For those of you who don’t know, E Kanikapila Kakou is the “Legacy of Hawaiian Music,” and 12-week program in Hawaiian music taught by some of the best composers and musicians to ever grace our island. If you are planning a vacation on Kauai during the time of this amazing program, you simply have to plan on stopping by to see these musicians play.

Starting on January 29th, there will be concerts and classes taking place at the Jasmine Ballroom (located inside the Kauai Beach Resort). The first day, Dennis Kamakahi and Stephen Inglis will be in concert at the Ballroom. Tickets will cost $20 in advance or $30 at the door, but the music will likely be unforgettable.

After this opening concert, many more “Donation at the Door” concerts will take place over the next few days and weeks, culminating in another $20-$30 concert given by Nathan Aweau and Jeff Peterson on March 31st at 7pm. Each concert, other than the first and last, will take place on a Monday night from 6-9pm, and an assortment of artists will be performing. But if you aren’t quite sure what to expect, it’s better I tell you now.

This music program has been an ongoing event for over 30 years. And those of us who call Kauai our home get pretty excited about the music and the opportunities to play along. (That’s right; I said play along.) So when you come, if you see most of the audience singing and playing along (or dancing in the aisles as we are known to do), please don’t be alarmed. This is perfectly normal. You can simple sit and enjoy the show or you can get up and join us. Your choice.

Do you love your dog? Do you enjoy taking your pooch on long walks? Would you like to help the Kauai Humane Society and Malama Pono Health Services save lives? Are you and your dog going to be on Kauai Saturday the 21st?

Then I have an event for you.

On January 21st at 11am, there will be a Doggie Walk to Save Lives. Each doggie/human pair will be charged $25 to raise money for the above listed services. What do you get in return? Well, how about a great 1-2 mile walk with your best animal friend? There will also be free hot dogs and refreshments for lunch, prizes, and the beautiful Kauai sunshine to enjoy.

It’s going to be a great event.

Now, I’ll admit that I don’t have a dog. BUT my fiancée does, so a dog is in my near future. And I’m excited about it. I haven’t had a dog since I was a little girl, and taking a long walk with this little guy sounds like a wonderful day.

So come and join us for a day of doggies! You can have some fun, raise some money, and enjoy the company of other dog owners like yourself.

If you love music like I do, then this Sunday on Kauai is the place to be. There will be two wonderful musical opportunities to visitors and residents alike: “From These Roots” and Brunch at the Garden Café.

“From These Roots” is going to be, according to their posters, “an evening of Spiritual Jazz and R&B featuring Gabrielle Goodman with special guest Matthew Truss.” Sound interesting? Well then be at the KCC Performing Arts Center in Puhi at 3pm for the show. Tickets are $15/person and you can find out more information at the Kauai Concert Association.

But what will you do with your day before 3pm? How about more music! From 9am until 2pm, come to The Garden Café in Kilauea for brunch with a live performance from Domonic James. The Garden Café has a wonderful assortment of organic foods that are downright scrumptious to the palette. PLUS, you’ll get to listen to some of Domonic’s best music. (If you want to listen to a bit of his music before making the effort to visit Kilauea, click here.)

What better way to spend a Sunday than listening to some amazingly talented musicians here on Kauai. So if you will be visit this weekend, please check out one of these venues. I think you’ll be glad that you did.

Looking for an indoor event to attend this Saturday with your family? Well, I know of a great way to spend the day. Not only will you have fun, dance, eat, and see great costumes, but you will also learn a lot about Filipino Culture. That’s right – It’s Ohana Day!

The Kauai Museum in Lihue is hosting this fun family event on Saturday, January 7th, from 10am until 1pm. If you come, you can shop inside the museum gift shop as well as several booths that will be set up. You can also eat at one of the food booths, do crafts or purchase crafts at one of the crafting booths, and walk around the museum.

And of course no day is complete without some music and dancing! There will be live entertainment and dancing for all, plus a few cultural displays for those interested. Residents of the island get into this event free, so you can bet I’ll make an appearance. Visitors to our island will be charged a small fee, though that price has also been severely discounted.

So come and join us for a day of learning about Filipino culture. It should be fun and educational. And join us each month at the museum for similar cultural events, celebrating our multicultural heritage.

Fireworks are great and they are family friendly. But if you are over 21 and you want to have a bit more fun on New Years Eve, why not go to a party?

