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ASD Staff

Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Have you ever seen a horse enjoying a peppermint chew? You have now..."}]

Smile 26 11 13

<title>Daily Smile: Friday, Nov. 13, 2026</title>

Have you ever seen a horse enjoying a peppermint chew? You have now...

Daily Smile: Friday, Nov. 13, 2026

 Have you ever seen a horse enjoying a peppermint chew? You have now...

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Aloha Spirit

Get into the holiday spirit and support small businesses in the process — the 10th annual Keep It Kaimukī Saturday returns to the Honolulu neighborhood later this month.

The free, daylong event takes place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28.

In addition to discounts and promotions at a number of retailers and restaurants a Kaimukī, there's plenty more to do around the community, according to a recent announcement:

Find free self-parking at St. Patrick's Church. Complimentary trolley rides will be available along Wai‘alae Avenue between St. Louis and Goodwill from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

, an urban pet supply store located on Wai‘alae Avenue, also founded Keep It Kaimukī several years ago. Keep it Kaimukī is a "grassroots movement committed to preserving and promoting our community of unique, locally-owned businesses that give our neighborhood its distinct charm," its 

"Keep it Kaimukī Saturday is a celebration in our neighborhood of the small businesses that really create the fabric of our community," Lee told Aloha State Daily. "It's the lifeline to so many families and entrepreneurs in the neighborhood, so it really is a celebration of our neighborhood, what makes our neighborhood unique in regards to maintaining small businesses, supporting small businesses and really just helping small businesses to thrive and have a platform."

Keep it Kaimukī Saturday falls in line with 

, a now-annual event founded by American Express in 2010 to drive consumer spending at small businesses. It’s held every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving — between Black Friday and Cyber Monday — and has been co-sponsored by the 

"Here in Kaimukī, where we have a plethora of locally owned small businesses, we reclaim it as 

Keep it Kaimukī Saturday," Summer Shiigi, a partner at Keep it Kaimukī and owner of Ten Tomorrow and Daily Whisk Matcha, told ASD.

Lee says Keep It Kaimukī Saturday is important to both he and Shiigi because they're both small business owners in the neighborhood and "we see the immediate impact that the community has with either supporting us or supporting other locals in the neighborhood." The event, he says, is "just honing in on that and really celebrating what we're all creating together day-by-day."

"This community's really special," Shiigi says. "It's hard when you're in a mall, you're fighting for survival, you maybe don't get to know your neighbors. But here in Kaimukī, I think there's a unique blend of us. We're friends inside and outside of work; the support that we have for each other is just celebrated." 

Lee says that it "feels really good" to see Keep It Kaimukī Saturday reach its 10th anniversary.

"It's been such a long and fast and crazy and fulfilling ride, and we've met so many inspirational and so many outstanding entrepreneurs," he says. "Summer and I have learned so much about the neighborhood, about our neighbors and community, even more so about ourselves and each other, so it's been a whirlwind and I love it."

What's the biggest lesson they've learned over the last decade of Keep It Kaimukī Saturday?

For Shiigi, it's how much the community, the island and the aloha spirit is alive.

"We created this event to highlight who we are and what we do, but really it's the customers, the families, the people, everyone who shows up for the day, who spends their hard-earned dollars at our local businesses, restaurants, yoga studios, cafes, stores," she says. "It means the most. It's been a hard year, and so to celebrate the 10 years, I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone come out and show their support for us."

Lee says he's learned about the resilience of the community and that "support is all around you."

Aloha State Daily is a Gold Sponsor of this year's Keep It Kaimukī Saturday event. Stop by our booth at Ali‘iolani Elementary to say hi to the ASD team, play games and win prizes.

Find more information about Small Business Saturday 

General Store keep it kaimuki saturday 1126

<title>Keep It Kaimukī Saturday returns for 10th year</title>

The free event, which aims to support small businesses throughout the Honolulu neighborhood, is planned for Saturday, Nov. 28, and coincides with Small Business Saturday.

Keep It Kaimukī Saturday returns for 10th year

De Soto 2025

DeSoto Brown

Columnists

Hawai‘i History

Kakaʻako continues to change dramatically. How did this story get started? It may seem unlikely that the origins of how Kakaʻako looks today could go back to the 19th century, but that’s the truth. Here’s the background.

