Week of Friday, January 24, 2020 | Vol. 7, No. 4
Check da Scene
Grinds & Da Kines For Your Weekend
A RIVER RUNS TO IT
Smith’s Wailua cruise is 80 minutes of songs and spirit BILL BULEY TGIFR!DAY
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here are gems on Kauai that don’t receive a lot of fanfare, but should, because, frankly, they are amazing. Smith’s Motor Boat Service’s Wailua River cruise to the Fern Grotto is one of them. It’s an hour and 20 minutes of being introduced to culture and tradition, while seeing beauty all around and having a lot Bill Buley / TGIFR!DAY
Guests at Fern Grotto are entertained by Smith’s Motor Boat Service musicians and dancers.
www.kauaicountyfarmbureau.org
SATURDAYS 9:30am –1pm
On the Kauai Community College Campus
Happy New Year ~ the Year of the Rat! Take some Kauai Kunana goat cheese home. Support local farmers! From Farmers Market to Farm Fair The Kauai County Farm Bureau Supports Agriculture
SEE RIVER, PAGE 3
2 | TGIFR!DAY | Friday, January 24, 2020
SHARING THE ‘LOVE’
Performers display the meaning of emotion through movement
STEPHANIE SHINNO TGIFR!DAY
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he world premiere of “Project Love” will be at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall. “A story of love through a child’s eyes” features Kauai keiki and adults from Waimea to Kapaa. The shows are 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, and 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10. Matt Del Rosario, founder and artistic director of Flow Kakou Inc. and a world-renown dancer, has created this project to foster deeper community conversation about the concept of love. He says he wants to get people asking questions about the characteristics and definition of love itself, about self-love and about how to best love others. Using local dancers, Del Rosario will take the audience through all the emotions of love as they flow through their performance, with emphasis on both the good and bad emotions felt through the expression of love and healing. He says he hopes the show will inspire an “aha moment,” and bring people together to create a stronger community. Del Rosario said it’s also an opportunity to “look at life from a
Courtesy of Matt Del Rosario
Dancers including the letter L: Lily Keller, Daisy Keller and David Braman; O: Hali’a Toner, Maylen Ventura and Maya Ventura; V: Melina Ventura and Jake Lester; and E: Skylar Shim and Mika Ventura, in a scene from “Project Love” that stages at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall next weekend.
different lens so we can see the opportunities instead of the barriers.” Del Rosario has firsthand experience finding different perspectives on life. Dyslexia has been a constant companion of the dancer. At a young age, Del Rosario learned to embrace the learning disability and refused to accept the judgments from others who said he was just a humbug boy. It was a book called “Proust and the Squid” by Maryanne Wolf that
was a source of inspiration for the young Del Rosario, and that set him on the path to become a paid dancer, taking lessons from experts around the world. Now, Del Rosario aims to inspire others, specifically through dance performance and teaching, which he’s now doing throughout the state. It was an encounter with an Oahu keiki that convinced Del Rosario to bring his talents back home.
“I remember teaching on Oahu and a little boy stared at me, so I stared back at him,” Del Rosario said. “He said: ‘you look like me.’ I said: ‘yes, and you can become anything you want to become, as I did.’ That inspired me to come back home and teach our keiki.” “Project Love” also features other professional performers from around the world, like Rosie Herrera, Nile Russell, Eriko Jimbo, Mike Tyus and Jordan Kriston. A special guest
appearance is by students of Ke Kula Niihau O Kekaha public charter school, who will be performing a number that shares the pains and obstacles of being a victim of bullying. Tickets are $20 to $30, available for advance purchase through any performer or at the door. ••• Stephanie Shinno, staff writer, can be reached at 245-0424 or sshinno@thegardenisland.com.
MORE LOVE COMING, THIS TIME WITH A TWIST OF JAZZ, ON VALENTINE’S DAY TGIFR!DAY
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omance is taking on a Louisana flare at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Lihue on Valentine’s Day as Kauai Island Singers Showcase presents the annual KISS Love Concert. Pairing eight KISS vocalists
with New Orleans jazz professor Matt Lemmler, the show will feature well-known love songs in the unique style of New Orleans jazz. “There’s a certain cadence and rhythm to it,” said KISS performer Melissa Mojo. “Jazz has a lot of different types of rhythms to it, and the New Orleans style is unique.”
Singing those trademark love songs with a twist will be KISS vocalists Barbara Pendragon, Melissa Mojo, Christine Melamed, Dhyana Dunville, Steve Backinoff, Trishana Star, Diana Leone and Mary Ellen Kopitzke. They’ll be accompanied by Lemmler on the piano and vocals.
Many of the KISS performers have been studying jazz for years with Lemmler and other jazz teachers, and look forward to the time when these teachers come to Kauai for performances and a few lessons. “Last year we worked directly with Matt to produce the concert,” Mojo said.
The same is happening this year, and it’s not just the songs that get a little bit of a tweak for the Valentine’s Day concert. The vocalists have to adjust practices, too. “Matt’s not on-island right now, so we’re kind of waiting, narrowing down our songs and practicing songs we know,” Mojo said. “Once he
gets here, we’ll start putting it together.” That makes for a string of dynamic rehearsals close to the date of the show. The KISS Love Concert starts at 7 p.m. at St. Michael and All Angels Church on Friday, Feb. 14. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Buy tickets at www.KISSKauai.org.
