Homelani Memorial Park invites Hilo community to Memorial Day remembrance
Families, veterans and neighbors had three days to gather at Homelani Memorial Park in downtown Hilo for flowers, flags and shared Memorial Day remembrance.
Families, veterans and neighbors had three days to stop by Homelani Memorial Park at 388 Ponahawai Street in Hilo for its annual Memorial Day remembrance, which ran from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday through Monday. The open invitation made the park a place for residents to pause over the holiday weekend, remember loved ones and mark Memorial Day together without tickets or advance registration.
Homelani framed the gathering as a community observance meant to honor “the brave men and women who have served our country,” celebrate local heroes and spend time together. A 2024 Memorial Day flyer for the same event listed it as free and advertised free shave ice and hot dogs, a sign that the remembrance has also carried a family-friendly, neighborhood feel.
The setting carries its own weight in Hilo history. Homelani Memorial Park & Crematory says it has served the Hilo area since 1871. Cemetery histories trace the site to land secured by members of the First Foreign Church in Hilo on Ponahawai Street, where the original burial ground was called Halai Hill Cemetery. Another historical account says the name changed to Homelani in 1923, using a Hawaiian phrase that means “Heavenly Home.” The first interment there was Arthur Lyman, the 2-year-old son of R. Lyman, in August 1871.
That background helps explain why Memorial Day observances at Homelani resonate as more than a formality. In a community where cemetery grounds often serve as places of flowers, flags and reflection, the park offers a familiar site for remembrance close to home. For many island families, that matters on a holiday weekend when work schedules, travel and other services can pull people in different directions.
Homelani’s observance also fit into a wider Memorial Day pattern across Hawaii during the May 23-25 weekend. The 28th annual Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaii took place at Ala Moana Regional Park on May 25, and organizers said thousands attend the free public event each year. The City and County of Honolulu and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs also host the annual Memorial Day ceremony at Punchbowl, underscoring how remembrance across the state remains rooted in public spaces and family memory.
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