Back in 1853, an American man named Curtis Perry Ward arrived in Honolulu. He was originally from Kentucky, had moved to San Francisco and then continued west to the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He went into business with a transport company using horse-drawn wagons to move cargo from the docks in Honolulu. When the American Civil War began in 1861 he was a supporter of the Confederacy — the states that seceded from the Union to be able to continue the system of slavery — but he also chose to become a citizen of the nation of Hawaiʻi at this time, as well.

In 1865, he married Victoria Robinson. Her mother Rebecca was one-half Hawaiian, and Rebecca’s father James Robinson had been an English shipbuilder who’d come to Hawaiʻi in 1822. Victoria, like her eight siblings, all had spoken Hawaiian as their first language, which was standard at the time of her birth in 1846.

Curtis and Victoria Ward gradually purchased various properties in what’s now the central part of Honolulu until they had a spread of at least 80 acres. They ran this as a farm that included a productive fishpond, and they also had fishing rights offshore of what’s now Kewalo Basin. An artesian well was drilled that provided ample fresh water pumped by a windmill for the grand home that they built. This elegant two-story structure, completed in 1881, had porches on both floors and was topped on the roof by a small viewing platform protected by a delicate pergola. It was named “Old Plantation” — not, as you might imagine, as a reference to the sugar plantations which were then abundant in the Hawaiian Islands, but instead in honor of the plantations of the American south where Curtis Ward had been born. Not a positive association, sadly, since Ward continued to hold an attachment to the Southern slavery-based society of his origin.

The Ward family grew to encompass seven daughters who were born from 1867 to 1881. The next year, however, Curtis Ward died at the age of 53; his oldest daughter was only 15 years old. But the widowed Victoria Ward stepped up to continue to run her properties, showing strong ability in both finance and business. She and her daughters were supporters of Queen Liliuokalani after the latter was overthrown in 1893, and Victoria notably had a Hawaiian flag placed as a canopy over her bed, supported by the bedposts. She said she had been born under this flag and would die under it, which eventually occurred in 1935.

Business-smart Victoria Ward and some of her daughters were fond of filing lawsuits. One significant such incident began in 1927 as the City & County of Honolulu was working on what was considered a necessity for Honolulu, that being the construction of a new cross-town street to relieve traffic congestion (whatever that was considered to be at that time) on King Street. The first segment of the planned Kapiʻolani Boulevard was to extend from King and South Street to Sheridan Street, but this would take the new 100-foot wide thoroughfare through 2 ¼ acres of the Old Plantation grounds. By December 1927, only four pieces of private property were still in the way of proceeding, and two of these were Ward-owned. In March 1928, a price of $38,714 for the condemnation of the Old Plantation segment had been set and was to be paid to Mrs. Victoria Ward in October, but she appealed to the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court in November 1929. The latter court upheld the decision the following month and $41,936 (including $3,222 interest earned during the legal proceedings; a total of over $800,000 today) was finally presented to Victoria’s lawyer on December 31, 1929. All pau? Nope! She’d already filed another suit claiming damages for land along the new Kapiʻolani Boulevard landfill, which was at a lower “unfilled” level, but this was dismissed.

Of the seven Ward sisters, four were married, but only two had any children. It was these descendants who bore the last names of Wodehouse and Hustace who eventually would come to run Victoria Ward Ltd., the entity formed in 1930 that managed the Ward Estate land in Kakaʻako until the property was sold to General Growth in 2002.

Victoria left the house and the land immediately around it to her three unmarried daughters who continued to live there. By the 1950s, surrounded by a high green wooden fence, the property was overgrown and shut off from the enlarging city around it. Lucy died in 1954; sisters Kathleen and Kulamanu succumbed in 1958 and 1959 after years as hospital-bound invalids. This left only the last surviving sister Lani Booth, divorced since the 1940s, living in a separate house on the same property.

Meanwhile, the City & County of Honolulu had been eyeing this large piece of land in this desirable location. It filed a legal notice of condemnation in October 1956 and a year later paid $2,095,000 for Old Plantation. This finalized the change of ownership but city officials were initially refused entry to the grounds on Oct. 30, 1957, by a caretaker who insisted at least one month must be allowed for the contents of the house to be moved out. Although plans for redevelopment were not yet completely set, the construction of a municipal auditorium was the most likely since the lack of such a facility was a notable problem at the time.

