Aloun Farms’ pumpkin festival stays on track despite rail construction

When visitors arrive at Aloun Farms’ Pumpkin Festival, they might be surprised by what greets them.

Honolulu’s rail system cuts across the farm, so when drivers enter, they will drive right under completed section of the track held up by concrete pillars.

But fears that the construction could disrupt the farm’s annual pumpkin patch — the largest in the state — are unfounded, said event coordinator Michael Moefu.

Moefu said the farm has been "working very closely with the rail people" and expects the pumpkin picking event, which is in its 14th year, to continue going strong.

This year’s public picking is set from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26, with special events each weekend.

On Oct. 11, it’s "All American Day" with all visitors with military IDs admitted for free.

During the second weekend, Oct. 18-19, Creations of Hawaii will bring the Hawaiian Crafts and Shopping Village to the farm’s Growers Pavilion.

To wrap up the festival, the farm will host the Harvest Adventure Run and Health Fair on Oct. 25. Participants in the 5-kilometer run will choose from several paths that wind through the farm.

"There’s lots to do other than pumpkins," Moefu said.

Every day of the festival will include picking of sweet corn, sunflowers, kabocha and string beans in addition to pumpkins, which are priced according to size. There will be free hayrides, live performances by various schools and community groups, carnival games and food vendors.

As in years past, visitors will receive a free mini pumpkin or colorful gourd if they bring canned food donations for the Hawaii Food Bank.

Admission is $3 (free for children ages 2 and under). Receive free admission by bringing two garbage-sized bags of gently used clothes or other cloth goods, which will be donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hawaii, United Cerebral Palsy of Hawaii and National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii.

For more information, call Aloun Farms at 677-9516 or visit alounfarms.com.

TRAFFIC ADVISORY

Due to rail construction on Farrington Highway, visitors driving west to the farm on H-1 should take Exit 3 onto North-South Road (Kualakai Parkway) instead of the prior exit to Fort Weaver Road. Follow the orange flags to the farm.

Stefanie Nakasone, Star-Advertiser

Cast homework in the right light

If you can’t imagine how your kids can possibly see well enough to do their homework as they sprawl out on the floor, their beds or the couch, fear not: Though good lighting for the homework hour (or hours) is often forgotten, it is simple to achieve.

"Sometimes we get so focused on making the room look cute, we can overlook the importance of the spaces having to function well," says Chicago designer Ruthie Stebbins.

Lighting options are plentiful at any budget, and online shopping can help you narrow the options.

"(You) can always find something pretty at any price point," said Stebbins, of RHS i + d. "It’s out there."

It stands to reason that kids will be more productive and efficient when they can see clearly.

"The more easily you can read something, the more easily you can learn it," said Dr. Pamela Gallin, a pediatric ophthalmologist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. "Good light will help you learn more easily."

Light should be bright enough to be comfortable; if kids are moving away from it or squinting, it’s likely too bright. It should not cast distracting shadows, and should illuminate an area beyond the work at hand, rather than serving as a high-contrast spotlight, Gallin said.

"The ideal is a well-lit room with extra light at the homework page," she said. "You don’t want an island of light in a sea of dark."

However, the age-old way to sneak in just a few more pages before bedtime won’t hurt them.

"If they’re reading a book under the blanket with a flashlight, they’re not doing any harm," Gallin said, although not being able to see clearly or straining to see could cause a headache.

Without good light, "you’re not causing physical harm," she said, "but you’re not at tip-top productivity, either."

Stebbins says that layering the light — that is, using more than one light source in a room — boosts the aesthetics and functionality of a space. 

In a child’s bedroom or playroom, she likes to use a flush or semi-flush ceiling fixture or recessed lighting to evenly light the room and eliminate high-contrast areas — bright and dark spots in a room. Then, she illuminates the space where a child is working with a lamp.

Layered light "adds to overall ambiance and warmth of the room," said Stebbins.

If your child sits at a desk, look for a lamp with at least 60 watts of light and tall enough to cover a wide-enough area to avoid the spotlight effect, Gallin said.

Lamps for the floor and the desk are commonly turned out with metal shades, but Stebbins prefers paper and linen shades because they lower the contrast by diffusing the light.

If your kids study or read on the floor or couch, try parking a floor lamp behind them to wash their textbooks in light. "If you’re not sitting at a desk or flat surface, then you want over-your-shoulder light," Gallin said.

As with a desk lamp, the scale of a floor lamp is important. If a child is reading while lying on the carpet or plopped in a beanbag chair, the light shouldn’t be too far from the floor.

"You want to keep the light directed within 24 inches of those pages," Stebbins said. "If her knees are the surface, you might be looking for a floor lamp that has multiple bulbs you can direct around."

With so many kids using computers for school, parents should take extra care to keep the contrast low in the homework space.

"The environment should be as soft and evenly lit as possible so the high contrast on the screen isn’t exaggerated by a high-contrast light in the room," Stebbins said.

While these are ideal lighting scenarios, Gallin urged parents to pick their battles wisely. 

"If they’re getting A’s and they’re not getting headaches," she counseled, "don’t argue about the light."

Lisa A. Flam, Associated Press