TGIFr!day

Week of Friday, January 5, 2018 | Vol. 6, No. 1

Check da Scene

LOOKING GOOD RUSSELL

Grinds & Da Kines For Your Weekend

Island icon turns 20

www.kauaicountyfarmbureau.org • www.facebook.com/KauaiCountyFarmBureau

SATURDAYS 9:30am –1pm

On the Kauai Community College Campus

Get Your Fresh, Locally Grown Fruits and Vegetables And Lead A Fruitful Life in 2018!

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2 | TGIFR!DAY | January 5, 2018

RUSSELL THE ROOSTER TURNS 20 T wenty years and nearly 300 shows later, one might expect Russell Da Rooster to show some signs of aging.

Maybe moving a little slower.

Being more cautious. Needing more rest.

But old Russell keeps proving that he’s just getting started – even getting married.

He and Silkie, a “beautiful puppet,” will wed next week at the Japanese Garden at Kukuiolono Golf Course and it promises to be the ceremony of the decade, with about a dozen puppets and people in attendance.

Old Russell has long been sharing aloha, spreading good news and helping keiki learn about environment, native species, history and community events around Kauai. He’s often joined by sidekick, Calvin Barker brought to life by Will Welsh, and filmed by camera man and technical director, Robert Zelkovsky.

The first show aired Nov. 8, 1997 on Garden Island Cable. After 20 years, they’re still talking, still teaching, still being part of Kauai through the eyes of Russell and Calvin.

“We’re very grateful for how far we’ve gotten,” said Mark Jeffers, creator and voice of Russell the Rooster.

“We’re like a well-oiled machine.

A lot of oil, not much machine,” Welsh said, laughing.

This trio, in fact, has been together for two decades of the popular show filmed at Storybook Theatre in Hanapape and locations around the island and broadcast on Spectrum.

“The improvisational style we’ve done has taken us a lot of miles,” Jeffers said.

Those miles have featured lessons in wisdom, laughter and love.

“If a rooster and a dog can form a cross-species friendship, then anybody should be able to,” said a smiling Welsh.

Zelkovsky agreed.

“Anyone can be friends,” he said.

“I think that’s important.”

Zelkovsky, the man behind the lens, said the three men have a great friendship and veasy working relationship. Plus, they are good at winging it.

“Ninety percent of what we’ve done has been ad-libbed — one take,” he said.

Photo courtesy Mark Jeffers

Robert Zelkovsky, left, Will Welsh, center, and Calvin Barker, and Mark Jeffers and Russell Da Rooster, at the Historic County Building.

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TGIFR!DAY | January 5, 2018 | 3

The show, Jeffers added, is about friendships.

“We want to see the world from the children’s point of view. How do children look at the world around them?

It’s kind of like the innocence we come about with the program,” Jeffers said.

Starting out Jeffers said Russell’s roots go back to his teenage years when his aunt took him to meet Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. That show featured puppets, music and creative learning.

Later, Jeffers studied puppetry at the University of Hawaii. He also met crew members of Sesame Street who vacationed in Hawaii, and learned about puppetry from them, too.

He has a degree in early childhood education and founded a preschool in Honolulu. He believes it’s critical that their imaginations grow.

“They need to be able to imagine, and puppets help them to do that,” he said.

When Jeffers, Welsh and

Zelkovsy met, it was not long after Hurricane Iniki in 1992.

They wanted to help young people understand their experiences, their stress and they wanted to help restore the value of childhood that had been lost on the island after the storm.

“We started talking about what if we did something for children,” Zelkovsky said.

They chatted about filming on locations around the island, magazine style, and bringing keiki into places they don’t normally get to — learning while having fun.

A tribute to keiki that was all about keiki.

It worked.

“It’s real positive television, that’s what I like about it,” Zelkovsky said.

Their longtime home has been at the historic Storybook Theatre, for which they have a long-term lease and Jeffers is credited with saving from demolition and overseeing its restoration.

“I believe we have in 20 years very much contributed to what you see now, which

is plenty of aloha for children, lots of children’s activities, people considering children when they produce an event.

I believe we contributed to that,” Jeffers said.

This show, by the way, isn’t just for keiki.