The residents of Honolulu were extremely curious about what this secretive spot looked like. To accommodate the thousands who wanted to enter, the Honolulu Academy of Arts (today’s Honolulu Museum of Art), located mauka of Old Plantation on the other side of Thomas Square, sponsored two public open houses in September and October of 1958. The charge was 90 cents for adults — the admission table quickly ran out of dimes to give in change for the many who paid $1, requiring a fast run to some banks in downtown Honolulu to get bags of 10-cent coins — and 25 cents for children under 12. The unkempt condition of the grounds meant that visitors had to sign legal waivers which acknowledged potential danger.

Inside the house, now emptied of Ward family possessions, jewelry store owner George Moody had arranged over 160 items of 19th century furniture and home decor from the Academy of Arts collection in several of the first floor rooms to give a feeling of its original appearance. Ladies of the Ka'ahumanu Society were present to oversee, along with Kamehameha School boys in their military uniforms. The Royal Hawaiian Band performed and the members of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel Girls Glee Club — now middle-aged and older women — sang nostalgic songs from the second-floor porch. Most important of these was the still-popular “Old Plantation,” a tune whose Hawaiian lyrics praise the beauty of this family home. People lined up to go inside, then strolled around the large pond makai of the house.

The public response was significant. Over 11,000 people visited on Sept. 20-21, followed by 5,500 on Oct. 25-26. Many of these were touched by this remnant of the 19th century that was still present in growing Honolulu and wished that it could be preserved as a public park. But it was already too late for that; a paved parking lot had already been installed on Ward Avenue across from Kapiʻolani Bowl (a bowling alley),and plans were in place for the City & County to earn income from leasing the 800-foot frontage on Kapiʻolani Boulevard for used car lots along with a potential amusement park (a “miniature Disneyland”) to occupy most of the rest of the 23.6 acres. Public opinion was strongly against all of this, and none ended up happening. The historic home was, however, demolished on Sept. 23, 1959. 

Still to come would be the widening of Ward Avenue that would slice off part of this land, along with the construction of what would initially be the Honolulu International Center.

[{"type":"text","text":"That’ll be an upcoming article to watch for. "}]

7 Kap Ward 1959

8 Kap Ward 2017 ca

1 Ward pond 1

<title>Changing Kakaʻako: The Ward family and their home, Part 1</title>

In 1881, Curtis and Victoria Ward built their grand home in Honolulu beside a fishpond and coconut tree grove, just makai of Thomas Square and McKinley High School today. ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown explores the generations that stewarded this place and how it impacted residents at the time. Still to come: How the widening of Ward Avenue would slice off part of this land, along with the construction of what would initially be the Honolulu International Center.

Changing Kakaʻako: The Ward family and their home, Part 1

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

As the Kamehameha girls soccer team takes the pitch for its 2026-2027 season later this month, the defending state champions will be led by a senior class that's already accomplished something extraordinary as a unit. 

All 10 members of the team's senior class are set to play NCAA Division I soccer next year, with each making their commitments official by signing with their respective schools. 

On Thursday morning, 18 Kamehameha seniors gathered at Kekūhaupiʻo Gymnasium to sign with their collegiate destinations in front of family and friends. The soccer team took up the majority of the signing tables, with a total of eight Mainland schools represented among the 10 signees. The full list:

"It's the coolest thing. I think it's exciting," said Montgomery, the who won Hawai‘i Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior after registering 16 goals and seven assists in a 17-1 campaign for the Warriors. "Looking forward to our senior season. All of us are committed and signed, so now we can just worry about our season and just winning."

Beyond the high school season, Kamehameha's players gained additional exposure on the club circuit. Members of the team suited up for local clubs such as Hawai‘i Rush Soccer Club, Leahi Soccer Club, Hawai‘i Surf Soccer Club and more. 

When it came time to commit to a school, players weren't afraid to expand beyond their comfort zones. 

"Although it's really, really far, I really want to play at a big school, a competitive and elite program," Malepeai said of her decision to play for Kentucky of the SEC. "I just knew it was the right choice."

