George Kahumoku Jr. launched the series to promote, preserve and perpetuate Hawaiian music, and to give Maui’s talented musicians a platform to share their music and stories, and to entertain visitors and locals alike.

WAILUKU – Maui Historical Society is hosting a benefit concert on Saturday, March 31, called “Moonlight Mele with George Kahumoku Jr. & Friends” from 5 to 8 p.m.

Admission is $5 per person; children 12 and under are free.

This event on the grounds of Hale Ho’ike’ike at the Bailey House at 2375-A Main St. in Wailuku, on property owned by the Maui Historical Society, will feature Hawaiian music by the University of Hawaii Maui College Institute of Hawaiian Music with UHMC Instructor Keola Donaghy, and noted Hawaiian entertainer and music mentor George Kahumoku Jr.

This benefit is part of a concert series established by Kahumoku over five years ago and completely benefits the Maui Historical Society.

At the event, author Victor C. Pellegrino will discuss and sign his new book, “Poems From a Farmer,” his third title, which is a short book of poetry about farming, the environment and concerns stemming from humankind’s treatment of nature.

Pellegrino, retired professor emeritus from the University of Hawaii Maui College, taught Eastern and Western literature, British and American literature and writing, and chaired the Language Arts Division.

In 1984, he was a Fulbright Scholar in India. He has studied and traveled in China and Japan, and in recent years, he has made many trips to Italy. In 2004, he began farming family acreage in Maui’s central valley.

Hale Ho’ike’ike is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and features the largest collection of Pre-western contact Hawaiian antiquities on Maui.

The museum also features Missionary, Plantation and Monarchy Era artifacts, as well as original artwork by Edward Bailey depicting mid-19th century scenes of Maui.

The Maui Historical Society is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization established by the community in 1951. Its guiding mission is to collect, preserve, study, interpret and share the history and heritage of Maui.

For more information on the event, visit www.MauiMuseum.org.