• Kona Historical Society - Last Portuguese Stone Oven Bake of the Summer is July 30

    July 28, 2020
    Last Stone Oven Bake of the Summer is July 30
    Kona Historical Society taking baking break to create more education programming
     
    Kona Historical Society is temporarily closing its Portuguese Stone Oven Baking Program until further notice. The last bake of the summer will take place this Thursday, July 30, and the Society apologizes for any disappointment or inconveniences this break causes.

    The public is invited to watch the Programs Team bake and hear Kona stories from 10 a.m. to noon this Thursday at the stone oven, or forno, located in the pasture below the Society’s Kalukalu Headquarters in Kealakekua. Drive-thru bread sales of Portuguese white and sweet bread begin at 2 p.m. and go to 5 p.m. or until sold out. Loaves cost $8 each.

    Kona Historical Society reopened its popular baking program on June 18, with several safety precautions in place. Over the past several weeks, the nonprofit has enjoyed sharing this tradition and our community history, as well as filling homes with a wonderful, comforting aroma of freshly baked bread and providing dining tables with added sustenance. During this time, Kona Historical Society has also donated leftover bread loaves to local healthcare professionals and The Food Basket, Hawaii Island food bank.

    As students, educators and staff head back to the classroom, Kona Historical Society has been reimagining its relationship with schools and our community. This break is for the Society’s Programs Team to focus on creating more engaging educational programs, including virtual field trips that are free for all Hawaii schools. The Programs Team is also re-examining the Portuguese Stone Oven Baking Program, which shares the traditional art of Portuguese bread making and the contributions of the Portuguese, who arrived in Hawaii in the 1880s and are credited for helping develop Kona’s dairy industry. Future bakes will be announced as soon as possible.

    “After a spring busy with virtual field trips, our weekly bread baking kept our summer just as exciting,” said Public Programs Manager Audrey Blair. “Mahalo to everyone who came out to purchase bread and talk story with us! Stay tuned for our announcement of the next bake!”

    Kona Historical Society is a community-based, nonprofit organization and Smithsonian Museum affiliate that has spent the past four decades collecting, preserving and sharing the history of the Kona districts and their rich cultural heritage within Hawai‘i.

    For more information, contact Kona Historical Society at 808-323-3222 or khs@konahistorical.org. Also, visit www.konahistorical.org. To get the latest updates regarding the Society’s programs, historic sites and special events,
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