Happy Camper for Monday, January 23, 2023

Kudos, Edwin Vea of The Beach House restaurant on coordinating the latest craft fair (if I hadn’t gone to Walmart, I wouldn’t have known) on Sunday on the lawn of the restaurant located right across Lawa‘i Beach Resort. Artist Leslie Frasier already has her Valentine art (just use different colored paper, she said).

Bart Thomas of the Koa Kea Hotel (or is it Red Salt?) said he’s coordinating the next big golf event — it’s a night event — to benefit Kaua‘i Special Olympics at the Ocean Course at Hokuala following a Hawai‘i Lodging &Tourism Association, Kaua‘i Chapter event, yesterday when he got to chauffer Miss Hawai‘i International Priscilla Wang (Kung Hei Fat Choy — today is the Chinese New Year!) around the Ocean Course.

Kudos, Todd Ozaki (not the one that works for the mayor) on his debut of Gyotaku Lifestyle (even had time to offer ice cold fresh coconut to visitors) that caught the eye of Herb Noe (he’s with Bushwackas in the Kaua‘i Senior Softball League).

Ashley LaBelle of LaBelle Lifewear (she shares the weekly Aloha Market at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens South Shore Visitor Center with Herb) got to sample some of that Mermaid Lemonade (it’s lemon and blue raspberry shave ice!) from Mindy Hibbett’s Riptides Shave Ice Kaua‘i (you know how far away across the street is?); and entertainer Kyle LaBenz had to cut his gig short because he had to play at Kukui Grove Center for the fourth anniversary of Partea (they remember the Chinese lion passing in front of their former location near Rose’s Pinoy Favorites.

No, the Chinese lion comes to KGC on Saturday (Chinese New Year celebrations last until Feb. 1 this year) starting at 11 a.m., after visiting The Shops at Kukui‘ula on Friday evening during the Flavors of Kukui‘ula.

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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.