 481-6721
Ola’a Community Day
On Saturday, March 28, 9 am – 2 pm, Keaau Middle School & Keaau Middle PTSA will have their community event for the whole family with community resources, food, and vendors.
Farmer’s Markets
Maku’u Farmer’s Market: Sundays 7:30 am – 2:00 pm, https://tendingourroots.org/story/makuu-farmers-market/
Kaimu Farmer’s Market: Saturdays 8:00 am – Noon, Kaimu Beach Park
Volcano Farmers Market: Thursdays 3 – 6 pm & Sundays 6 am – 10 am, Cooper Center, 19-4030 Wright Road, Volcano Village
Petra Wiesenbauer
Petra grew up in Bavaria, Germany, and came to Oahu in 1997. She has lived in the Puna area for the last 27 years. Petra has worked in banking, non-profit social services, as an innkeeper, and business consultant & grant writer. She now has a private practice in Pahoa, where she sees clients as a Marriage & Family Therapist in person and via telehealth. She is the admin for the Pahoa Community Resources Facebook page, promoting information and resources that may be of interest to the residents of our Puna area.
Petra believes in strengthening communities, positive and constructive communication, collaboratively coming together as a community, developing resources to resolve issues, and promoting a spirit of respect, dignity, equality, and forward movement.
She loves the outdoors, spends much time in her garden, walking along the Puna cliffs, and hiking in the National Park. She is interested in the arts and culture, reading, and writing. She likes to travel and hang out with friends and family. She enjoys life, music, and community events and is an integral part of the Pahoa community.