A Hawaiian culture teacher will perform an original song at next month's Welcome Home Kolea Bird Festival, a heartfelt local tribute.

• Royal School's Kumu Pat Brown wrote her song "Kolea Bird" after losing her daughter in 2022 to an autoimmune disease.
• She saw her daughter as her kolea bird, one that had to fly away.
• Festival organizers asked her to sing it again after she performed for dozens of attendees last year.
• The Audubon Society hosts the event at Magic Island on September 19, with craft vendors, giveaways, and keiki art.

Outlook: The festival returns next month, with Brown's tribute performance a centerpiece of the day.