A Maui Interscholastic League surf meet was held on Saturday in fun waves at Lahaina Harbor. Here, Dante Silva of Maui Preparatory Academy launches on his way to winning the boys shortboard division. PHOTO BY GLEN PASCUAL.

Lahaina Sunset Rotary to lead Earth Day beach cleanup

LAHAINA – Residents and visitors are invited to join an Earth Day beach cleanup led by the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset on Sunday, April 23, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Community volunteers are asked to meet at 8:15 a.m. at The Whaler, 2481 Kaanapali Parkway. Teams of volunteers will clean Kaanapali Beach.

The Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset will provide trash collection bags, plastic gloves and bottled water for volunteers.

To ensure ample supplies are on hand for the cleanup, volunteers are asked to register by calling Katie Zimmerman at (808) 280-8986.

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Starry Night Cinema series continues with “Sing” on Friday, April 21, in the A&B Amphitheater. Gates open at 6 p.m., and the free movie starts at 7:30 p.m. “Sing” is a full-length animated feature originally released in December 2016 about a stage-struck koala bear who wants to put on the world’s greatest singing competition to save his beloved theater. Bring your beach chairs and blankets to lay back and enjoy the show. Festivities start when the gates open, so come early and grab a good spot!

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County announces Lahaina Civic Center expansion

LAHAINA – Mayor Alan Arakawa signed a new lease with the State of Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC) to obtain approximately 20 more acres of land adjacent to Lahaina Civic Center.

The agreement with the HHFDC allows the county to lease the land for a dollar a year for 65 years. The land consists of two parcel lots – one 14.6 acres and the other 5.5 acres.

“This is a great deal, not just because of the price of the lease, but because the county can now use the land for so many important things for the West Maui community,” said Mayor Alan Arakawa. “This will allow for expansions of our Maui police and fire departments, which already have facilities next to the civic center, and even allow Public Works and Parks & Recreation to develop baseyards and maintenance facilties.”

Lahaina Intermediate School will hold its 32nd annual Volleyball Tournament on April 21-22 at Lahaina Civic Center. Teams from across the county will compete in both pool and bracket play. Games are from 4 to 9 p.m. on Friday and resume on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. Come cheer on the Lahaina Intermediate teams as they try to defend their title. Shoyu chicken plates and kalua pig plates will be on sale throughout the tournament.  

“It was vital that we acquire the land because we are already using it for parking for the big events in West Maui,” said Parks & Recreation Director Kaala Buenconsejo.

The county spent a year negotiating the lease with the HHFDC before it was approved by their Board of Directors last October. The Maui County Council unanimously approved the deal earlier this month during its second reading.

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Donate books to Maui Friends of the Library

Used books donated regularly to the Savers store on Dairy Road that closed recently can now find a new home at three bookstores operated by Maui Friends of the Library (MFOL).

First-graders at Maui Preparatory Academy recently organized a cat food drive for the nonprofit Lanai Cat Sanctuary. On Saturday, April 8, the kids presented a storage box full of cat food, cat toys and over $120 to donate to the sanctuary. The sanctuary has over 500 cats in its care and relies on donations for funding. For more information, visit lanaicatsanctuary.org/.

“We urge residents who brought 4,000 books a month to Savers to now donate them to our three stores on the third floor of Wharf Cinema Center, at Queen Ka’ahumanu Center and at the Puunene location behind the old sugar mill. Otherwise, they are likely to go into the landfill,” said MFOL President John Tryggestad. “Donations to the three stores help support Maui’s eight county libraries. The nonprofit gifts $10,000 a year to each library to run programs and purchase periodicals and other materials.”

The stores accept books as well as CDs, DVDs and videos in good condition. Donations are tax-deductible.