We’re going to be rolling out our contest winners one at a time…. You’ll need to keep checking back to see if you are one of the Big Island On The Cheap contest winners!

I mosied on over to the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo yesterday for some help in picking our winners.

We love ‘Imiloa in this house.

‘Imiloa’s mission is: to celebrate Hawaiian culture and Maunakea astronomy sharing with the world an inspiring example of science and culture united to advance knowledge, understanding and opportunity.

My daughter E. was two years old when ‘Imiloa opened three years ago. We took her when they first opened and she loved it, so we have bought an annual family membership ever since. She has asked to go there probably two or three times a week since they opened. (At two, she’d say, “Let’s go to ‘Imiloa’s house.”)

Let me tell you, there is nothing better than returning again and again to a museum with a child. They get so much out of it.

E. has her favorite exhibits – she likes to pull the knob that knocks all the puzzle-piece-like planets out of the wall, and then fit them back in; and she loves to take apart the small, wooden Polynesian voyaging canoe and knows now to fit it back together. And we always have to sit and watch the apple pie being (pretend) baked in the Cosmic Kitchen, where perhaps she is absorbing that ”our human story is intimately linked to the unfolding story of the universe.”

We selected our first winners, of two Moore Bettah ‘Ukuleles t-shirts, in the ‘Imiloa planetarium. They will be announced soon! Check back later today.

In the meantime, you can take a really nice video tour of ‘Imiloa. (Requires Quicktime.) 

And remember, there’s a discount coupon for ‘Imiloa over on the left side of the site. Click there, print the coupon and present it at ‘Imiloa for $2 off each ticket (details on the coupon).