For more information and tickets to the event, visit celebritycheftour.com.
All cancer support group meets Thursday
“You’ll Never Walk Alone,” a cancer support group, meets from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday. The group is open to all cancer survivors and co-survivors.
Meetings are held on the first and third Thursdays of the month. There is no fee and light refreshments are served.
For more information and directions to the meeting site, call Michele Robinson at 333-5328.
Safe Routes to School Summit planned
Hawaii Safe Routes to School Summit: A Gateway to Healthier, Happier Hawaii Communities is scheduled for Friday at Kapiolani Community College on Oahu. The summit is hosted by Big Island-based Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawaii with support from Kaiser Permanente Hawaii and the Communities Putting Prevention to Work Kauai Team, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Hawaii Department of Health.
The deadline to register for the summit is Wednesday. To register, call 326-7284 or send an email to saferoutes@pathhawaii.org.
The summit will gather national experts, local advocates and statewide policymakers to implement solutions so children may safely walk and bike in their neighborhoods. The summit will open with remarks by Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz and feature a keynote address by national Safe Routes to School pioneer Deborah Hubsmith of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, as well as a report by state Department of Transportation Highways Administrator Alvin Takeshita on recent successes in the department’s Safe Routes to School program.
Kauahikaua to discuss observatory’s history
The story of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this month, is the topic of an “After Dark in the Park” program at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park’s Kilauea Visitor Center auditorium. Park entrance fees apply.
U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Scientist-in-Charge Jim Kauahikaua will talk about the founding of the observatory in 1912, as well as the observatory’s achievements monitoring Hawaiian volcanoes and earthquakes during the past century.
The public is also invited to attend an open house of the observatory in celebration of its centennial milestone on Saturday.
For more information about the Tuesday program, call 985-6011.
Rotary offering three scholarships
The Rotary Club of Kona Sunrise is offering two scholarships, each in the amount of $1,000, to two West Hawaii high school seniors, including home-schooled students, who have been accepted to either a two- or four-year college or art school in Hawaii or on the mainland, with a major in one of the areas of the arts. This includes, but is not limited to, design, graphic arts, creative arts and theater. Payment of the scholarship will be made to the school the student is registered at and will be submitted in one payment.
The club is also offering a one-time $1,000 scholarship in recognition of Francis Kuailani Sr., to any West Hawaii high school senior, including those who have been home-schooled. Kuailani was a long-time employee of the National Park Service and worked for many years at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park. Students applying for this scholarship must be registered in a two- or four-year program at any school with a focus in the fields of biology, geology or ecology. Payment of the scholarship will be made to the school the student is registered at and will be submitted in one payment.
The three scholarships will be weighted based on three equal parts: 1) financial need, 2) merit (grade point average and test scores) and 3) community service involvement. Two letters of reference are required. At least one should be from a teacher or instructor who can share information as to why the applicant would merit the award and understands the student’s future aspirations. Applicants must provide either the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or Expected Family Contribution data with the application form.
Applications for all scholarships will be accepted through Feb. 15. Award notifications will be sent out no later than March 15.
For more information, contact Ann Goody at animals@threeringranch.org.
Celebrity Chef Tour coming to Big Island
The second annual Celebrity Chef Tour benefiting the James Beard Foundation returns Friday and Saturday to the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows with a lineup of superstar chefs, including Jonathan Waxman, Ming Tsai, Tyler Florence, Sam Choy and celebrity cocktail mixologist Manny Hinojosa.
The two-day event opens with an oceanfront cocktail reception with live Hawaiian entertainment from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Choy will prepare hors d’oeuvres reflecting his signature Pacific Rim style. Hinojosa, also personal cocktail consultant to Guy Fieri, will prepare a selection of exclusively designed cocktails with distinct island flair. Tickets are $50 per person.
Beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Canoe House restaurant, Waxman, Tsai and Florence, along with Mauna Lani’s Executive Chef Sandy Tuason, will prepare a six-course dinner centered around the best and freshest local ingredients. Each course will be matched with wines and Hinojosa’s cocktails for select courses. Tickets are $250 including tax and tip.
To date, the Celebrity Chef Tour has raised more than $950,000 for the James Beard Foundation.
For more information and tickets to the event, visit celebritycheftour.com.