Honolulu Weekly is out with an update on the Natatorium fight. The bottom line: As we head into Memorial Day weekend, the city is inching ahead with efforts to (unbelievably) demolish Hawai’i’s official memorial to World War I soldiers and sailors. Veterans, preservationists, environmentalists and — importantly — the law and regulations stand in the way of those efforts. As you’ll read in the Weekly’s story, the Friends of the Natatorium are still fighting. We’re confident of victory, but the fight may be a long and hard one. What can you do? You can contribute to the cause. You can
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Swimming at the Heart of "Living Memorial" Design
It was a bold, out-of-the-box decision to build a pool – a pool “of Olympic proportions” – as Hawai’i’s official World War I memorial. The story of the Natatorium’s conception, design and construction is told in the final chapter of the 1928 book Hawaii in the World War by Ralph S. Kuykendall. That chapter is available online here. In fact, the entire book is online, starting here. It’s well worth reading. And it’s well worth remembering the words of Gov. Wallace Rider Farrington to the Territorial Legislature of 1927, arguing for the rapid completion of the entire memorial: “We should
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Save the Date! Memorial Day Service on Sunday, May 30th
You are invited to the 22nd annual Memorial Day Service at one of Hawai’i’s most important monuments to America’s military heroes: The Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium. Mark your calendar: 10 a.m., Sunday, May 30 (the day before Memorial Day), in Kapiolani Park right outside the Natatorium’s gate. We gather there every year to commemorate Hawaii’s honored war dead in speech, ceremony, song and dance. We gather there because the Natatorium stands as a symbol of the freedom and of the American way of life preserved for us by the men and women who have fought in all our nation’s wars.
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Hokule'a Crewman, Beachboy and Waterman: Clifford Ah Mow is Remembered at the Natatorium
Hundreds gathered at the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium Sunday to remember an icon: waterman, lifeguard and surfer Clifford Ah Mow. Ah Mow was one of the 17 original crewmen of the canoe Hokule’a; in 1976, they piloted the double-hulled craft from Hawai’I to Tahiti without modern instruments to demonstrate that Polynesians could indeed have navigated far and wide across the open Pacific long before the arrival of Europeans. It was a feat intended not only to support an important historical theory about the origins of the Polynesian people, but also to focus pride and revitalize Hawaiian culture. After remembrances at
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The Natatorium: The place to be
Here’s a slideshow of some wonderful historic photos of the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium, unearthed in the collections of the Hawai’i State Archives. Several of them show the Natatorium as it was meant to be: A living memorial to Hawai’i’s honored war dead, a lively, active fun place where families and athletes and all of us could enjoy the freedom preserved for us by our warriors’ sacrifices. For so many years, the Natatorium truly was the place to be. It can be again. It should be again. For so many reasons: Because of the debt of honor we owe to
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Natatorium dancers seek courageous followers!
Here’s something fun… with an important lesson. Check it out. Yeah, sure; it’s true. Sometimes, we here at natatorium.org feel like the Dancing Guy, the lone nut out there trying to tell people how important it is to pay attention to one of the Hawai’i’s great treasures, how important it is to keep faith with the men and women who died, how important it is to be true to our history and culture. And the lone nut needs a first follower. And a second. Because, after all, “Three is a crowd, and a crowd is news.” And a crowd can
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Upcoming Natatorium Presentations
On Monday, March 15, we will be at the State Capitol participating in Heritage Day from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Come down and check us out! On Wednesday, March 17, we will be addressing the Waikiki Rotary at their noon meeting. It’s never too early to mark your calendar for our annual Memorial Day Service on Sunday, May 30, at 10 a.m. Stay tuned for other opportunities to learn more about the Natatorium.
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Now playing…
The Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium is not only a memorial to Hawai’i history, but itself a part of that history. The world premiere run of a new play, The Three-Year Swim Club, is a good occasion to remind ourselves that this commemoration of Hawai’i’s war dead was always meant as a living memorial, full of activity and emblematic of the way of life that our military men and women fought to preserve. And as a living memorial, the Natatorium has had a unique role in Hawai’i’s history and the history of competitive swimming. This show, written by Lee A. Tonouchi
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Perspective from Honolulu Weekly: The Natatorium at dawn
The Honolulu Weekly has posted a gallery of photos of the Natatorium at dawn, taken by photographer Laura Chartier. She writes of another early morning visitor to the site who saw her shooting her images, approached and began telling her about his memories of “the days of Duke and when his family used to visit.” “I could tell,” Laura writes, “the Natatorium was a special place for him, as it was for so many people.” And as it could — and should, and can — be again. The Natatorium at dawn, photo by Laura Chartier, copyright 2009 Honolulu Weekly
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Images, News coverage, and Uncategorized.
Guest post: Reflections on "The Eddie" and the Natatorium
The sun was up. The crowd was up. Most important, the surf was up. And “The Eddie” was on. One of the world’s most compelling competitions – a surfing contest that organizers refuse to run unless the waves are massive enough to scare the boardshorts off of Neptune – was on. For only the eighth time in 25 tries. That’s the mystique of the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau. A superhuman challenge, one dedicated to the memory of a superhero who “would go” in the face of nearly anything the sea could stir up? Something like that can’t be
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Events and Uncategorized.