Though each player chose the school best for their respective goals, two players each signed with California Baptist and Wyoming. 

"Avalee is my best friend," Aoki said of fellow Wyoming signee McGuire. "We go to the same school, we play for the same club, and we live in the same town. It's awesome that I'm going with Ava, and just to have someone that's from Hawai‘i in Wyoming because there's not a lot of Hawaii people.

"It's very special that 10 of us are going DI, and I think what's cool is that we all kind of had our own path and our own journey in terms of recruiting, and we're going all over the place around the continent and around the country. It's very special to be a part of such a talented group of girls, especially to represent Kamehameha."

With signing day behind them, the Warriors are prepared to take every team's best shot in the upcoming season. 

"It could be really special. The seniors are really hungry for it this year, we want to go back-to-back," Malepeai said. "Obviously, we're gonna have to compete really hard and work hard. But I feel like we're all working towards the same goal, so I feel like with trust in each other, we'll get the outcome we want."

Kamehameha girls soccer 111226

<title>All 10 Kamehameha girls soccer seniors sign with Division 1 schools</title>

The Warrior seniors were part of an on-campus signing day ceremony on Thursday morning, representing eight different universities on the Mainland.

All 10 Kamehameha girls soccer seniors sign with Division 1 schools

WEB square crop Hayley Lehman Headshot RGZ1636

Haley Lehman

Government & Politics

Kakaʻako Waterfront Park will soon be home to an AIDS Memorial and Community Memory Site.

Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson, co-founders of Lei Pua ʻAla Foundation, the nonprofit arm of 

Lei Pua ʻAla Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi

, told Aloha State Daily on Friday that the purpose of the site is for people to gather, reflect and remember those impacted by HIV/AIDS and other epidemics.

The project got its start in August 2023 when 

, an independent film production company founded by Hamer and Wilson, received funding from the 

 through the Hawaiʻi Council for Humanities to document and memorialize queer and sexual history in Hawaiʻi through Lei Pua ʻAla Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi.

The need for a site like this one became more evident after Hawaiʻi Health and Harm Reduction Center (HHHRC) and Capitol Modern partnered to display Hawaiʻi panels of the National AIDS Memorial Quilt in December 2024, Wilson said.

According to Hamer and Wilson, Hawaiʻi’s initial response to HIV/AIDS was set apart from the rest of the country. HHHRC, formerly Life Foundation, became the first HIV/AIDS service organization in Hawaiʻi upon its founding in 1983. The state adopted universal testing, sex education in public schools and needle exchanges early on, Wilson said.

Hamer notes that they explored six or seven other sites, but Kakaʻako Waterfront Park quickly rose to the top for its history and beauty. The area once functioned as a quarantine camp for smallpox, Hansen’s Disease and the bubonic plague, Wilson said. Now, it’s a city park next to the Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine.

“It was known as a place of suffering and pain,” Wilson said. “In our view, this is now a place of healing, community and celebration, reflection and inspiration.”

The foundation partnered with the City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation in October 2024 to adopt the park. Since then, they’ve cleaned up trash, painted over graffiti and hired a contractor to repair the stone walls.

valued at $97,081 from Lei Pua ʻAla Foundation to design and create the site on Nov. 5. The Oʻahu Historic Preservation Commission approved the 

 in May and the Kakaʻako Neighborhood Board approved it in September.

Phase one of the project, which will be completed in 2027, will place interpretive signs about the memorial and Hawaiʻi’s response to HIV/AIDS at the high point of the park, install a reflection bench at the center, install wayfinding signs at the entrance of the park and along the path, paint a mural and stain a lei pattern onto the sidewalk leading to the memorial. There will be a memorial rock garden to honor people who were impacted by HIV/AIDS, including those who died, caretakers and community activists. HHHRC will host a digital component to the memorial and eventually serve as the caretakers of the site.

“We don’t want it to feel like a graveyard,” Hamer said. “We want it to be more of a place that’s looking forward to the future and reminding people to treat epidemics with science, compassion and rationale.”

Both Hamer and Wilson lived in Washington, D.C. during the 1980s and 1990s, and Wilson said that their experiences during that time drive their work today.

