Shows &events
West Hawaii County Band offers free concert
The West Hawaii County band performs at 6:30 p.m. this evening at Hale Halawai.
The free performance, “June Tunes,” will include classical music selected from the band’s repertoire, including “Strike Up The Band” by George Gershwin and an interesting arrangement of “Scarborough Fair,” the classic hit from the 1960s by Simon and Garfunkel.
The performance is part of the band’s monthly Free Friday Concert Series sponsored by the Hawaii County Parks and Recreation Department and the West Hawaii County Band Friends, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. The band is conducted by Bernaldo Evangelista.
The band will also march in the Kona Pride Parade on Saturday morning in Kailua-Kona.
Info: www.westhawaiiband.com.
PFLAG presents A Celebration of Pride and Unity
PFLAG Kona/Big Island hosts Ha’aheo a me Kuikahi 2017: A Celebration of Pride and Unity this weekend in Kailua-Kona.
The pride events are a partnership of the local PFLAG chapter and Friends of the Children of West Hawaii, Hawaii Island HIV/AIDS Foundation, The Edible World Institute, My Bar Kona, the West Hawaii Community Health Center, 4Good Enterprises, and Paint in Hawaii.
The celebration gets underway tonight with an art extravaganza at the Edible World Institute on Kopiko Street in Kailua-Kona. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at 4Good Thrift, 4Good Fashion, and on the PFLAG Kona/Big Island website, www.pflagkonabigisland.org. At the door, the ticket price increases to $35.
The Kona Pride Parade will get underway at 9 a.m. on Saturday. It will head north on Alii Drive from its intersection with Walua Road, near Royal Kona Resort, past the pier and up to Kuakini Highway, where the parade will continue north to Loloku Street. More than 18 entries had come in as of press time. Participants and spectators are encouraged to wear rainbow pride attire.
The weekend wraps up with Pride Night Party at My Bar Kona from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Info: www.pflagkonabigisland.org.
4 Metropolitan Operas for summer
This summer, the Metropolitan Opera will encore four acclaimed operas: “The Pearl Fishers,” “Macbeth,” “Nabucco” and “Carmen” in Kailua-Kona.
On Wednesday, the series launches with “The Pearl Fishers.” This dramatic story of two men, friends and sworn brothers, obsessed with one unattainable woman is performed with a cast, settings, and a conductor up to the glory and demands of Bizet’s soaring, melodic score.
A week later, on June 28, audiences can thrill and chill to Giuseppi Verdi’s opera based on Shakespeare’s story of overwhelming ambition, unlimited greed, dire vengeance, and the supernatural, “Macbeth.” The witches are very much present; their music is very much otherworldly.
July 12 brings Verdi’s “Nabucco.” Set in Biblical times, this music has extraordinary grandeur and the Metropolitan performance has received critical accolades. The final opera, “Carmen,” has it all: the reckless gypsy girl, Carmen, draws men like moths to her brilliant, dangerous flame. Some, such as the handsome Toreador, survive. Others, such as a once exemplary soldier and Carmen herself, are fatally burned in the intensity pf her passionate life.
All performances are at Regal Makalapua Stadium 10. Encore performances start at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Ticket prices are between $22 and $24 and are available from the box office, www.fandango.com and www.fathomevents.com.
Hawaiian music concert with Komakakino
Enjoy the sweet falsetto harmonies of Hawaii Island musical group Komakakino on Wednesday at the Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
From 6:30 to 8 p.m., these talented young men will share a love of hula, Hawaiian culture, and singing traditional mele (songs) in the Hawaiian language. The concert is part of the park’s ongoing Na Leo Manu “Heavenly Voices” presentations and is free.
Info: www.nps.gov/havo.
Augie T. to perform in Honokaa
“Comedy in the Community” featuring Augie T. comes to Honokaa People’s Theatre on June 23.
The show starts at 8 p.m. with seating at 7. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door and can be purchased at Blaine’s Drive Inn in Honokaa or online at www.augiet.com.
Info: www.augiet.com.
Hula Kahiko continues June 24
Volcano Art Center’s 2017 Hula Kahiko series continues at 10:30 a.m. on June 24 with a performance by Hula Halau O Kou Lima Nani ‘E under the direction of Kumu Hula Iwalani Kalima.
The halau was founded in 1986 to coordinate cultural education programs that benefit Hawaii communities. Students in the halau range from keiki to kupuna and are taught all aspects of the hula tradition including the practice of traditional Hawaiian values. This year, the halau competed in the Merrie Monarch Festival.
