… Well, “Friday Night is Art Night” is making a comeback on Friday, Aug. 14, under the auspices of LAHAINATOWN ACTION COMMITTEE headed by LAC Director MATT LANE. Most of the galleries in Lahaina Town are participating, along with many of the restaurants providing appetizers. This event was hugely popular in the 1990s, and hopefully LAC can bring it back as a regular event…

… with Mainland guests in town, we went to see CIRQUE POLYNESIA at the HYATT REGENCY MAUI. I must say, I enjoyed it even more the second time around — great show!…

… and this Thursday is the opening of the three-day event “Plantation Days” at the old PIONEER MILL SMOKESTACK. The event begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 30, and 4:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. It should be a fun affair…

… and the recession rolls on with habits changing — people saving more and spending less. But if they don’t start spending, the economy will never move on, and if the banks don’t start lending instead of putting their money into Treasury Bills, we will never get out of this mess!…

… and over in Afghanistan, it is beginning to look a little alarming, as the death toll of our military is rising more each day. What worries many people is that we don’t seem to have an exit strategy. Unless we have an end date, we will never win over the Afghans, and it can only mire down with more and more casualties on both sides. Remember what happened with the Russians?…

… an item of interest I read — the two governors caught up in Zipper Gate are members of a well-connected religious organization called the “Family,” a veritable underground of religious men all through the government…

… and back on the home front, it was great to see the seniors at Lahaina Harbor welcoming the passengers on the cruise ship with music and aloha…

… and why can’t the MAUI VISITORS BUREAU fund the welcome events? LahainaTown Action Committee has said they could cut back the welcome costs to $500 per cruise ship, including music, flowers, setup, etc. That’s a manini price to pay for a huge return in visitor appreciation. Come on MVB — surely out of those millions you are funded, you can spare a few thousand for the first capitol of the Hawaiian Islands!…

… and a flash from our historic PIONEER INN — they now have on their menu beef from MAUI CATTLE COMPANY. No hormones, locally grown, and tender and delicious — even the burgers are Maui grown… 

Up Front Lahaina is a twice monthly feature. To protect his innocence, the writer chooses to remain anonymous. The views expressed in this column belong to the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of the Lahaina News staff and owners.