Wilson adds that it was “unbearable” witnessing friends experience health challenges, and the “painful ritual” of reading the obituaries in fear that he’d recognize someone he knew.

Hamer said, “I remember how frightening this was, this disease, to have one after another of your friends become sick and pass away,” adding that there was “a real feeling of helplessness.”

Hamer and Wilson said that while the site will remember those who were lost or suffered in past epidemics, they hope it relays the importance of public health.

“People don’t understand how the affected communities, primarily gay men, rallied to help people fight to survive and that had a radical and important impact on public health infrastructure,” he said. “It’s not just remembering individual loss, it’s remembering the collective energy that went into the response.

Wilson said that it’s important for people who are marginalized to see their stories in public spaces.

“It’s really important for people from our community to see our stories,” he said. “On one hand, it’s a mirror so that we can see ourselves reflected. But for other people, places like this are a window, they can look through and see things that they might not otherwise see.”

AIDS Memorial

<title>AIDS Memorial coming to Kakaʻako Waterfront Park</title>

An AIDS Memorial and Community Memory Site designed by Le Pua ʻAla Foundation and Hawaiʻi Heath and Harm Reduction Center will be installed at Kakaʻako Waterfront Park in 2027.

AIDS Memorial coming to Kakaʻako Waterfront Park

More than two years in the making, and three years after wildfires devastated the West Maui community, Hawaiian Council's ‘Ulu O Lele, an interim marketplace and community gathering space, has opened 

at the former Outlets of Maui site in Lahaina.

Wildfires ravaged parts of the Valley Isle on 

 through several other areas of Maui, Lahaina saw the worst as an inferno destroyed much of the historic town and killed more than 100 people.

As Maui County noted in July, ‘Ulu O Lele is the first project to bring storefronts back to Lahaina's Front Street after the blaze and will offer an interim home for local businesses, nonprofits, cultural practitioners, farmers and community programming while permanent commercial redevelopment progresses.

Seventeen modular storefronts built in Hilo arrived on Maui and were installed at the nearly 3-acre marketplace ahead of the Nov. 10 grand opening, a recent announcement from Hawaiian Council, formerly known as the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, noted.

According to that announcement, a volunteer, community-led ‘Ulu O Lele Advisory committee selected 24 businesses for the project after reviewing 126 applications; applicants affected by the 2023 wildfires or with a connection to Lahaina were prioritized.

[{"type":"text","text":"In storefront spaces, you'll find, according to Hawaiian Council:"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Meanwhile, the selected food trucks include:"}]

One of the 17 units will serve as the ‘Ulu O Lele office and a business incubator space, offering up "another way for entrepreneurs to participate in the marketplace," Hawaiian Council says.

"During the two-year initiative, economic opportunities will extend beyond individual storefronts to food truck operators, pop-up vendors, local makers and artists through planned entertainment," according to the announcement. "Collectively, this project will draw residents and visitors back to the area and support the long-term return of commercial activity on Front Street, as permanent businesses begin to build back."

“Behind every business is a person or family working to rebuild their livelihood,” Kūhiō Lewis, CEO of Hawaiian Council, said in the announcement. “While we wish we could accommodate every business that applied, ʻUlu o Lele is one step in a much larger effort to restore Lahaina’s economy. This marketplace isn't intended to replace the rebuilding of Front Street, but to create opportunities for businesses to return, earn income, reconnect with customers and support local jobs while that rebuilding continues. Our commitment doesn't end with this first group of vendors. We will continue looking for ways to create opportunities for more Lahaina businesses because we all have a kuleana to help move this recovery forward.”

Sergio Perez and his wife, Lahaina-born-and-raised Brayz Lee are among those rebuilding. According to the announcement, the pair temporarily relocated to Las Vegas after losing their home and belongings in the wildfire, but were able to return to the Valley Isle and start Front St Fresh.

“We wanted to be part of something bigger, something that is going to bring Lahaina back,” said Perez in the announcement. “This is the beginning of something beautiful, I think. And we want to be part of it.”

Hawaiian Council is leading the planning, development and implementation of the roughly $8 million project, with funding from its Kākoʻo Maui Fund and a $4 million grant from HCF’s Maui Strong Fund. 

