The 44th annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, Hawaii’s oldest food festival, is in full swing until November 16, 2014.
The event combines a modern-day infatuation with coffee with Kona ‘s old-world history as visitors, residents, artisans and farmer s gather together to salute Hawaii’s preeminent coffee.
This year’s edition is adding new, exciting events including innovative Kona coffee farm tours, native Hawaiian arts and culture events, keiki (child) friendly activities , and a celebration of cultural diversity.
Kona Coffee Cultural Festival celebrated Kona’s coffee harvest family style as the UCC Ueshima Coffee Co. Kona Coffee Picking Contest and Coffee Games got underway Sunday at UCC Kona Coffee Estate.
West Hawaii school children between 8 and 12 years old from both Hawaii 4-H clubs, Kealakehe Robotics team, Kahakai Elementary School and Kona Martial Arts got their competitive fun on as each team competed for prizes. Games included the coffee bean chopstick challenge, coffee spoon relay, ulu maika, beans in the balloon and a Kendama master event.
Kahakai Elementary students captured first place, earning $250 for their school. Hawaii 4-H placed second, winning $150, and Kealakehe Robotics came in third, receiving $75 for the club.
The many young festival fans who attended the contests and games enjoyed good sportsmanship, shave ice, hot dogs and had fun competing in creative games from days of long ago.
During Sunday’s KTA Super Stores Recipe Contest, amateurs, professionals, students from Hawaii Community College West Hawaii Culinary Arts program and keiki polished up their culinary and presentation skills.
More than 25 recipe entries were judged on presentation, harmony of ingredients, craftsmanship and design, providing an opportunity for each contestant to present a recipe to the judges that sparks creativity and an appropriate 100 percent Kona coffee theme.
Winners captured cash prizes, gift certificates and bragging rights as the winning recipes of the 2014 KTA Super Stores Recipe Contest.
One of the signature events of the 44th annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is the Miss Kona Cofffee Scholarship Pageant, held Saturday night, in which contestants from Hawaii Island vie for the Miss Kona Coffee and Miss Aloha Hawaii crowns.
With the theme, “Bringing Kona Together,” the festival is recognized as the oldest and one of the most successful food festivals in Hawaii. It continues to brew interest and attract approximately 17,000 fans each year, said Melvin Morimoto, festival president.
The festival began Friday and runs through Nov. 16.
