On this week’s episode of the One O‘ahu Podcast, Mayor Rick Blangiardi joins host Brandi Higa to discuss the 74th Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony, a town hall meeting at Radford High School, and Phase 2 of Wahi Pana: Storied Places.
Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony
In honor of those who made the final, full measure of devotion while serving in the Armed Forces for the United States of America, the City and County of Honolulu and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs were honored to present the 74th Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Pūowaina (Punchbowl).
“I felt that if our intent was to be respectful and remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and then subsequently to their Gold Star families, that that was done,” added Mayor Blangiardi.
For over seven decades the City and County of Honolulu has honored a solemn promise to adorn every grave at Pūowaina with a fresh lei for Memorial Day. This year was no different. Thanks to the community, the Department of Parks and Recreation was able to make and gather 38,000 lei for every servicemember laid to rest at the cemetery.
Radford Town Hall meeting
On May 22, Mayor Blangiardi held the sixth of seven town hall meetings this year at Radford High School. It was a chance for the mayor and senior administration officials to listen to concerns directly from residents of Pearl City, ‘Aiea, Salt Lake, Kalihi, and Downtown/Chinatown, and to answer questions about the City’s top priorities and upcoming projects in each neighborhood. As Mayor Blangiardi explains, there seems to be a shift in tone during these community meetings.
“The people that are coming now are talking to us differently,” said Mayor Blangiardi. “The first year, things were much more contentious and I think because it was unprecedented.” He goes on to add, “I think as they’ve grown now to see these things that we’re constructive and our team is there. Our entire cabinet, we’re listening and people are being responsive and they’re following up and they know that we’re genuinely concerned.”
The next and final town hall meeting of 2025 is set for 6:30 p.m. on June 5 at Kalani High School.
Phase Two launch of Wahi Pana
Following the success of the initial Wahi Pana unveilings in February, Wahi Pana: Storied Places returned this May with a second round of public art activations. These new works continue the initiative’s mission to honor Oʻahu’s wahi pana (storied places) through contemporary public art rooted in Native Hawaiian moʻolelo (stories).
The next phase of the project will feature three installations integrating storytelling with contemporary artistic expressions, creating visual dialogues between past and present that invite visitors to experience these significant places through a culturally informed lens. Those include an experimental educational video by grassroots film initiative kekahi wahi that weaves together layered creation stories and lived experiences of Haunama Bay, Maunalua, offering visitors an eclectic, sensory-rich interpretation of place. At the former archery range in Kapiʻolani Park, Koloikeao Anthony’s graphic installations reawaken public awareness of Papaʻenaʻena Heiau, honoring Kū while challenging tourist-driven tiki imagery that has long commodified Hawaiian culture. Complementing these works, Ualani Davis presents a striking photographic installation at Koko Crater Botanical Garden inspired by Queen Liliʻuokalani’s song “Kuʻu Pua i Paoakalani,” using cyanotypes of culturally significant plants to reimagine Kohelepelepe as a garden of resistance.
As these storied places evolve through the voices of our artists and communities, your manaʻo helps shape the journey—visit wahipana.com to learn more and share your reflections, and follow @wahipana on social media for updates.