This year, Kilohana’s Luau Pavillion in Lihue is hosting an indoor celebration, complete with live music and a lot of dancing! The purpose of the celebration is to honor Kilohana’s 25 Years of Tradition, to benefit the YMCA, and to let us have a bunch of fun. The night will start off with some tunes by Kawili, the opening band. Then will come the awesomeness of MAKANA.

Will there be alcohol? Yes. Does this mean that no one under 21 can be admitted? Yes. So if you are looking for a family event to attend, this isn’t it. However, if you want to party, dance, drink, and kiss someone at midnight, this is your event.

The party will go from 7pm New Years Eve until 1am New Years Day. The price of admission is $35 at the door or $30 if you buy your ticket in advance. So come to Lihue and dance the night away with us. I can practically guarantee a great time!

See you in 2012!

Wasn’t Christmas wonderful? Seriously, I love spending time with my family and friends, decorating the tree, singing carols, eating until I burst, enjoying the spirit of the season, and generally having a great time. And when it’s over, I’m sad a little. It’s like riding a high of happiness and then having your wave fizzle out.

But that’s why we celebrate New Years.

Okay, that isn’t why we celebrate exactly, but it sure helps. After Christmas, we know that we can look forward and ahead to New Years and all of the refreshing change that a new year brings. Resolutions get written, fresh starts are made, and 2012 is about to begin.

If you are on Kauai, you can come out and celebrate this wonderful changing with us. Saturday, December 31st at Poipu Beach Park, there will be a fireworks display to ring in the New Year. This high-flying, brightly-colored, evening event will take place at 9:30pm, so you’ll want to be in position to watch the fun.

Usually, I head down to the beach with a towel, find a sandy spot, and cuddle up under a blanket for a fireworks event. Then I can watch the whole sky filled with lights. You can do the same. Simply drive to Poipu and find a good spot. Bring some friends or your loved ones, and enjoy your last evening of 2011.

Well, today I discovered an activity here on Kauai that I have never done before: the annual Christmas Bird Count. A friend was telling me about this little event. Let me relay what I have learned.

Each year, a group of Kokee Museum workers and volunteers join together to trek into the wild unknowns on Kauai and count birds. According to my friend, this is a fun day of bird watching and hiking, perfect for the outdoory type. She is a birdwatcher, so this event is perfect for her each year. She also takes her brother with her, who doesn’t care about birds but loves exercise. It’s a great bonding day for them.

So, if you are a birdwatcher or a hiker and you are going to be on Kauai on Saturday, December 17th, head to the Kokee Museum! You’ll have a great time and meet some new friends.

So what are you doing tonight? Are you sitting at home with no where to go? Do you want to do something fun and family oriented to do? Do you like Christmas lights?

Today kicks off another season of the Festival of Lights, every Friday–Sunday evening at 6PM until Christmas. I think I probably wrote about this festival last year, because I always go at least one night of the month. But I’m going to write about it again for those of you who might not have read this blog a year ago.

The Festival of Lights on Kauai is a wonderful tradition on Kauai of fun, family, lights, Santa, art, and awesome! Held in Kauai’s Historic County Building, come and watch as the entire area is decked in lights and comes alive with Christmas spirit. The interior of the building will be ready for Christmas with large and small decorations to grab the imagination of your whole family. Plus, with a theme like “Santa’s Gone Kauaiian,” it should be a ton of fun.

First of all, this festival celebrates the beautiful Christmas Folk Art of Auntie Josie Chansky. So you can walk around and see her creations: a true Kauaiian national treasure. You can also wander amongst our own special island Christmas touches, like Christmas waterfalls and scenes cut into ice. Santa will surf into the party on a sleigh pulled by roosters (and for those of you who missed my posts about chickens, let me just tell you that the roosters will fit the theme nicely). And each Christmas tree will be decorated with a different theme.

And don’t worry – you won’t be bored. I’ve been to lighting ceremonies at Christmas that completely wasted my time. We stood around forever, Santa came, he flipped a switch, lights came on, and Santa wished everyone a Merry Christmas. That was it. Then everyone went home. This is not like that. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be around to greet everyone, there will be celebrating and maybe even a little performance by Santa, and the night will stick in your memories as one to remember.

Want to learn more about this festival? Well, you can visit the official website for more information.