Up Front Lahaina
… Well, the political season is in full swing with every square inch of billboard space taken up with signs — many of them there without permission of the property owners…
… and the KAMEHAMEHA DAY PARADE was a success — about the only thing missing was music, and they’ll tackle that next year. Congratulations to DARYL FUJIWARA and MATTHEW ERICKSON for a job well done…
… and have you contacted the HAWAII TOURISM AUTHORITY objecting to their choice of a heritage site for Maui at the IAO VALLEY STATE MONUMENT (whatever that is), instead of one of the many heritage sites in and around LAHAINA? We have some of the oldest sites in the entire state, not just Maui…
… and speaking of heritage sites, the OLD LAHAINA COURTHOUSE, the first capitol of the Hawaiian Islands, is undergoing a major facelift. The ancient floors will be upgraded and the staircase replaced. Both LAHAINATOWN ACTION COMMITTEE and LAHAINA ARTS SOCIETY have vacated for a month, and what a job that was — all those heavy antique furniture pieces moved…
… one of the great finds in the move was the 1800s Post Office counter with its highly polished top and drawers intact. It will be moved back into the Lahaina Visitor Center with its own descriptive plaque. Meanwhile, the visitor center will operate across the street courtesy of the WHARF CINEMA CENTER mauka of DA KITCHEN AT THE WHARF. LAHAINA ARTS SOCIETY will be temporarily located in the Old Jail Gallery in the courthouse basement…
… and in other news, LahainaTown Action Committee and Lahaina Arts Society have announced the 2011 Lahaina Poster Contest will be judged on Friday, Sept. 10, and the winners will be announced at a reception for participating artists — more on this later…
… and over the pond, the oil spill tragedy continues — how can a company as large and as wealthy as BP have such appalling public relations from the very top down? Can you believe BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg, who stated that BP “cares about the small people?” Managers at all levels make statements that are contradicted by managers at other levels. CEO Tony Hayward decided he would get his life back and flew off to the Isle of Wight to participate in a yacht race. Guaranteed he’ll have his life back when he returns to the Gulf, but not exactly the way he wanted!…
… China is considering a more flexible exchange rate for its currency. The Yuan was frozen against the dollar ostensibly to keep Chinese manufacturing complete amid weak global demand. Well, I’ll tell you the reason for the weak demand of Chinese goods — the quality is trash. The rubber bands break on contact, ball-point pens last less than a week, packing tape won’t stick and staplers break after a week, to mention a few. Not to mention the contaminated food, dangerous children’s toys, etc. Who wants to buy anything “Made in China?”…
… but back to our fish and poi — Maui Chamber of Commerce is inching up to the Fourth of July Fireworks funding goal. Hopefully, they’ll go over, which will provide a base for next year’s event. So, all you West Maui businesses, dig as deep as you can to keep this great Lahaina event going…
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.