Rotary club gives back to veterans with free tickets to the 71st Hilo Orchid Society Show

The Rotary Club of Hilo and the Hilo Orchid Society have partnered to give back to veterans and first responders for the second year ahead of the Hilo Orchid Show at the end of the month.

The Rotary Club of Hilo is supporting veterans, service members, and first responders, especially their families, with free tickets to the renowned Hilo Orchid Society Show, a three-day event featuring orchids grown across the island at the Edith Kanakaʻole Multi-Purpose Stadium from Friday, July 25 to Sunday, July 27.

Veteran Honor Guard Commander Jeno Enocencio accepted the tickets on behalf of veterans and current service members living on Hawaiʻi Island. He and other members of the Veteran Honor Guard have been distributing them across the island’s communities.

“We did this last year and it was a great way to bring us together with the Hilo Orchid Society to give back to a deserving part of our population,” said John Regan, member of the Rotary Club and the Orchid Society. “It’s going to be a wonderful event for everyone who attends.”

The show will feature displays from 17 orchid vendors and two amateur growers, including the Hilo Orchid Society. Members will present an accurate layout of orchids, which will be placed where they best grow, across a map of the Big Island.

“We wanted to lean into the educational side of this event, because there is so much to learn at all ages,” said Kathy Gollaher, this year’s show chairperson. “Last year, we initiated the Keiki and ʻOhana Orchid World and we plan to bring that back as well.”

Nineteen arts and crafts vendors will offer orchid-focused items, along with food available outside the venue but inside the gates.

Orchid displays and vendors will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 25, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 26, and from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on July 27.