Close to Home This Week: Arbor Day in Nānākuli, Night Markets in Wahiawā and Hawaiʻi Kai, and More (Nov. 2–8)

Our big week-ahead list leaned on Kailua, Kapolei, Haleʻiwa and Waipahu. This one stays in neighborhoods that don’t always make the roundups. Most of these events are free, and several are right at your public library. Every listing comes from the organizer’s own page, linked below. Plans can change, so check before you go. One more date to remember: Tuesday, Nov. 3, is Election Day, and ballots are due by 7 p.m.

Saturday’s big three

Arbor Day in Nānākuli (9 to 11 a.m.). E Ulu Mau Ke Kaiāulu O Waiʻanae fills a Saturday morning at Kalanihoʻokaha Community Learning Center, 89-102 Farrington Highway. The event page from Kamehameha Schools’ Kaiāulu program promises hands-on planting, cooking demonstrations featuring canoe plants and activities for keiki. Families can take home up to two plants. Admission is free, but you’ll need to register at signup.com/go/bLNnWcd. Bring your own water bottle.

Wahiawā Night Market (4 to 8 p.m.). The Wahiawa Ryusenji-Soto Mission, 162 California Ave., hosts a night market with local crafts, a rummage sale and hula. The Eventbrite listing says admission is free.

Two markets in Hawaiʻi Kai. In the morning, the Mālama Hawaiʻi Makers Market sets up at Koko Head Elementary School, 189 Lunalilo Home Road, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Later, Eastside Underground’s first-Saturday vintage night market runs from 4 to 8 p.m. at Koko Marina Center, 7192 Kalanianaʻole Highway.

At the library, all week

Hawaiʻi State Public Library System branches outside town have a full week. All of these are free.

Kahuku Public Library (56-490 Kamehameha Highway):

• Monday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m. to noon: Pre-K storytime, then open play with toys provided. Designed for keiki 0 to 5 and their caregivers, and older siblings are welcome.
• Tuesday, Nov. 3, 5:30 p.m.: “Young Me Tai Chi” with community member and educator Mike Lin. It’s a 30-minute session outdoors, behind the library.
• Thursday, Nov. 5, 9 a.m. to noon: Hawaiʻi Foodbank helps with SNAP questions and applications. Call 808-954-7893 or email snap@hawaiifoodbank.org for an appointment.
• Thursday, Nov. 5, 10 a.m.: ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi for kūpuna with Kumu Gigi and Laʻa of Ke Ola Mamo.
• Friday, Nov. 6, 1:30 p.m.: Book club discussion of Blood Work and Other Stories by Donald A. Carreira Ching, a Bamboo Ridge Press collection set on the Windward side. The library notes it won the 2026 Firecracker Award in Fiction.

Waiʻanae Coast:

• Monday, Nov. 2, 1 to 2:30 p.m., Waiʻanae library (85-625 Farrington Highway): a self-guided writing circle that meets every other Monday.
• Friday, Nov. 6, 11:30 a.m., Nānākuli library (89-070 Farrington Highway): keiki storytime with a make-and-take craft, for ages 0 to 5.
• Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m.: family storytime at the Waiʻanae library, and “Messy Playtime” at the Nānākuli library. For the second one, dress keiki in clothes that can get dirty.
• Saturday, Nov. 7, 2 p.m., Waiʻanae library: an “AI & Us” community discussion that starts with a recorded presentation by Tristan Harris of the Center for Humane Technology. Registration is required, and it’s limited to 12 people.

East Honolulu and Waimānalo:

• Wednesday, Nov. 4, 10:30 a.m., Hawaiʻi Kai library (249 Lunalilo Home Road): a 30-minute children’s storytime for ages 2 to 5.
• Thursday, Nov. 5, 10 a.m., Waimānalo library (41-1320 Kalanianaʻole Highway): keiki storytime with songs, movement and a simple craft, for ages 2 to 5.

Still going in Waimānalo: the fall harvest festival

Waimānalo Country Farms’ Fall Harvest Festival runs through Wednesday, Nov. 11, according to Hawaii News Now. Its pumpkin patch, sunflower fields, country market and lemonade make for an easy outing after school or on the weekend. The farm’s website lists cash prices of $10 for kamaʻāina and military with ID and $12 for everyone else Monday through Thursday, and $12 and $15 Friday through Sunday. Card payments add a 3.5% service fee plus tax. Keiki 2 and under get in free. Last entry is 4 p.m., and pumpkins and sunflowers cost extra. Hawaii News Now reported that the farm’s Rustic Nights event is sold out.

Sources

• Kamehameha Schools Kaiāulu, “E Ulu Mau Ke Kaiāulu O Waiʻanae” event page: https://kaiaulu.ksbe.edu/event-details/e-ulu-mau-ke-kaiaulu-o-waianae
• Eventbrite, “Wahiawa Night Market Craft & Rummage Sale and Hula”: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wahiawa-night-market-craft-rummage-sale-and-hula-tickets-2003852507793
• Mālama Hawaiʻi Makers Market, Hawaiʻi Kai Market (Nov. 7): https://www.malamahawaiimarket.com/calendar/november-hawaii-kai-market-2026
• Koko Marina Center, 1st Saturday ESU Night Market: https://kokomarinacenter.com/events/saturday-night-market/
• Hawaiʻi State Public Library System event calendar (Kahuku, Waiʻanae, Nānākuli, Hawaiʻi Kai and Waimānalo branches): https://www.librarieshawaii.org/events/ ; for example, the Kahuku book club: https://www.librarieshawaii.org/event/blood-work-by-donald-a-carreira-ching-2/ and the Waiʻanae AI discussion: https://www.librarieshawaii.org/event/why-ai-is-our-ultimate-test-and-greatest-invitation-waianae/
• Waimānalo Country Farms, 2026 Fall Harvest Festival: https://www.waimanalocountryfarms.com/
• Hawaii News Now, “Waimanalo Country Farms fall harvest festival opens on Oahu after storm delay” (Oct. 2, 2026): https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/10/03/waimanalo-country-farms-fall-harvest-festival-opens-oahu-after-storm-delay/
• Hawaiʻi Office of Elections (ballot deadline): https://elections.hawaii.gov/voter-service-centers-and-places-of-deposit/