Monday’s inauguration of Gov. Neil Abercrombie means the key leaders are officially in place. We believe Gov. Abercrombie and Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle want to preserve and restore the Natatorium. We need all Natatorium supporters to take time NOW to contact the mayor and governor and let them know we’re behind their efforts to do what’s pono. Please send a letter, e-mail, or make a quick phone call. The messages don’t need to be long. Just say something simple, brief and pointed. Contact the mayor You can contact Mayor Peter Carlisle at Office of the Mayor, Honolulu Hale, 530 S.
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Archives for Uncategorized
Mahalo, veterans!
On Veterans Day, the Friends of the Natatorium join all Americans in thanking every man and woman from Hawai’i — and from all across the nation — who has worn our country’s uniform. In war and in peace, your honorable service has made it possible for the rest of us to enjoy “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” the “unalienable rights” enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. We are grateful. We thought you might enjoy on this Veterans Day seeing highlights from another occasion held to honor U.S. servicemen and women: The annual Memorial Day observance at the Waikiki
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Memorial Day, Uncategorized, and Veterans.
Memorial Day, veterans, Veterans Day, and Waikiki Natatorium.
Memorial Day, veterans, Veterans Day, and Waikiki Natatorium.
Just before Veterans Day? Really?
Published online today — the day before Veterans Day, of all days! — is MidWeek columnist Bob Jones’ call for demolition of the Waikiki Natatorium War Memorial. Naturally, we object — not only to the sentiment, but also to the column’s repetition of baseless assertions often heard from the small, but vocal, anti-Natatorium crowd. And we object, especially, to the choice of the eve of a holiday honoring veterans to call for the destruction of a state memorial to Hawai’i veterans and war dead. Peter Apo, president of the Friends of the Natatorium and newly elected trustee of the Office
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Breaking news: Two acts added to Sunday’s Natatorium benefit lineup!
Palani Vaughan and the King’s Own and the Honolulu Lounge Lizards join the bill for Sunday’s “Stand Up for the Natatorium” benefit concert at The Shack Waikiki. Enjoy five great performances for just $20, and Stand Up for the Waikiki Natatorium War Memorial! Palani Vaughan is a 2008 inductee into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame. He is best known for his albums with the King’s Own honoring King David Kalakaua and the music of Hawaii’s monarchy period. The Honolulu Lounge Lizards — DeWayne Valdez, Stan Combis and Larsen Abilla – play Hawaiian party music at its best. These new
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Happy Birthday to Duke… and the Natatorium!
Today is the 120th birthday of the ultimate Hawai’i waterman, Duke Kahanamoku: Olympic swimming champion, surfer, diver, paddler and sailor. And it’s the 83rd birthday of the Waikiki Natatorium War Memorial, inaugurated by Duke with a ceremonial first swim on Aug. 24, 1927, the day the champion turned 37. That ceremony kicked off the four-day AAU National Outdoor Swimming Championships, a meet studded with stars like Johnny Weissmuller, Buster Crabbe and Japan’s Katsuo “Flying Fish” Takaishi. According to a Honolulu Star-Bulletin account, “Opening night attracted 6,000 people. … The Natatorium was packed with spectators — as was every tree outside
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Get your tickets now! "Stand Up for the Natatorium" benefit concert Sunday, Aug. 29
Island sons Titus Kinimaka, Henry Kapono, and the show group A Touch of Gold headline our first “Stand Up for the Natatorium” benefit concert, Sunday, Aug. 29, 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at The Shack Waikiki. Our performers are donating their time and talent to support restoration of Waikiki’s world-famous Natatorium War Memorial. Bring the whole family to enjoy great music, pupu and the company of fellow Natatorium supporters. It’s not just a concert; it’s also a birthday celebration. The about-to-turn 83 Natatorium shares its Aug. 24 birthday and swimming history with another ocean icon, the legendary Duke Kahanamoku. The
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Save the date: "Stand Up for the Natatorium" benefit concert
When: Sunday, Aug. 29, 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m. Where: The Shack Waikiki In Honolulu at 2255 Kuhio Ave. What: “Stand Up for the Natatorium,”An OceanFest Wrap-up Benefit Bash for the Waikiki Natatorium War Memorial Who: Performers confirmed so far include Henry Kapono and Titus Kinimaka & The Kauai Boys. More artists to be announced soon; check back here for updates. Why: To benefit the Friends of the Natatorium. To support the fight to remember, restore and renew the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium, the state’s living memorial to the 10,000 men and women from Hawaii who served in World War I. Great
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Nice list. Where's the Natatorium?
As Natatorium supporter Chris Boyle said when he sent us this link with 12 cool swimming pools, “I think this list is missing one pool, in Hawaii.” That’s for sure, Chris! For decades, from the first stroke taken by Duke Kahanamoku the day it was dedicated in 1927, the Waikiki Natatorium War Memorial was on anyone’s list of the world’s most important swimming pools. It can be on those lists again. Let’s fix it, and swim! There’s no reason in the world that this pool in Honolulu should be any less celebrated than this one in Australia
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July 8: After work with Friends of the Natatorium and HHF
Aloha! Please join us and our friends from the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation on Thursday, July 8, to learn about the most endangered historic sites in Hawai‘i and efforts to save them. That’s the date for Pau Hana with a Purpose, 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at the Design Within Reach Studio on the top level of Ala Moana Center (next to Nordstrom). This event is free and open to the public; no reservations are required. Wine and refreshments will be served. Meet some of us from the Friends of the Natatorium and from HHF, and talk also with the dedicated folks working
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HPR reports on Memorial Day service at the Natatorium
Hawai’i Public Radio’s Adrienne LaFrance was on hand for Sunday’s 22nd annual Memorial Day ceremony at the Natatorium and filed a report that aired Monday and Tuesday. The story does a fine job of both capturing the spirit of the event and updating listeners on the natatorium issue. One excerpt from the story seems particularly worth thinking about. It quotes our keynote speaker at Sunday’s ceremony, Lieutenant General Benjamin Mixon, commanding general of the U.S. Army, Pacific. LaFrance observes that “veterans from World War I, the soldiers the memorial was built to honor, are no longer alive to see it.”
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