Happy Camper for Sunday, November 27, 2022

“Ho, ho, ho! Who wouldn’t go?” Bill Spitz and the “Friday gang” braved the Black Friday crowd to have their morning session at the Kukui Grove Center food court (they said the action was happening at the Deja Vu Surf Hawai‘i tent). Yes, Sara Miura, Santa did come — scored one of those collectible first customers shirt!

Happy Camper for Friday, November 25, 2022

Mahalo, Melissa McFerrin-Warrack (and Finnegan, too!) for the special Aunty Lilikoi treat (it’s the real stuff!) for all the office people — this is the real ol’ style Thanksgiving!

Happy Camper for Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Kudos, Roy Nishida and the East Kaua‘i Lions Club, on partnering with all those agencies to coordinate the “Take Charge of your Health: Free Diabetes and Blood Pressure Screening” last Saturday at the Kaua‘i Philippine Cultural Center in Puhi, where you didn’t need to fast to enjoy some of the benefits of the clinic.

Happy Camper for Monday, November 21, 2022

Bryana Siale was enjoying (the county Employee Council’s Kaleo Carvalho was especially attentive to the toddler snuggled in her Safe stroller) her second food drive on Saturday when the Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association Kaua‘i chapter partnered with the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank (Kelvin Moniz had to hurry to catch a plane to officiate one of the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association state football championship games!) for its food distribution at the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall in Lihu‘e, where Bryana’s dad, Tyrus Siale, was helping Samira Siale and the rest of the Kaua‘i Lifeguard Association.

Happy Camper for Sunday, November 20, 2022

Katrina Sahut of the Wilcox Medical Center Gift Shop said shoppers come special for See’s Candies because that’s one of the few, if any, places where they can get those chocolates in person, and Jason Camat of the hospital’s Environmental Services department was as proud of the hospital’s recycling and reuse program as he was of the robot that uses ultra-violet light to disinfect things as large as a room.

Happy Camper for Friday, November 18, 2022

Mahalo, Brandon Yoshimoto, Darlene Chun, and all those “Mc Our Day” (McDonald’s) ‘ohana on celebrating its first McNight in a long time (pandemic, ‘as why) Wednesday to benefit Kaua‘i High School Project Grad (yep, the schools are back, too!). Twenty percent of proceeds between 5 to 8 p.m. benefit Kaua‘i High, or whoever the designated beneficiary is during that time frame.

Happy Camper for Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Kudos, Lexi Jones and the Downtown Lihu‘e Night Market on hosting Danell Sugioka and the Project Vision (is masking the mobile hot shower like the O‘ahu unit going to help?) and FilCOM CARES as a preview of the two-day Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week event that takes place starting Wednesday at The Salvation Army Hanapepe Corps (they have free hot Thanksgiving meals coming up on Nov. 23, too!).

Happy Camper for Monday, November 14, 2022

Artist Roy Buduan said his holiday shopping tour for this year ended Saturday with the St. Michael & All Angels’ Episcopal Church Holiday Craft Fair, while other vendors like Colleen Toyama of Boutique Tees is just getting warmed up for the Kaua‘i Handworks event on Saturday at the Kaua‘i Veterans Center in Lihu‘e starting at 8:30 a.m. and continuing to 1 p.m.

Happy Camper for Sunday, November 13, 2022

One of the good things about Veterans Day is the reunion of people who have not seen each other for a long time (very nice to see Pastor Tom Iannucci…miss not having Pietro’s Pizza!). Yes, Jimmy Oyadomari (of the Korean War!), we miss not seeing Domi Alayvilla around, and how sad that the Scouts of America have been relegated to the Kaua‘i Veterans Cemetery multi-purpose building.

Happy Camper for Friday, November 11, 2022

Happy birthday, Cathe Turley and Tammy Pu‘u of Kukui‘ula (yes, they’re both Scorpios born on the same day!), who celebrated their special day with Lynette Medrano Stine and Lori Almarza at the Kaua‘i United Way fundraising Train Ride in the Moonlight at Kilohana!

Happy Camper for Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Congratulations, Rose Garabilla and the Kukui Grove Center, on the opening of Rose’s Halo Halo (Melissa McFerrin-Warrack said Rose has her own special halo halo recipe!), Tuesday starting at 11 a.m. next to Rose’s Pinoy Favorites, at KGC. Melissa said there’s another shop, Curvaceous Clothing, planning a “soft” opening this weekend, too — nice way to start the holiday season!

Happy Camper for Monday, November 7, 2022

Miss Latina Hawai‘i Cecilia Turcios was one of the patrons who got to sample the Asian fusion menu of the Kaua‘i High School culinary class (they planned for at least 1,000 meals!) that combined their talent with the school’s hospitality class to host the first-ever Taste of Kaua‘i High on Friday evening.

Happy Camper for Sunday, November 6, 2022

Kudos, Kaua‘i Construction Career Day co-chair Laura Cushnie, and the many hands (more than 40 exhibits!) involved in hosting the daylong career day at Kaua‘i Community College in Puhi, where students in the trades classes could not only present information, but had time to explore the different areas of the construction industry.

Happy Camper for Friday, November 4, 2022

Kudos to the Kalaheo Dental Group and its Halloween candy buyback program (too much wind this year; they brought it inside) that netted a big box of treats to be sent to the armed forces serving overseas!

Happy Camper for Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Happy birthday to Marques Vargas-La‘amea, who celebrated his special day in the midst of all the Halloween madness swirling about. He had his special shirt to let the world know (did Ron Wiley know?) it was his special day on Sunday, where he was not aware the Kaua‘i Resilience Project was presenting Trunk or Treat in a nearby parking lot at Kukui Grove Center in Lihu‘e.

Happy Camper for Monday, October 31, 2022

Mayor Derek Kawakami (Island School’s Bradley Pratt worked for the county during the summer!) was amped up, and Sam Pratt (Bradley’s last race before graduating Island School!) had to scramble on Saturday morning when the starting horn of the Honolulu Marathon (this should definitely be The Kaua‘i Marathon banner, Robin Jumper!) Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association cross-country state championships sounded.

Happy Camper for Friday, October 28, 2022

Kudos, Divina Plowman and her Kaua‘i High School student leaders for putting together the Halloween Bash “for teenagers (school ID needed for admission)” Saturday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Kukui Grove Center in Lihu‘e.