Kalama Heritage Festival Celebrates Pacific Northwest Hawaiians and Native Tribes History with Canoes Regatta, Music, Food, Workshops, Luau August 19-21

Kalama, Washington–(Newsfile Corp. – August 4, 2022) – Area residents and visitors will be treated to a wide range of entertainment, food, Native Tribal Canoe families, Hawaiian outrigger canoes, and learning experiences at this year’s Kalama Heritage Festival 11^th Annual Event August 19-21^st. Guests can enjoy the traditional Hawaiian musical performers, local Native and Hawaiian canoe drummers, dancers, exotic Tahitian drummers, shop unique local and indigenous vendors, enjoy mid-1800’s games, learn to fire knife dance, and feast from islanders/native foods including the traditional luau pig, freshly pounded poi, and salmon cooked from an open fire.

This year’s event is free, except the traditional luau food ticketing VIP meet and greet event. The Friday kicks off with local entertainment, hula, ukulele, slack key music, Tahitian dance workshops and special guests from Hawaii kupuna sharing the traditional cultures of Hawaii, poi pounding, underground oven cooking called imu, and learning to dance the hula and Tahitian dance.

Featured local favorite musical featuring acts include Keoki Kahumoku, Brad Bordessa, Northwest Blend, Halau Hula O Naniloa Mana’oakamai, Ora Nui Tahitian Dance Troupe, Apato’erau Tahitian Dance and Drumming Company, Pomaika’I, Halau Hula O Leionalani Ka’u, Strum Ukulele Kanikapila, and Halau Hula O Napualani. The Saturday morning 8a, Canoe regatta featuring both Native Tribal Canoe Families and Hawaiian Outrigger Canoes are set to travel the Columbia River and land on the shores of the Kalama Rasmussen Park beach representing Warm Springs, Chehalis, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, Cowlitz native tribes and local Hawaiian Outrigger canoes. This is one of the major highlights of this year’s festival.

The festival is accepting vendors and sponsors to keep the festival a free event, except for the special ticketed events. “We are accepting donations and sponsorships in effort to keep the festival free,” says Festival Director Gloria Nahalea. https://kalama-heritage-festival.perfectgolfevent.com/donate-now.

The annual festival dates back to 2005 to raise awareness of the rich cultural heritage of the Indigenous peoples and enhance the history of the Hawaiians and Native Tribes through the annual Tribal Canoe Journeys, Canoe races, Hawaiian festivals, pow wows, and diversity of the Hawaiian and Native Tribes in the area.

It will be held in the Marine Louis Rasmussen Park in Kalama, off the I-5 exit #30.

Attendees can watch wood drums carving, the ‘traditional’ underground oven cooking the luau pig and taro for poi pounding, the salmon bake with the Traditional Native oven fire, the native Indian and Hawaiian Canoe landing, and Samoan Fire Knife dancing from keiki (child) to adult, play a ukulele, spin poi balls, and enjoy this beautiful beach park on the Columbia River where daily river cruise ships dock.

Media Contact:

Roberta Long – 1-866-673-5476 roberta@kalamafestival.com
Please visit this site for event details https://www.kalamafestival.com/.

News Source: Kalama Festival

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132837