Kalima was born and raised in Keaukaha Homestead in Hilo. Her hula roots stem back from her great-grandmother Kapeka, who was a chanter for Queen Liliuokalani, and her grandfather Joseph Nohea Kalima Sr., who composed the famous mele “Hilo Hula.” Kalima began dancing at the age of 8, under the direction of Uncle George Lanakilakeikiahiali’i Na’ope.
She graduated and received her na kumu palapala in 1982. Through the tutelage of Uncle George and her family’s upbringing, she developed a deep love for her culture and now devotes her time to continue the preservation of hula.
The free performance is part of a year-round series sponsored by the center. For the series, hula halau from across Hawaii are invited to perform each month in a one-of-a-kind outdoor setting at the kahua hula (platform) in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. These performances are presented authentically in an outdoor setting, rain or shine without electronic amplification. Audience members are encouraged to bring sun/rain gear and sitting mats. National Park entrance fees may apply.
Held in conjunction with this performance, Native Hawaiian culture specialist Loke Kamanu and her ohana will share “Na Mea Hula” (all things hula) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the lanai of the Volcano Art Gallery. Participants will learn a hula, use various hula implements and try their hand at lei making.
Info: www.volcanoartcenter.org.
Film screenings
Kealakekua Public Library to show ‘Beauty and the Beast’
The Kealakekua Public Library hosts a free screening of “Beauty and the Beast” today.
In the 2017 release, Disney’s animated classic takes on a new form, with a widened mythology and an all-star cast. A young prince, imprisoned in the form of a beast, can be freed only by true love. What may be his only opportunity arrives when he meets Belle, the only human girl to ever visit the castle since it was enchanted.
The PG film will be shown from 1 to 3 p.m.
Info: 323-7585.
‘Sing’ to be screened
Honokaa Public Library will host a free screening of “Sing” on Monday.
The PG film, released in 2016, is about a group of anthropomorphic animals that enter a singing competition, hosted by a koala hoping to save his theater. It will be shown from 4 to 6 p.m.
Info: 775-8881.
Kapaau library hosts family film night
North Kohala Public Library hosts a family film night on Monday in Kapaau.
From 6 to 8 p.m., the library will screen the “Secret Life of Pets,” a PG-rated film released in 2016. The film is about Max’s life as a favorite pet being turned upside down when his owner brings home a sloppy mongrel named Duke.
Info: 889-6655.
Classic seafaring film to be shown at VAC
A thousand years before Europeans knew the Pacific existed; Polynesian seafarers had explored and settled this vast ocean. Where did they come from and how did they populate one-third of Earth’s surface? Discover how at a film screening of “The Navigators – Pathfinders of the Pacific” from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village.
Thor Heyerdahl believed Polynesians floated into the Pacific from South America on crude rafts, pushed by prevailing winds and currents. But the real story is far more interesting – they sailed against these winds and currents from island Southeast Asia in sophisticated sailing craft, and they navigated vast distances without compass, charts or instruments of any kind, using instead a world of natural signs to guide them.
Anthropologist and filmmaker Sam Low’s film tells this story. To shoot the film, he traveled all over the Pacific. DVD copies will be sold after the screening.
The evening is part of a once-a-month Thursday night series at the center, focusing on art, Hawaiian culture and the environment. It is free; , a $5 donation is appreciated.
Info: 967-8222, www.volcanoartcenter.org.
Classes &workshops
Father’s Day watercolor workshop Saturday
The Blue Sea Artisans will be hosting a “Father’s Day Watercolor Workshop” from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday in front of the Blue Sea Artisans Gallery in the Keauhou Shopping Center.
The workshop will be taught by watercolor artist Stefanie Culbertson. This month’s theme will be “Underwater Marine Life.” During the workshop, participants will create an 8-by-10-inch watercolor painting for their father (yourself or loved one), and take the finished and matted piece home.
Adults and children, ages 7 and up, are invited to this fun event. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Cost is $15 for materials. Stop by or call the Blue Sea Artisans Gallery to reserve your spot. There will be a maximum of 12 spots available.
The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Info: 329-8000.
Takai to teach ‘collage’ card-making class
Kona Arts Center is offering a two-hour “collage” card-making class at its Keauhou Shopping Center location from 10 a.m. to noon on July 1.
Linda Takai will teach the class during which she will demonstrate a unique technique using napkins. All are invited to participate — no special skills needed. Materials will be provided.
Cost is $20, in addition to a materials fee of $10. Class size is limited. Reservations should be made to Takai at 325-6724 or by email to lktakai49@gmail.com.
Takai has more than 30 years of experience in making cards and has dabbled in different artistic mediums. She enjoys teaching others, especially in card making projects.