TGIFR!DAY | Friday, January 24, 2020 | 3
River
“When the sun comes out, they hang low. They’re sleeping, known as the ‘sleeping ferns,’” our host said. “When the moon comes out, they stand straight up — no, just kidding. No, they don’t.”
Continued from page 1
of fun, too. This leaves you feeling good and walking away with a smile. If you’re a visitor, it’s the best $30 you’ll spend (children are $15), and if you’re local, it’s the best kama‘aina discount you’ll get: free. Kamika Smith, the general manager who heads up this family operation (they also operate the Smith Family Garden Luau), not only answers the phones but mans the ticket booth, too, and shares aloha with customers. Smith’s Wailua River cruise boats are powered by a rear-engine system invented by Walter Smith Sr. The open-air boats provide nice views from either side during the ride, but one piece of advice: try to get a seat along the outside railing. The inside seats, while perfectly comfortable, don’t offer the same views. Once the boat motors away from the dock, sit back and enjoy the scenery and listen to your host outline the history of the two-mile journey you are going on before reaching your destination, Fern Grotto. The Wailua River is the only navigable river in Hawaii. The river’s fresh water
On the return, you’ll not only get to watch hula, but asked to stand and follow along as you get a free hula lesson. Don’t be shy and worry about looking foolish. Most people did on our
cruise, but it’s one of those times people are laughing with you. The boat tours depart daily from Wailua Marina State Park at 9:30 and 11 a.m. and 2 and 3:30 p.m.
Bill Buley / TGIFR!DAY
Visitors tour Fern Grotto on Monday.
comes from Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale, which is one of the wettest spots on the planet, getting 400 to 500 inches of rain each year. Here’s a little history of this river cruise: In 1946, Walter Smith Sr. and his wife, Emily, started this family business with a small rowboat and a borrowed outboard motor. Four generations later, they continue their tradition of sharing their love of Kauai and its rich cultural heritage. Guests hear songs and stories of the king’s highway, sacred Mount Kapu, and the first hau tree. At Fern Grotto, you’ll take a short walk through a lush, green rainforest that is spectacular and is a must for any visitor or local. You can sense the power of this place,
described as “a geological wonder of Kauai.” It’s famous for weddings once held there, the first in 1962 and more than 12,000 since. The cave itself, we were told, is 12 feet high and 50 feet wide. In 2006, a series of rainstorms lasted 42 straight days. During that time, the cave tours went on but a woman was hit by a falling rock, leading the state to close that part of the park.. Our emcee, a delightful young man with a friendly face, smiled and joked with the crowd. “This cave can hold over 150 people in there — or 100 Hawaiians,” he said, as people laughed. The ferns of Fern Grotto, we were told, are very special to the people of Hawaii.
Shops, Restaurants & Services at Ching Young Village: Activity Shack
Hanalei River Healing
Na Pali Properties
Aloha from Hanalei
Hanalei Surf Backdoor
Northside Grill
Aloha Juice Bar
Hanalei Strings
Ohana Shop
Alo La‘a Yoga & Dance
Honua Engineering
On the Road to Hanalei
Big Save
Hot Rocket
Pat’s Taqueria
Billabong
Hula Moon Gifts of Hanalei
Pedal and Paddle
Blue Tiki Tattoo
Infinite Arts
Reside Kauai LLC
Chocolat Hanalei
Jo-Jo Shave Ice
Seahorse Boutique
DeCamp Construction
Kalypso Restaurant
Spinning Dolphin
Divine Planet
Kauai Vacation Rentals
Styles Studio Hanalei
Chicken in a Barrel BBQ
Kokonut Kids
Sunrise Emporium
Hanalei Bay Pizzeria
L&L Hawaiian BBQ
Timeshare Resales
Hanalei Cafe
Lee Acupuncture
Tresor Rare
Hanalei Poke
Na Pali Catamaran
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4 | TGIFR!DAY | Friday, January 24, 2020
CHECK DA SCENE
DENNIS FUJIMOTO TGIFR!DAY
Princess Hanalei, Vescois, Luna
Brandy Licious Summers, Cyenna Summers, Kaiyah Passion Summers
Derek Ibaan, Barbara Green, Daphne Sanchez
CHECKING OUT ‘EVOLUTION’
“W Malisa Pegeder, Donovan Pegeder, Doriann Pegeder
Kayla Koerte, Akime Dizol
Miz Debz, Brudda D
Chaz Sasil, Sky Flores
Kim Oakes, Jennifer Downs, Jack Harvey, Beth Anne Wright, Eric Wright
Kawika Lovell Kuali‘i, Micah Viluan, Jamilee Jimenez, Daydrie Silva, Dane Dabis Waialeale, Kaina Lovell Kuali‘i
e have to change money into dollars to give to the performers,” said Miz Debz Saturday night during the DMD Productions’ presentation of “Evolution — The Musical Spectacular,” at the Kauai Beach Resort near Hanamaulu. “The last show was so much fun, we had to come again,” said Ron Wood of FM97, who was among the more than 300 people who purchased pre-sale tickets for the show featuring Princess Hanalei, Vescois, Luna, Brandy Licious Summers, Cyenna Summers and Kaiyah Passion Summers. The Hawaii Community Players brought its team and a select number of cast members from “The Rocky Horror Show” to enhance the evening with select numbers from the production that opened Jan. 17 and continues through Feb. 2 at the Puhi Theatrical Warehouse.
Bessie Oligo, Marie Aana