Yara Arts Group and the Maui Arts & Cultural Center will present “Shank’s Mare,” a collaborative puppet performance by American puppet artist Tom Lee and Japanese traditional puppeteer Koryu Nishikawa V (pictured), on Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m. at the MACC. This beautiful and detailed production combines Japanese traditional puppetry, live video projection of miniature sets and a haunting score on hammered dulcimer and Japanese shamisen and flute. Tickets are $12, $45 or $55 (half price for kids under 12); call 242-SHOW or visit www.MauiArts.org. PHOTO BY AYUMI SAKAMOTO.

MPD officers to meet with business owners

LAHAINA – Maui Police Department will speak to local business owners about Call to Action, deterring theft and crime in their businesses, on Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 7 a.m. at OfficeMax at Lahaina Gateway.

A question and answer period will follow the talk.

For more information, call Guy Harshman at 662-0011.

——————

Holy Innocents to bless animals at services celebrating St. Francis

LAHAINA – Come have your animals blessed and celebrate Holy Innocents Preschool on Sunday, Oct. 1, at 7:30 and 9 a.m.

Holy Innocents Church will be opening its doors and windows to all two- and four-legged friends. Please bring your respective pets on leashes or cages as appropriate.

Rev. Amy will be blessing not just you but your beloved pets. The church is holding its animal blessing in celebration of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis was born in the 12th century and has become the patron saint of animals and the environment, making it a popular day to bless pets.

In addition, Oct. 1 is the time of the year in which the National Association of Episcopal Schools celebrates its schools. The church and community will celebrate Holy Innocents Preschool, which was founded in 1974.

Many in the Lahaina community are alumni. On this day, all are invited to come take part in the Family Service at 9 a.m. with music to feed your child at heart and prayers simply praying for the school and keiki.

The Holy Innocents People to People Outreach Offering (HIPPO) will go directly to the preschool.

——————

Public invited to open house on community design and the West Maui Community Plan

WAILUKU – The County of Maui Department of Planning will hold an open house on community design as part of the update of the West Maui Community Plan. The event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 30, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the West Maui Senior Center at 788 Pauoa St., Lahaina.

At the open house, the public is invited to provide feedback on housing options, redevelopment opportunities, walking and biking improvements, and other topics that are important to creating livable communities.

Attendees can also learn about the community planning process, view maps and information, meet the project team and learn how the design of communities impacts our daily lives.

The informal and interactive format of the open house allows the public to attend at any time during the three-hour window.

There will be a number of “stations” for providing comments and speaking individually with Planning Department staff.

The West Maui Community Plan guides future growth in West Maui and is the first of Maui Island’s six community-specific plans to be updated since the County Council adopted the Maui Island Plan in 2012. The existing West Maui plan was adopted in 1996.

The update process involves numerous community meetings and workshops followed by the formation of a Community Plan Advisory Committee, which will review adraft updated plan and provide recommendations.

The Maui Planning Commission will then review the draft plan and provide recommendations to the Maui County Council, which ultimately adopts the plan.

More information about the West Maui Community Plan update is available at www.wearemaui.org and on Facebook and Instagram @wearemaui. For general planning information, visit www.mauicounty.gov/planning.