Molokai Educational Resource Experience

Photo By Léo Azambuja

By Léo Azambuja

Greased pigs, a giant tortoise, tiny chicks, a loving kitten and a trained K9. A firetruck, an ambulance and a chopper. Musicians, pilots, hospice workers, police, firefighters, nurses, dentists and builders. Watermelons, lau lau, ahi poke and musubi. A castle and hay bales.

“It’s the Molokai Educational Resource Experience. We started five years ago with about four people. In the first event, we had 800; now we are over 2,000 people,” volunteer Rosie Davis said.

The Fifth Annual Molokai Educational Resource Experience presented by the Molokai Homestead Farmers Alliance at Lanikeha Community Center May 9 was busy from the get-go at 9 a.m. all the way until the very end at 2:30 p.m. 

More than 50 local and off-island booths provided information on a wide range of resources, including health services, housing, construction, education, energy, conservation, public safety, transportation, agricultural and more.

Photo By Léo Azambuja

“Molokai lacks in some of those areas. So, we are trying to partner with everybody to bring the information to us. Our people can’t really afford to fly out. It’s expensive, so it’s been really helpful for them to get information,” said Davis, who is also the executive director of Maui County Area Health Education Center, one of the many sponsors for the event.

All the resource tables were set up inside the Lanikeha building. Some of them included Mokulele Airlines, Lānaʻi Air, Hospice Maui Molokai, Sustʻāinable Molokai, AHEC, Alu Like, ʻĀina Momona, Hawaiʻi Rural Water Association, Hawaiʻi State Energy Office, Lehua Builders, Molokai Community Health Center’s Dental Department, USDA, UH CTAHR, Hawaiʻi Department of Health, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and many more. 

Outside on the lawn, a row of food vendors kept the crowd fed with many local favorites such as oxtail lau lau, pastele stew, ahi poke bowls, musubi, smoke meat, fried chicken, lau lau plates, char siu chicken, roast pork and others.

Under a large tent next to the food booths, the music bands Pili Paʻa, Just Kani and The Vitals 808 rocked the event.

Kids could enter the Maui Police Department helicopter, sit inside a large fire truck and check out the back of an American Medical Response ambulance. They could also play as much as they wanted inside the jumping inflatable castle. 

Bowie, a well-trained Dutch Shepherd from the Police Department, did a presentation on his skills. But as far as petting, the kids preferred to go to the petting zoo, where they could play with a tiny black kitten, pet the tortoise that was bigger than most kids, try to pet a shy baby goat, and play with the chickens and chicks. 

Next to the petting zoo, a half-dozen fat juvenile piglets waited to be greased for the greased pig contest.

The hay bale contest turned out to be more about skills than speed and strength. Most who lost couldn’t keep the large bales on the track while rolling them. 

If the kids in the watermelon eating contest ate their vegetables with that much determination, they would likely grow up to be the healthiest generation on Molokai. 

Davis said the event is an “educational experience” and a fair.

“We want people to feel welcome, to come out and not only enjoy the day’s event with their family, but to go inside the booths,” she said.

She added she applied for a $300 grant with Hawaiʻi Dental Service, so children and adults could receive a free toothbrush kit after a screening at the Molokai Community Health Center booth.

The Molokai Educational Resource Experience is also important, Davis said, because island residents do with what they have, and the event allows residents and resource providers to network and build on available resources.

The event was put together with the help of about 30 volunteers. 

“Thank you to all the volunteers, all our sponsors and the community for coming out. We really appreciate. And most of all, thank God that we can be here for the fifth year,” Davis said.

Visit www.molokaihfa.com for more information.