Kealakehe Project Grad fundraiser at Denny’s The public is inivited to help raise funds for Kealakehe Project Grad by dining at Denny’s Restaurant from 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday. ADVERTISING Kealakehe Project Grad is a nonprofit organization comprised of parent
Kealakehe Project Grad fundraiser at Denny’s
The public is inivited to help raise funds for Kealakehe Project Grad by dining at Denny’s Restaurant from 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Kealakehe Project Grad is a nonprofit organization comprised of parent and community volunteers who plan a special event every year for the graduates of Kealakehe High School. It is a safe and fun way for the graduating seniors to enjoy an alcohol- and drug-free night with their friends.
The event is made possible through Project Compassion, a partnership between Denny’s Restaurant, Rotary Club in Kona and local charities to provide financial support to nonprofit organizations working in the community. Denny’s will donate 20 percent of all food and drink sales and 100 percent of all guest server tips to Kealakehe Project Grad.
Kailua-Kona library celebrating 20 years
The Kailua-Kona Public Library, located at 75-138 Hualalai Road, will celebrate its 20th anniversary this leap year with special programs on Feb. 28 and 29. The public is invited to attend the free events.
The Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble will kick off the celebration at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 28 in the adult section. The cultural and educational program will introduce the various drums and percussion instruments of Japan as used in traditional and contemporary music. The Friends of the Library of Hawaii and the University of Hawaii at Manoa College’s Statewide Cultural Extension Program are co-sponsoring the performance.
Taiko (Japanese drums) are traditionally used to ensure an auspicious beginning to a new or renewed endeavor. The Kailua-Kona Public Library will celebrate the installation of a federally funded photovoltaic system, which is expected to generate a portion of the library’s electricity.
Magician Arneleo (Arnie Rabin) will present “The Magic of Arneleo” at 2 p.m. Feb. 29. Arneleo has invented numerous magic routines including “Triple Rotation,” a close-up card routine that was published in The Linking Ring, the official journal of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. The Friends of the Library of Hawaii and Friends of the Libraries, Kona are co-sponsoring the program, which will also include a contest to guess the number of books in the library’s collection, prizes and door prizes. Anniversary cake and juice will be served on the lanai at 3 p.m.
Kailua-Kona Public Library, the second largest library on the Big Island, opened on Feb. 29, 1992. In addition to the new photovoltaic system, the library features a lanai and drive-through bookdrop.
Contact the library as soon as possible if a sign language interpreter or other special accommodation is needed for these programs. For more information, call the library at 327-4327.
Underwater photogs meeting Wednesday
The Kona Underwater Photographic Society meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Imin Center in Holualoa. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for set-up.
This month, the local photo/single subject is the blackside hawkfish. A presentation will be given by guest speaker John Cornforth on whales and marine mammals in Alaska.
The public is invited to attend the meeting and presentations. For more information about the organization, visit kups.org.
Brown discusses reptilian water deities
Marie Alohalani Brown offers an overview of the basic beliefs that structure kanaka maoli understanding of the moo, or reptilian water deities, as depicted in the moolelo (stories) of our kupuna (elders) in an upcoming Puana Ka Ike lecture in Kona.
Her free presentation is scheduled from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday in Ballroom III at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort.
Brown hails from Makaha, but her ancestral roots are in Hookena. She received her master’s degree in Hawaiian language in 2010 at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Her master’s thesis is the largest compilation to date of traditional and current information regarding moo. Hawaiian deities, especially moo, and cultural beliefs surrounding them serve as inspiration for her creative works. She is currently a doctoral student in the English department at UH-Manoa and is conducting archival research on John Papa Ii for her dissertation.
Predominately female, moo deities embody the hoola (life-giving) and hoomake (death-dealing properties) of the water element with which they are associated, Brown said. “And like water, they slip through your fingers when you try to grasp them. Replicating the elusive nature of moo, fragments of knowledge about these reptilian water deities lurk here and there, sometimes in unexpected places, but more often, they are hidden deep within our epic moolelo, many of which are not easily accessible today for one reason or another.”
For more information on the presentation, contact Joy Cunefare at 534-8528 or email info@kohalacenter.org. For lecture schedules and webcasts of previous lectures, visit kohalacenter.org/puanakaike/about.html and keauhouresort.com/learn-puanakaike.html.
The Puana Ka Ike lecture series is presented in partnership with Keauhou-Kahaluu Education Group of Kamehameha Schools, The Kohala Center, the Kipuka Native Hawaiian Student Center at UH-Hilo and the resort.
AARP driving classes set for Feb. 27, 28
Kona Community School for Adults is sponsoring AARP driving classes to be held at the Kona Palisades Recreation Center on Kaiminani Drive. The one-day, four-hour classes are scheduled for 1 p.m. Feb. 27 and 6 p.m. Feb. 28.
The course will cover defensive driving tactics, dealing with road rage, cellphones, general safety, rules of the road and how to adjust to age-related changes, such as decrease in vision and hearing ability and slower reaction time. These are classroom refresher courses. There are no driving or written tests.
Those participants having Hartford Insurance may receive as much as a 10 percent discount on automobile insurance upon completion of the course. Those who do not carry Hartford Insurance may want to check with their insurance company prior to taking one of the classes to determine if it will recognize the class for a discount.
Total cost for the course is $12 for AARP members and $14 for nonmembers. Class size is limited.
To register for the classes or for more information, call instructors Reni and Roy Damron at 325-5422.
