KAILUA-KONA — Dr. Tim’s Medicine Band headlines the 11th annual Hawaii Avocado Festival this Saturday in Kailua-Kona.
Vocalists and guitarists Dr. Tim Hendlin and Mike Rosato, trumpeter Michaeloha Elam, flutist and saxophonist John Peckham, percussionists Emile Elliott and Tommy Elliot, and saxophonist Ian Delgado take the stage from 2:30 to 4 p.m. performing for hundreds of festivalgoers at Hale Halawai in the heart of Kailua Village. The band has performed at the festival for the past three years.
“The members of the band are healers in their own right, and/or are contributing in positive ways to the beauty and progressive thought in our community and island,” said Hendlin.
The band will perform an array of vintage music, “everything from classic rock and roll, Elvis, the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, the Everly Brothers, James Taylor, The Byrds, Crosby Stills and Nash, country rock, to old jazz standards, blues, and folk.”
“You can expect an enthusiastic, customized rendition of vintage music, featuring vocal harmonies and punctuated with outstanding horns,” he said.
“Tim really loves his music and puts together a group of stellar musicians,” said Randyl Rupar, founder and president of Sanctuary Mana Kea, which is presenting the festival. “They put on a real good act.”
The Hawaii Avocado Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Hale Halawai in Kailua Village. The zero waste, community event offers nonstop activities for attendees of all ages including live entertainment, arts and crafts and organic vegan food for sale, and avocado recipe demonstrations and avocado food samplings.
“Why shouldn’t they?” Rupar said when asked why people should hit up the festival in its new digs. “It’s a free event and works with the legacy of what Hawaii is about: Our food, our fruit and our presence on the island.”
A benefit concert, which requires tickets, for Kona 100.5 LPFM Community Radio — The Voice of Kona — will follow from 7 to 10 p.m., also at Hale Halawai.
The festival opens at 10 a.m. with a pule by Aunty Pohai with the Marshall Band taking the stage with Hawaiian music until 10:30 a.m. At 1:30 p.m., the Uma Zuma Band takes the stage followed by Michelle. At 2:30 p.m., headliner Dr. Tim’s Medicine Band will entertain attendees until about 4 p.m., Rupar said, noting that the lineup can be subject to change prior to the festival.
In addition to the music, there will be educational presentations during the festival. University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Cooperative Extension Services Agent Ty McDonald will discuss grafting avocado trees at 10:45 a.m. and Ken Love, of the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers Association, will discuss the hundreds of varieties of avocados starting at noon.
“Like mango, avocado is not true to seed, you have to graft it and people can learn” at the event, Rupar said. “There’s a lot to learn, but it’s a wonderful thing.”
Marsha Hee, of the nonprofit Recycle Hawaii, will take the stage around noon to discuss reducing waste, reusing items and recycling. Hee also plans to discuss bringing the “zero waste” concept that has grown popular at festivals into the home, the group’s upcoming composting workshops in Kona, Keaau and Hilo, and ways residents “can support Recycle Hawaii and these wonderful practices for our island.”
In the evening, starting at 7 p.m., the festival transitions into a benefit concert to raise funds for Kona 100.5 LPFM Community Radio. The station offers different types of music, including giving local musicians unable to make the main radio stations playtime, as well as “cool programming that will blow people away,” Rupar said.
Tickets are $15 and proceeds benefit the radio station. Attendees can also make additional donations during the event, or anytime online at www.kona1005.org.
Rupar, who is also general manager of the station that’s been broadcasting online via the internet for about two years, said the Federal Communications Commission gave the station until March 11 to broadcast live over the airwaves. About $6,000 of the $15,000 needed for the station has been raised thus far, he said.
“If we don’t broadcast, we’re history,” Rupar said, noting that he’s got the equipment, including antenna and transmitter, and materials needed to go live, but still needs other items. “To keep it alive, we’ve got to build a studio.”
The benefit concert’s lineup includes a performance by Dan Brauer and Michaeloha Elam from 7 to 8 p.m. followed by the Kona Harp Ensemble from 8 to 9 p.m. Closing out the evening, from 9 to 10 p.m., will be Bolo Mikiela Rodrigues and Binti Bailey, who most recently performed together in January at The Edible as part of the Rally for Common Ground.
Bolo is taking part in the benefit event, not only because he’s been involved with Rupar for years, but also because he believes in the effort to bring Kona a community radio station where local, independent artists who may not have agents can get heard. He hopes the community will take ownership, as well.
“You’re going to get that energy of different people and the feeling of creating something new in Kona,” he said. “It’s what has been needed for a while and if it is done with good spirit and love and aloha, anything done that way is a good thing to be a part of.”
The same goes for Bailey, who added, “anything that randyl does if I can i try to support it because he’s just so investiged int he community and the health and wellness of the people as a planet as a whole.”
Bolo, a Na Hoku Hanohano Award nominee in 2015 and Grammy Award-nominated writer, said attendees of his performance with Bailey should expect acoustics, fusion and a melting pot of harmonies.
“Just positive music, songwriting and telling a story on what’s happening at this moment, and what is important to us as song writers, artists and musicians in general,” he said.
Added Bailey, “It’s just important for people to come down, found out how they can be involved and be informed. There’s a lot of strength in numbers. I’m just hoping for a bunch of people.”
Info: Facebook: Big Island Avocado Festivals, www.avocadofestival.org.
