Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers meet today
The West Hawaii chapter of Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers meets from 7-9 p.m. today at 81-6393 Mamalahoa Highway. Nonmembers are welcome.
Dusty Thomas, Brian Lieves and Ken Love will discuss various fruits of the vines, from passion fruit to gac along with black pepper, vanilla and a few ultra exotic vining fruits not yet in Hawaii. Attendees are encouraged to bring fruit to share.
Info: Brian Lievens, president West Hawaii Chapter, 895-8753, greenwizard@hawaii.rr.com or Ken Love, executive director, 323-2417, kenlove@hawaiiantel.net. hawaiitropicalfruitgrowers.org.
Kiwanis Club meets Wednesday
Kiwanis Club of Kailua-Kona will meet at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Makalei Golf Club, 72-3890 Hawaii Belt Road, Kailua-Kona, 325-6625.
All visiting Kiwanis and prospective members are invited. The speaker will be Tim Brady, retired, formerly Regional Inspector General for U.S. Dept. of Health &Human Resource Services, speaking on fraud, waste and abuse in the Medicaid children’s dental program.
Kiwanis looks to serve the community by conducting service projects that respond to identified needs, especially related to children.
Info: Betty, eavisbj@aol.com, 896-2958.
Camp Tarawa Detachment meeting planned
The Camp Tarawa Detachment No. 1255 of the Marine Corps League will hold its monthly meeting on Saturday at the VFW Post, at 74-5543 Kaiwi St. Suite 185A, behind Kona Locksmith.
A no-host lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. and the business meeting begins at 1. All Marines and Navy Corpsmen (serving, retired or reserve) and their spouses are invited. Dress is resort casual.
Info: Dale Ross 322-2172.
Landscape maintenance classes coming up
The Hawaii Island Landscape Association and University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension Service are offering both the 2017 Landscape Maintenance Training Program and the Landscape Industry Certification Testing Program to landscape professionals and home gardeners.
The training is a 10-week series of classes that may also be taken individually. Topics include: basic botany, tropical plant identification and selection, plant nutrition and soil health, turf care, irrigation basics, pruning trees and shrubs, establishing and managing a landscape, pesticide use and safety, pest ID and control and landscape plan reading and calculations.
Classes begin April 7 and are from 1:30-4:30 p.m. Fridays through April, then move to Thursdays through June 8. The three-hour classes are held at the Hawaii Community College – Palamanui campus.
Cost for each class is $35 for association members and $40 for nonmembers. The fee for the entire series is $375 for members and $425 for nonmembers and includes a copy of the Landscape Training Manual for Maintenance Technicians.
Landscape Industry Certified Technician is a professional designation landscape gardeners earn through the testing program held in June. The Kona test will offer certification tests for Ornamental Maintenance, Softscape Installation, and Irrigation. Additional costs apply for the certification tests.
Tuition assistance offered through the Department of Labor’s Employment Training Fund is available for both programs. Qualified applicants pay half-price.
Info and registration: hilahawaii.com or contact Ty McDonald, 322-4884 or tym@hawaii.edu.