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The Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific will return this year, with a commemoration planned for 8:30 to 10 a.m. May 30.
More details concerning the event, including how the public can view the ceremony, will be announced later, but in the meantime the city Department of Parks and Recreation is beginning a statewide initiative to sew and gather some 38,000 lei to adorn each grave at Punchbowl “in a uniquely Hawaiian display of gratitude,” according to a news release.
To assist with the “Sew a Lei for Memorial Day” effort, the parks department is organizing several lei-sewing opportunities and lei drop-off locations in the days leading up to Memorial Day. Also, anyone with flower trees, particularly plumeria, is encouraged to donate their flowers at any of the May 27 lei-sewing sites.
Ti leaf lei-making sessions will be held today from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Foster Botanical Garden (call 808-768-7139) and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden (808-233-7323). Flower lei making will be held May 26 and 27 at various locations. Lei can be dropped off at several sites May 27, and at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 28.
Visit honolulu.gov/parks for times and locations of lei-making sessions and drop-off points.
The parks department and Mayor Rick Blangiardi also announced the winners of this year’s Memorial Day Poster Contest. They are Koa Shirota Waro in grades K-4, LaMya Fleeton in grades 5-8 and Camille Quindica (artwork pictured left) in grades 9-12. Each winner received a prize package with art supplies, and their artwork will be featured in Memorial Day publications and on the city website.