This is a great weekend to head out to Hana as the community will be hosting its annual East Maui Taro Festival. The two day festival is a celebration of the Taro or Kalo plant. The plant has special significance to native Hawaiian people. It has been one of the most important staples of Hawaiian diet through prehistory and history. It was brought to the islands via Polynesians on some of the first canoes to reach Hawaii. Taro is consumed most commonly as poi. A paste that is made when the Taro root is pounded.

The East Maui Taro Festival is a two day celebration. Saturday’s festivities are focused around the Hana Ball Park. There will be food booths, music, hula, crafts, a farmer’s market and poi pounding. Sunday will feature a Taro pancake breakfast from 7:00 to 10:30 at Hana Ball Park. There is also an 11:00 field trip to Kahanu National Tropical Botanical Garden and a 1:00 field trip out to the taro patches at the Kapahu Farm in Kipahulu. This should be a great weekend out in East Maui.

Pete Jalbert