Hilo shops pull out the stops for an enjoyable monthly event

On a Friday night in 1985, the owners of a gallery and a picture frame shop in downtown Hilo decided to co-host an art opening with a twist. The exhibits featured black-and-white photos and ceramics, the decor was black and white, the public was invited to attend in black-and-white attire, and the tidbits that were served were black and white.

That “black-and-white” party wound up being one of the most colorful events Hawaii island’s capital had ever had.

The next year, neighboring shops on the same block of Keawe Street joined the celebration. Since then Black and White Night on the first Friday in November has grown into a giant fete with treasure hunts, prize drawings, “best-dressed” contests and more.

Meanwhile, over the years, more and more retailers in downtown Hilo started putting on events on other “First Friday” nights, and the Hilo Downtown Improvement Association began providing funds, volunteers and publicity to support them.

March 4, 2005, marked the inaugural First Friday event now known as Experience Aloha Friday. Most of the stores and art galleries in downtown Hilo stay open beyond regular hours, offering appetizers, special promotions and a variety of diversions, from live music to book readings to art demonstrations. Sometimes a few streets are closed to vehicular traffic so participants can check out food truck fare, booths selling local crafts, and children’s activities such as face painting, lei making and obstacle courses.

Jeffrey Mermel and his wife operated two stores in downtown Hilo for 40 years before selling them last year. Although they no longer have those business ties and they live in Volcano, 20 miles away, they consider downtown Hilo their neighborhood and attend every Experience Aloha Friday.

“There are more than 200 businesses on downtown Hilo’s 18 blocks,” said Mermel, HDIA’s president. “Most of them are locally owned mom-and-pop stores; we have no big-box stores. Because of that, business owners take pride in preserving Hilo’s historical character and are continually thinking of improvements. Our monthly First Friday events are a result of those efforts; they have been a big hit.”

Longtime Hilo residents David and Christine Reed, owners of Basically Books, have participated in Experience Aloha Friday since it began.

“I love belonging to a small community and having our store be a gathering place to share literature, history, culture, music and friendship,” Reed said. “Hilo is small-town America, Hawaiian style — a wonderful destination where people can experience all the things that make living in Hawaii fun, interesting and exciting.”

The Reeds work hard to ensure Experience Aloha Friday at Basically Books is just that. In December, for example, they invited author John Dvorak to talk about the 20 years of research that culminated in his book “The Last Volcano,” a biography of Thomas Jaggar, founder of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Dvorak was able to track down Jaggar’s daughter, Sallie, who had had little contact with her father after he and her mother divorced in 1915.

During his presentation, Dvorak showed three silhouettes and shared the story behind them. One day, Sallie and her brother met their father in San Francisco where they lived with their mother — one of their rare post-divorce visits with him. After lunch at the famed Cliff House, they went for a walk on the boardwalk where they saw an artist creating full-body silhouettes from black paper. Jaggar had a silhouette made of himself and each of his children.

Years later, in 1987, Sallie attended the 75th anniversary of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Some of Jaggar’s personal belongings were displayed, including the three silhouettes.

“It was a startling revelation for her,” Reed said. “She was 76 years old at the time, and since she hadn’t seen her father very often when she was growing up, she thought that he didn’t care about her. Knowing he had kept the silhouettes all those years proved that wasn’t true.”

Basically Books’ event on Friday is themed “First Friday for Kids by Kids.” Readings by two young guests from books of their choice will be complemented by games and coloring activities. In March, Reed is thinking about featuring authors of memoirs.

“David and I look forward to hosting our First Friday programs,” she said. “We look at them as opportunities to showcase the charm of historic downtown Hilo, especially since not too many places like it remain in Hawaii. We love learning new things; giving local authors recognition; hearing fantastic music by talented entertainers, many of whom have become friends; and chatting with people from all over the world. Experience Aloha Friday gives us a chance to experience aloha, too!”

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.