Kona Nightingale Program

Coffee farming was and is labor-intensive. It would have been near-impossible without donkeys in the early years of Kona’s coffee industry.

Kona Historical Society has shared this story through the donkeys who have been a part of our nonprofit’s `ohana for many years. These donkeys captured the hearts of many who visited the Kona Coffee Living History Farm in Captain Cook, which is the only living history coffee farm museum in the United States.

Today, our resident donkeys, Shizu and Charlie Boy, help to tell the story of the Kona Nightingales, donkeys that were shared between farmers, used as transportation, hauling coffee, and were famous for their braying.

Learn more about Kona Nightingales, as well as Kona and Hawaii, during Kona Historical Society’s Story Time, which can be found on our website, under the Virtual Classroom section. For each video, the Society’s Programs Team reads a book to Shizu and Charlie Boy in farm’s pasture. Got a question about Kona Nightingales? Email Public Programs Manager Audrey Blair at audrey@konahistorical.org.