This week brings two opportunities to celebrate an historic event when the United States Mint releases a new quarter featuring Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.
Tuesday evening, August 28, After Dark in the Park inside the park’s Kilauea Visitor Center will be all about the new Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park Quarter, with a discussion of how the locales to be featured on the quarters are selected, how quarters are minted, and more. After Dark in the Park starts at 7 p.m.
And then on Wednesday, August 29, he public is invited to be part of an exciting, historic event as the United States Mint ceremonially releases the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park quarter at the park’s Kahua Hula. The event goes from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
The public may purchase $10 rolls of the shiny new commemorative quarters, with HFS Federal Credit Union on hand to sell them.
The new quarter is part of the United States Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarters® Program. The coin features an engraved image of an eruption on Kilauea’s East Rift Zone on its reverse (or tails) side and inscriptions that read HAWAI‘I VOLCANOES, HAWAII 2012 and E PLURIBUS UNUM. It was designed and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Charles L. Vickers.
The Hawai‘i Volcanoes’ quarter is the fourth quarter to be launched in 2012, and the 14th in a series of 56 circulating America the Beautiful Quarters. The reverse side (or tails side) designs are symbolic of a national park or other national site in each state, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories.
All coins in the program have a common obverse (heads side) featuring a portrait of George Washington and the inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR.
“This highly collectible quarter is a significant milestone for Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, for the residents of Hawai‘i, and for the Hawai‘i Island destination. Now everyone carry a reminder of Hawai‘i’s first World Heritage Site in their pocket,” said Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando.
County of Hawai‘i Tourism Specialist Stephanie Donoho will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Representatives from the United States Mint will be on hand, along with Governor Neil Abercrombie and other dignitaries.
The ceremony will take place at the park’s Kahua Hula, south of Kilauea Visitor Center, on Crater Rim Drive. Park entrance fees will be waived from noon until 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
