Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 6, Number 10, 1 October 1989 — Mission Houses Museum sets holiday events [ARTICLE]

Mission Houses Museum sets holiday events

Calendar of Events Continuing Programs Guided Tours of the Mission Houses and Printing Office, daily, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Explore the family homes and headquarters of the first Christian missionaries to Hawai'i, today the oldest remaining houses in the islands. Small and informal guided tours visit two restored and furnished Mission homes and the working printing office, where freshly printed pages in the Hawaiian language still roll from the press as they did 150 years ago. Historic Honolulu Walking Tours, Monday Through Friday, 9:30 a.m., reservations required. Stroll through 160 years of history in the footsteps of Hawaiian kings and queens, missionaries, merchants and revolutionaries. This full-morning tour explores the oldest remaining part of downtown Honolulu and traces its growth from a dusty village of grass houses to the capitol of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Escorted by trained museum guides, visitors tour the historic Mission Houses, continuing on to other nearby historic sites and points of interest including Kawaiahao Church, King Lunalilo's Tomb, King Kamehameha Statue, the grounds of Iolani Palaee, Washington Plaee and St. Andrew's Cathedral. Honolulu 1831, A Living History Program, Saturdays only, on the hour, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hawaii's only living history program recreates the important people, issues, and events of early 19th-century Hawai'i. On Saturdays, visitors to

the Mission Houses meet people who portray, through dress, speech, manner and attitudes, actual residents of the village of Honolulu in the 1830s. Meet and talk with American evangelical missionaries and native Hawaiians, as they go about their daily work. SPECIAL EVENTS Oct. 28: Children's Day: A Journey to Childhood's Past Discover life in the 19th century in this day of activities, games, storytelling anel historic roleplaying for children and families. At 10 a.m. there is a puppet show in the Meeting House. At 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. step back in time to meet John and Sophia, two 19th-century children. Follow them through their busy day, and take an intimate look at how children dressed, worked and played over one hundred years ago. Get ready for a real Halloween at noon and 2:30 p.m. when the museum storytellers share ghostly tales from Hawaii and New England. Attend a 19th-century school lesson with Miss Ward. School bell rings at 2 p.m. Nov. 18: Tha«ksgiving: We Gather Together Join the Sandwich Island Mission native Hawaiians and foreign residents of the village of Honolulu as they prepare for a joyous Thanksgiving. Witness the bustling activity at the Mission Houses while exploring Hawaii's oldest frame house. Food preparation, fireplace cooking, decorating, hymn singing and printing bring to life a Thanksgiving of a bygone era. Celebrate New England's most cherished holidays in this memorable event.

Nov. 25 and 26: A Christmas Fair, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Two days of crafts, music, entertainment and food to ring in the holiday season. Some of the islands' most skilled craftpersons will display their wares at this Hawaiian-style open market. Exotic plants, Hawaiian quilts, Koa woodwork and island Christmas ornaments are a few of the gifts to be found. Admission is free to the grounds. Dec. 16: A Christmas Candlelight Stroll, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. By popular demand, the Museum has brought back Honolulu's special and well-loved Christmas program. Illuminated by candlelight and decorated with Victorian swags and boughs of greenery, the Mission Houses evoke scenes of Christmas in the mid-1800s. Costumed roleplayers, storytellers and music complete the festivities in the houses and on the grounds. Admission is $5 for adults; $2.50 for children 6-15 years of age. Reservations will be taken after Nov. 27. Coming in the spring: "Music We Listened To" Through six evening concerts, this performing arts series will explore the favorite composers and popular themes of 19th-century music. Under the artistic direction of Warren Cohen, professional musicians and vocalists perform musical favorites from the "high brow" salons of New York and Boston to the parlors of everyday urban and rural families. Call 531-0481 to be included in performanee and subscription information.