Knowing that ‘Ulu o Lele is the first project to bring storefronts back to Front Street is "deep kuleana," Lewis told Aloha State Daily 

This is an opportunity to help shape what Lahaina’s business community will look like long-term, so we want to make sure that it is community-involved and something that the community can be proud of."

The ultimate goal with the marketplace, though, is to "

be a bridge and prepare Lahaina and other Maui businesses for any future permanent commercial opportunities," he said at that time. "We want this to be a catalyst to ensure that Front Street will be filled with local small business owners who are able to thrive and make a living by providing authentic products and experiences of Lahaina."

HPM Building Supply constructed 17 modular storefronts in Hilo, the announcement says, noting that the units measure 12-by-20 feet or 12-by-12 feet, providing 240 or 144 square feet of space. Hawaiian Council arranged private shipping through American Marine Corporation to transport the structures to Maui.

Commercial activity in Lahaina has started to tick up in recent months.

Kimo’s Restaurant, a popular waterfront eatery lost in the fire, 

announced its intent to return to Front Street

And in October, Arita Poulson General Contracting announced it would lead the the reconstruction of 612 Front St.

According to an announcement from the contractor last month, the rebuild will closely match the appearance of the buildings lost in the fire and keep both structures within their original footprints.

"Owned by AJI LLC and managed by Pacific Rim Land, the property will include a one-story, 4,400-square-foot commercial building with four street-level bays and a one-story, 310-square-foot detached kiosk," the announcement says, noting that construction is expected to take about six months with tenant build-out to follow. It is expected to open in the summer of 2027. Pacific Whale Foundation will be the building's anchor tenant, the announcement noted.

Arita Poulson also is the general contractor for Lahaina Residential, a 60-home community at 1034 Front Street that 

Lahaina Front Street rainbow 070826

<title>‘Ulu O Lele opens in Lahaina</title>

The interim marketplace and community gathering space has opened at the former Outlets of Maui site, bringing commercial storefronts to Front Street for the first time since the 2023 wildfires.

‘Ulu O Lele opens in Lahaina

Cheryl Tsutsumi

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi

Arts & Entertainment

By the time she was in her teens, Zita Cup Choy had visited historic icons such as the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Alamo and Independence Hall, thanks to her dad’s career as an Air Force mechanic, which stationed him in France and all over the U.S. continent. But ‘Iolani Palace’s longtime historian didn’t know much about Hawai‘i as a child, even though her Island roots trace back centuries.

Her Hawaiian Chinese paternal great-grandmother was married to Cup Choy Chun, who immigrated to Maui in 1880 from Sanzao Dao island, off the southern coast of Guangdong Province, to cut cane for Huelo Plantation. Everyone knew him as Cup Choy, so he adopted that as his family name. While fulfilling his seven-year plantation contract, he apprenticed at a butcher shop in Wailuku, where he became proficient in English.

That job ended in 1888, and he returned to China. Two years later, he was back on Maui, working as a butcher, store clerk and interpreter for Haʻikū Sugar Company’s plantation in Hāmākuapoko. By 1894, he had earned enough money to own and operate his first business, a restaurant and coffee shop in Hāmākuapoko, and in 1909, he was able to buy land and open a butcher shop in Kokomo, a community in Haʻikū.

One of 13 children, Zita Cup Choy’s paternal grandfather landed a job with Libby, McNeil & Libby’s sugar plantation on Molokai. Her dad was raised there before joining the Air Force.

In 1970, he was assigned to Hickam Air Force Base. “That was before my senior year in high school; I’m a Kaimukī Bulldog,” Cup Choy said. “My mom, younger sister and brother, and I spent our first summer in Hawai‘i with our ‘ohana on Molokai. 

My grandparents knew just about everyone, so it was always talk-story time when we were out and about. My grandfather taught me how to drive in the pineapple fields with a surplus World War II jeep.”

Cup Choy went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Church College of Hawai‘i, now Brigham Young University–Hawai‘i. She taught on Guam for two years before returning to O‘ahu in 1976, where she held a variety of jobs, including short stints as a preschool and elementary school teacher. Joining the Ko‘olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club at the urging of one of her mom’s friends set her on a new career path.

