Morrison

LAHAINA – The flags are flying high at the harbor once again due to the combined efforts of several community members. The halyard broke at the top, and the flags came crashing down several months ago.

Keahi Ho bought the new halyard and block and spliced the end of the halyard. Trees of Hawaii used their large boom truck to access the top of the flagpole to attach the new block. The new Hawaiian flag was purchased by Lahaina Restoration Foundation, and Jesse Neizman supervised the overall effort and raised the two flags.

Both “Welcome to Lahaina” signs have been refurbished by Saltwater Signs and are back on the highway at both the north and south entrances to Lahaina. These signs remind everyone that Lahaina was the first capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom and is a place of historical and cultural importance.

Lahaina Restoration Foundation will be holding its annual online auction from Aug. 10-20. Please visit www.biddingforgood.com/mauiauction for a sneak preview of items up for bid. We are also still accepting items to be auctioned. Please call Noe at 661-3262 before Aug. 7 if you would like to donate an item. All proceeds benefit the maintenance and restoration of Lahaina’s historical sites now and for future generations.

The Launiupoko and Lahaina locomotives on public display at the Pioneer Mill Smokestack are receiving new landscaping, fencing, decking, signs and lighting. These improvements will integrate the locomotive display with the smokestack display and make this new historic site easier and more pleasant to access. All work should be complete by the annual Lahaina Plantation Days event on Oct. 18-20.

Engraved brick sales for the walkway at the smokestack have been brisk with the “Buy One, Get One Free” program. This limited-time offer will expire on Dec. 31, 2012. Anyone who purchases a brick and does not want the free brick can donate the brick back, and it will be given to a former mill worker. Please visit www.lahainarestoration.org to purchase a brick or pick up an application at the smokestack, the Plantation Museum or Lahaina Cannery Mall.

Make a visit to the upstairs hallway of the Old Lahaina Courthouse and see the refurbished 3-D table map that was just installed. This map was donated to the community by the Maui Marriott Ocean Club many years ago and was “loved” to death by the many hands pointing to their favorite sites. Mike Jones, LRF employee, spent two months restoring the map and the koa table it sits on. There are now buttons connected to lights that accentuate Maui’s favorite sites. The Old Lahaina Courthouse is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, including most holidays.

Also recently installed at the Old Lahaina Courthouse is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration touch screen kiosk. This kiosk has interactive educational games for kids as well as information about the Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and real time weather updates. Other major additions to the displays in the Old Lahaina Courthouse are in progress and will be announced soon.