Happy Camper for Sunday, July 11, 2021
Happy birthday, Mikaela Brown — a Boys & Girls Club, Lihu‘e alum — who got a free set of wheels courtesy of the efforts from Todd Burns of PS&D/NAPA, Kevin and Jon Belz of Bumper And Dent Company (Todd said they’re the only place on Kaua‘i that works with water-based car paint).
Happy Camper for Friday, July 9, 2021
Kudos to the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort & Spa and Surfrider Kaua‘i for providing the island’s visitors an opportunity to make the ‘aina a bit better than when they arrived.
Happy Camper for Wednesday, July 7, 2021
A mango is not just a mango. Bill Spitz said the mangoes at Elmer’s Farm are the Manzanillo mangoes, named for the city in Mexico. Risa Clemmons has Haden mangoes, and there are mangoes everywhere right now at the Pau Hana Market at Kukui Grove Center in Lihu‘e.
Happy Camper for Monday, July 5, 2021
Congratulations to Kumu Hula Leina‘ala Pavao Jardin and na wahine o Halau Ka Lei Mokihana O Leina‘ala for their great finishes at the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival — fifth place in Kahiko, and third place in ‘Auana —where the judging was very close! Kudos, too to the kane performers who participated in the competitive event for the halau’s first time!
Happy Camper for Sunday, July 4, 2021
Kaua‘i Resource Center Project Manager Shantelle Rego had the right idea Friday when David Chung and his The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center team arrived for their monthly donation event Friday — get lunch early so the crews can grind between surges of contributors.
Happy Camper for Friday, July 2, 2021
Happy retirement, Peter Sit, of Pono Kai, who capped his final day at work after 21 years of service by attending the Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association Kaua‘i pau hana event at the Royal Sonesta Kaua‘i Resort in Lihu‘e.
Happy Camper for Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Congratulations, Mel Chiba, Taylor Shigemoto, Morgan Moises Lopez and Karen Shigemoto, on the opening of the Hawai‘iUSA Federal Credit Union in Kukui Grove Center in Lihu‘e (when does the signup for a chance at that Yeti cooler end?), where even the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce’s Mark Perriello and Carol Texeira left the safety of working remotely to do in-person congratulations.
Happy Camper for Monday, June 28, 2021
Mahalo, Kamehana Lee (Nick was busy doing touch-up work on the walls of Pono Coffee & Bakery) for the phone call that started the trek with Caleb Aero (he’s got a 40-plus-year legacy!) Friday afternoon in the thick of the Kapa‘a creep.
Happy Camper for Sunday, June 27, 2021
Has it been so long that I don’t recognize anyone in the Scorpacciata Neapolitan style pizza food truck? The music was familiar, though, and after digging, found Randy Kanekoa using a vintage Martin guitar to render Hi‘ilawe in the same Gabby Pahinui style, complete with the unpublished Gabby Pahinui tuning (at first, I thought it was recorded music coming from Scorpacciata) in the food court located between Pono Market and Larry’s Music.
Happy Camper for Friday, June 25, 2021
Kudos to Waimea Public Library Branch Manager Michelle Young and her Waimea Library ‘ohana on securing the Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries grant that enabled the library to come up with a pair of events that ended with a Talk Story, Wednesday under the light of the huge Strawberry Moon.
Happy Camper for Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Kudos to Chip Bahouth of the Sheraton Kaua‘i Resort (was nice to run into Chuck Brady, who was “baby-sitting” Chip), the Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association Kaua‘i gang (yes, even Samira Siale — Tyrus Siale was working with the Kaua‘i Lifeguard Association! — was helping chase down paperwork), and all (Michelle Panoke, Tisha Ruiz — even Oliver Remigio came out!
Happy Camper for Monday, June 21, 2021
Mayette Loseto said the animals (pigs and chickens) got to her Thai guava (those are the white ones!), but she had a bunch of mountain apples (really good deal because there are so many of them), and the Forbidden Valley pineapples from Clyde Ajimura to make up for no guava at the Grove Farm Market in Puhi Saturday, where Clyde Kodani was talking about Sharyl Lam Yuen’s desire to see a bon dance (last weekend was the virtual Kauai Soto Zen Temple Zenshuji event in Hanapepe with Gerald Hirata!) take root at the Puhi venue.
Happy Camper for Sunday, June 20, 2021
Kudos to Jackie Nielsen and Gwen Silva on doing a great job with the Aloha Market at the National Tropical Botanical Garden South Shore Visitor Center (it’s the place across Lawa‘i Road from Spouting Horn Park!).
Happy Camper for Friday, June 18, 2021
State Department of Health Kaua‘i District Health Office’s Blanca Gil and Pua Kaohelauli‘i scored while canvassing Waimea for the vaccination site that will be set up Saturday in Kaumakani Community Hall near the post office.
Happy Camper for Sunday, June 16, 2021
The final ‘Ohana Fishing Days 2021 presented by Kaua‘i Families First is this Saturday in Anahola, said Bridget Arume, who stopped off to visit her daughter’s offering (she’s got koinobori) Saturday during the Relay For Life Pop-Up & Pick-Up at the Coconut Marketplace in Waipouli.
Happy Camper for Monday, June 14, 2021
Happy birthday, Jaslyn Aquias, who started her special day at the Relay For Life Pop-Up & Pick-Up (kudos to Patti Ornellas and all those Fely’s Angels on a great event — even if it rained!) at the Coconut Marketplace in Waipouli, where you should’ve seen the collection of crystals being made available by the Ho‘oikaika Volleyball Club.
Happy Camper for Sunday, June 13, 2021
Congratulations, Robert Trent Jones and the Princeville Makai ‘ohana, on the 50th anniversary of the golf course (RTJ said “all those people mowing the grass for 50 years!”). He said Dickie Chang was going to do the party stuff for the anniversary Saturday.
Happy Camper for Friday, June 10, 2021
Just how crowded was it? Adam Coyaso was cracking coconuts non-stop (Mini Me was having a bad attitude because of his haircut, Christine said!), and that line for people looking for The Right Slice snaked under the eaves to beyond Blue Ginger at The Farmers Market at The Shops at Kukui‘ula (no wonder the Hawai‘i Foodbank, Kaua‘i Branch van left before the 3:30 p.m. start!).
Happy Camper for Wednesday, June 9, 2021
Michelle Panoke of the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i Branch said Melissa McFerrin-Warrack of Kukui Grove Center wants more kupuna to take advantage of the every-Monday Pau Hana Market.
Happy Camper for Monday, June 7, 2021
Saturday was a day for foot bling, as Zonta Club of Kaua‘i members Cyndi Ayonon, Rebecca Carnate (she was even helping East Kaua‘i Lions Club prexy Janice Bond and John Baxter with sales of the Mama Lucy’s plate-lunch tickets!) and Edie Ignacio Neumiller made a day out of visiting the Kaua‘i Society of Artists Washed Up Marine Debris Art Show — World Ocean Day is Tuesday! — where Wynde Thomas was supposed to have a piece on exhibit.