A crowd gathered recently at Kamehameha Iki Park to see two Diversified Crane Service cranes hoist Maui's first Hawaiian oceanic voyaging canoe, Mo‘okiha o Pi‘ilani, off the ground to weigh the canoe for the first time. The 62-foot long, 22-foot wide, double-hull canoe checked in at 20,300 pounds. Weighing the new voyaging canoe with all anchors and gear onboard is part of the registration process with the U.S. Coast Guard. Capt. Timi Gilliom said, “The next big milestone is putting the canoe on her trailer and hauling her to the launch site. This canoe is just too big to launch here at our beach. She won’t clear the reef.” Volunteers are welcome at the voyaging canoe's dry dock at 525 Front St. every day starting at 9 a.m. Hui o Wa‘a Kaulua crew members and volunteers also offer free video presentations to the public on the history of Hawaiian voyaging. For information, visit www.huiowaa.org. PHOTO BY KATHERINE KAMA‘EMA‘E SMITH.

Nominations sought for Outstanding Older American Awards

WAILUKU – The Maui County Office on Aging seeks nominations for Maui County’s 46th annual Outstanding Older American Male and Female of Maui County. The awards program is held each May in conjunction with Older Americans Month to recognize elders across the nation for their extraordinary efforts and contributions to society.

Nominees for the awards must be 65 years of age or older and a resident of Maui County. Any individual, club or organization may nominate candidates for the award. Previous winners are not eligible for nomination.

Nomination forms are available by calling 270-7755, online at “http://www.mauicountyadrc.org”>www.mauicountyadrc.org or by e-mailing mcoa.adrc@mauicounty.org. The deadline to return completed nomination forms is 4:30 p.m. on Monday, March 31, to the J. Walter Cameron Center, Attn: OOA Committee, 95 Mahalani St., Room 20, Wailuku, HI 96793. Completed forms may also be faxed to 270-7935 or e-mailed to mcoa.adrc@mauicounty .gov.

The awards will be presented at a luncheon on Tuesday, May 6, at the Maui Beach Hotel’s Elleair Rainbow Ballroom from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The annual awards program recognizes older Americans for their contributions and provides them with information to help them stay healthy and active. This year, the national focus is on injury prevention with the theme “Safe Today, Healthy Tomorrow.”

On Wednesday, March 26, the Friends of Haleakala National Park will sponsor a presentation by Don Reeser entitled “Historical Feral Animal Control in Hawaii’s National Parks.” The free presentation will begin at 7 p.m. in the Hannibal Tavares Community Center’s pool-side multi-purpose room in Pukalani. The public is invited, and light refreshments will be served. Reeser, who served for 17 years as Haleakala Park superintendent and 11 years as Hawaii Volcanoes chief of resources management, will tell from his first-hand experiences the political and bureaucratic difficulties in establishing a successful feral animal program that has now become the standard for protecting Hawaii national parks and other natural areas in the state. The photo by Reeser shows an enclosure on the Big Island in 1970, where regeneration was prolific once goats were kept fenced out.

Older adults in Maui County have been celebrated for their contributions and achievements every year since 1968. Wendell Crockett was the first Maui County recipient of the prestigious award in 1968; last year’s awardees were Diane Logsdon of Kula and Richard Endsley of Lahaina. To date, 89 older adult volunteers have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to Maui County.

For more information, call the Maui County Office on Aging at 270-7755 or visit www.mauicountyadrc.org.

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Lahaina Hongwanji Mission to hold Spring Bazaar

LAHAINA – Lahaina Hongwanji Mission is holding its annual Spring Bazaar on Saturday, March 22, on the church grounds at 551 Wainee St. from 8 a.m. to noon.

One of the leading traditional Irish ensembles of today, Danú will perform on Thursday, March 20, in the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Castle Theater at 7:30 p.m. Hailing from historic County Waterford, Danú (named after the Celtic moon goddess) features virtuoso players on flute, tin whistle, fiddle, button accordion, bouzouki, and vocals in both Irish and English. Danú has earned dozens of awards and hundreds of five-star reviews for their nine critically acclaimed recordings and performances on over 1,000 stages around the globe. Tickets are $12, $28 or $38; call 242-SHOW.

Craft items, rummage, plants, fresh cut flowers, baked goods, assorted sushi and other food items will be available for sale.

Tickets can be purchased in advance for bento lunches, chow fun, nishime and ono huli chicken. Contact Noosh Nishihara at 870-6478 for tickets or more information.

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County to offer health workshop in Lahaina

WAILUKU – The County of Maui will sponsor a “Better Choices, Better Health” workshop series on six Thursdays in Lahaina at Kaiser Permanente.

Dr. Charles Littnan will discuss the endangered Hawaiian monk seal at Maui Ocean Center’s free Sea Talk on Thursday, March 27, from 6 to 7 p.m. Littnan, the lead scientist and supervisory research ecologist for NOAA’s Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program, will present video footage of the world through the monk seal’s eyes and discuss efforts to protect Hawaii’s seals. Sea Talks are held at Maui Ocean Center’s Open Ocean exhibit. The presentation is approximately one hour with a question and answer session to follow. Seating is limited; reservations are highly recommended by calling 270-7088. Entry is through the aquarium’s front gate from 5:30 to 6 p.m.  

Classes will be held from March 27 through May 1 from 9 to 11:30 a.m.

“Better Choices, Better Health” is an evidence-based educational Health Aging Program designed to help people manage their chronic conditions and overall health through achievable action plans for improving nutrition, exercise, relaxation, communication skills, medication management and more.

Participants receive a book, “Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions,” and a relaxation CD called “Time for Healing.”

Cost is $10 for individuals age 60 and over and for caregivers of any age. Cost is $35 for participants under 60; scholarships are available.

For more information, or to register, call Mary Kay Hofmann at 463-3166.

Maui Toy Works owner Robert Loera held a Kendama Jam at Lahaina Cannery Mall on March 8. Ken Vanhina won the Intermediate and Open Divisions, taking home the 15-pound Emperor Kendama trophy valued at over $150.

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Office holding drive for Maui Food Bank

LAHAINA – The dental office of Dr. Dennis Ishimoto in Lahaina Square at 840 Wainee St. (behind Maui Tacos) is holding a food drive for the Maui Food Bank this month.

Did you know that one in five kids in Maui County goes hungry daily?

Maui Food Bank provides food to over 10,000 people a month. Its most-needed items are canned meat and tuna, canned fruits and vegetables, canned meals and soups with protein, and cereal, rice and pasta.

Make your donation, and your name will be entered in a drawing to win a gift certificate to No Ka Oi Deli in Anchor Square.

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Cat Spay/Neuter Clinic slated

LAHAINA – 9th Life Hawaii is holding a free/low-cost Cat Spay/Neuter Clinic on Saturday, March 22.

The organization has sterilized more than 5,895 cats for the Maui community.

All cats are welcome, except pregnant cats. The group can sterilize cats as small as two pounds.

The suggested donation is $35, but the service is always free if paying is a hardship. 9th Life Hawaii has someone who can transport the cats from Lahaina to its fully equipped Upcountry surgery clinic. Cats are returned later the same day to the pick-up location. It’s important to sterilize male cats also to eliminate spraying and fighting.

Call 573-3365 and leave your name, address, phone number and e-mail address, so 9th Life Hawaii can send you a surgical consent form to register for upcoming clinics. Register now, because the spay/neuter slots fill up fast.