About Town 8-31-13

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Ocean Film Festival passes available soon

Ocean Film Festival passes available soon

The Waimea Ocean Film Festival returns to Waimea and the Kohala Coast Jan. 2 through 10. Films and programs will be shown in Waimea, the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii from Jan. 2 to 5 and then at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai from Jan. 6 to 10.

The festival offers a combination of award-winning films, intimate breakfast talks, question-and-answer filmmaker sessions, speakers, artistic exhibits and receptions. In its fourth year, Ocean Film also offers a culinary event, Taste of the Island, and early morning activities, such as yoga on the beach.

Festival passes will go on sale in September, along with early bird rates for kamaaina. For event updates, visit waimeaoceanfilm.org, Waimea Ocean Film Festival on Facebook or contact info@waimeaoceanfilm.org.

Christmas parade begins seeking entrants

Kaiilua-Kona’s Community Christmas Parade is scheduled for 5 p.m. Dec. 14, with primary sponsors the Rotary Clubs of Kona, Kona Mauka and Kona Sunrise. It will begin at Kekuaokalani Gym next to Kona Aquatics Community Center, go south on Kuakini, down Palani and along Alii Drive to Walua Road, just past Coconut Grove Marketplace.

The parade theme this year is “Kona Kine Christmas!” Jerry Tracy, artistic director of the Aloha Performing Arts Company, will be the parade’s grand marshal. There will be approximately 70 entries in the parade, including community and corporate groups. There will be numerous musical entries, and more than half of the entries will light up the evening, including Hawaii Electric Light Co.’s Toys For Tots train and Santa and his reindeer.

The parade will once again be supportive of Hawaii Island’s Food Basket and parade entrants and attendees are encouraged to contribute what they can.

Applications and additional parade and food drive information is available online at paradesinkona.com or call Chauna Reese at 313-0025.

Words and Wine features 3 authors

The Words and Wine Event hosted by Kona Stories Book Shop on Tuesday will feature authors Beth and Jim Hood and Michael Vielman. This free event begins at 6 p.m. and includes pupu and wine.

Together, the Hoods have authored four books: “Where’s the Map? Create Your OWN Guide to Life After Graduation,” “Test Drive Your Future, High School Student and Grad Edition,” “Test Drive Your Future, College Student Edition” and the illustrated children’s book, “The Money Book for Kids (and the young at heart!).”

Vielman’s book, “How to be Happy,” is written for everyone in search of happiness. In these pages lie the secrets of one man’s quest for happiness, and he finds it in abundance through self-realization, patience and the recognition of God’s love.

Kona Stories is located in Keauhou Shopping Center. For more information, call Brenda or Joy at 324-0350.

Moisture meter workshop planned

The University of Hawaii College Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources’ Local and Immigrant Farmer Education and Risk Management Hawaii programs are partnering with the Kona Coffee Council and its educational coordinator Gary Strawn of Kona Earth Coffee to conduct a hands-on moisture meter calibration workshop for coffee. The workshop is scheduled from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thurday at the Kona Cooperative Extension Service conference room in Kealakekua. Participants should bring their moisture meter, which will be calibrated to state standards. Call Gina at 322-4892 or email ginab@hawaii.edu by Wednesday for reservations.

Hawaii law requires green coffee to be dried to 9 to 12 percent moisture. Meters are used to measure moisture content of parchment and green coffee beans during the drying process. The basics of how moisture meters work, several types of meters to compare and calibrated parchment will be available for testing. Those attending should bring their own parchment to see if a meter measures it correctly.

CTAHR’s Coffee and Orchard Crops Extension agents Andrea Kawabata and Ryan Tsutsui will be on hand to assist Strawn during this workshop and will also help growers calibrate their meters.