The Friends of ‘Iolani Palace had been founded on June 7, 1966, as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to oversee the restoration and preservation of what had been the official home of King Kalākaua and Queen Lili‘uokalani, his sister and successor, who were Hawai‘i’s last reigning ali‘i. Following the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, the palace served as the headquarters for the provisional, republic, territory and state of Hawai‘i governments until the present Capitol opened on March 15, 1969.

Over the decades, the stately building had fallen into a sad state of disrepair, and the Friends immediately began work on what turned out to be a nine-year project. By 1977, the major renovations had been completed, and the group was negotiating a contract with the state to operate the palace as a museum. They reached out to the community, including the Ko‘olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club, asking for volunteers to train as docents. Cup Choy signed up, and when the palace, a National Historic Landmark, opened to the public on May 3, 1978, she was among its first docents.

“There are many fascinating stories about people who visited the palace,” Cup Choy said. “The more reading I’ve done over the years, the more I’m convinced that the chamberlain was keeping an eye on the lists of passengers who were arriving on steamers. If there was someone Kalākaua wanted to meet, he or she would get an invitation. They weren’t necessarily dignitaries. For example, because the king was interested in yacht racing, he hosted a man who was associated with the 1876 America’s Cup.”

Recovering original palace furnishings is a key part of the Friends’ mission — difficult largely because many items deemed inappropriate for government use were sold, and no records were kept about the buyers.

Serendipity has come into play. Cup Choy recalled a visitor from Oklahoma City who saw a photo of a small wooden table in the king’s bedroom when she was on a tour in 1980. The table looked exactly like one she had purchased from her florist to use as a flower stand. The florist had bought it from a Christian Science Reading Room in Oklahoma City to use in a display at her shop. Someone from Illinois had donated the table to the Reading Room; how it got to Illinois is unknown.

“After the tour, the woman said, ‘I think we have a table that should come home to ‘Iolani Palace,’” Cup Choy said. “As it turned out, it was indeed one of 200-plus pieces that Kalākaua had commissioned A.H. Davenport and Company, a highly regarded furniture manufacturer in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to make for the palace.”

In 1996, the Friends’ management contract with the state transitioned to a lease agreement, giving it more autonomy, although it is still governed by state park rules and those specific to ‘Iolani Palace. Cup Choy has been the palace’s full-time historian since 2016.

“I love digging deep for information,” she said. “I’ll get questions like ‘Who are the people in this picture?’ or ‘What was the menu for such-and-such banquet?’ I’ll go to every resource I can think of — including microfilm at the library, the palace’s archives and the state archives, and the Ulukau and Papakilo databases — hoping to solve another mystery.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Upcoming events and features"}]

Admission to ‘Iolani Palace is free for Hawai‘i residents on the second Sunday of every month. A valid form of state ID is required for one complimentary ticket per adult 18 and older. Younger keiki are admitted free. The next Kamaʻāina Sundays will be Nov. 8 and Dec. 13 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

with chef Ed Kenney and multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winner Amy Hanaiali’i on an episode of “

” which will air on PBS at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 14.

The palace will host King Kalākaua Birthday Celebration on Nov. 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The first 500 kamaʻāina will receive tickets for a free self-guided audio tour. Queen Kapiʻolani Evening Tours, honoring Kalākaua’s wife, will be Dec. 26-27 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Renovations of the exhibit areas in the palace’s basement will be completed early next year. Highlights will include artifacts, photos and narratives about Kalākaua’s 1881 trip around the world. 

In addition, the Royal Hawaiian Band presents free concerts on the palace grounds most Fridays from noon to 1 p.m. The most up-to-date schedule can be found at 

Iolani Palace Zita Cup Choy

<title>Uncles and Aunties: Zita Cup Choy is ‘Iolani Palace’s longtime historian</title>

After a career spent mostly in education, in both Guam and Hawai'i, Cup Choy joined the Ko‘olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club, which set her on a new career path. She joined The Friends of ‘Iolani Palace among its first docents in 1978, and today, continues to lead tours and conduct research, while furthering the nonprofit's mission of recovering original palace furnishings.

Daily Smile: Friday, Nov. 13, 2026

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Daily Smile: Friday, Nov. 13, 2026

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Daily Smile

Daily Smile: Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026

Daily Smile: Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026

Daily Smile: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026

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Most read