People tell them today, they remember being on the Russell Da Rooster Show when they were children.

“We have a lot of seniors who enjoy it because it reminds them of a simpler time,” Jeffers said.

A puppet’s life Over 20 years, they have created 270 half-hour shows and several specials. Last year, they shot during the Ka‘iulani Festival and filmed a Christmas special. They’ve also visited fun runs, the Coast Guard and community parades. A favorite episode was when they traveled to the Big Island for a look at volcanoes.

“There are serendipitous things that happen that are so beautiful,” Jeffers said.

SEE ROOSTER, PAGE 6

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4 | TGIFR!DAY | January 5, 2018

VIVA VERDE

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Restaurant hits the mark with focus on food, service

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Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

A customer enters verde, Lihue at the Hokulei Shopping Village.

f you’re looking for a restaurant that’s clean, bright and wide open, Verde in your place.

The restaurant at Hokulei Village, which opened last year, has quickly gained a foothold with those who want a place for a nice, easy meal for lunch and a relaxing place to chat before heading back to work.

Nothing too complicated here. Nothing tricky. Nothing too crazy. It does the basics very well, which is, frankly, what people expect and want and most of the time, all they ask for.

A recent visit there for lunch came and went without any surprises. Quickly seated at a table, server arrived within a few minutes, food came shortly.

The Crispy Taco Salad, $12, was exactly as advertised. Crispy flour tortilla shell, local greens, tomatoes, guacamole, sour creams,

pico de gallo and cheese with homemade chile-lime dressing.

The Veggie Stacked Enchilada, $17, came with three corn tortillas layered with sauteed seasonable veggies, guacamole, cheese and green chile sauce. Add a side of guacamole for $2.

You can tell how good the food is anywhere simply by how much and how quickly diners eat. Safe to say, my friend and I left nothing on the plate and it didn’t take long to get it that way, either. We have perfected the art of carrying on a conversation while feeding our faces without attracting too much attention.

Verde, which originated in Kapaa and has been there 10 years, serves up generous portions of tacos, burritos, taco salads and tostadas. It’s described as not your traditional Mexican food, but “cleaner and

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TGIFR!DAY | January 5, 2018 | 5

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Yukiko Flores welcomes guests to the Verde, Lihue at the Hokulei Shopping Village.

healthier.” Some of the most popular choices are the fish tacos, taco salad and ultimate chicken burritos.

Verde emphasizes it uses local farmers for their seasonal ingredients, the fresh vegetables and grass-fed beef. It also points out it has vegetarian and gluten-free options.

This is not a place with tons of ambiance or character that’s going to knock your socks off. But remember, the theme here is more of clean and healthy, bright and airy.

The Lihue location serves the same menu as the one in Kapaa. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

If there is something that could be improved, it seems the tables are a bit close together so if the folks near you are loud talkers, you can’t help but overhear pretty much everything they want to share.

That said, this is a nice stopping point. It focuses on food and service over comfy chairs and decorative art on the wall. And that is proving to be a winning combination.

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Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Jemme Haupt of verde, Lihue serves up an Adovada Burrito with green chile sauce, and a Crispy Taco Salad at the restaurant in the Hokulei Shopping Village.

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6 | TGIFR!DAY | January 5, 2018

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

of Time and Space”!

Wow, right?!

This short but memorable tale penned by author Mike Dooley is a fun and fascinating look at ourselves and our place in the universe.

It can be read as a myth, as science fiction, as fantasy, CYNTHIA & ED JUSTUS as philosophy, or even as SPECIAL TO TGIFR!DAY metaphysics. But the words, contained within this leathappy 2018, readers! er-like royal blue cover with And do we have a gold embossed writing, have surprise for you! the ability to inspire, make An adventurer’s passport and journal called “An Adven- us ponder and contemplate, and gives us an opportunity turer’s Guide to the Jungles

H

to look at the world and our lives a little differently!

Just in time for 2018 and all our many new year’s resolutions!

The message of this astral tale is how our thoughts in the end create the life around us and how we experience it.

However, “An Adventurer’s Guide to the Jungles of Time and Space” takes a very fascinating and unique approach to telling this story.

The story presents us with a group of ethereal

adventurers, who are able to instantly create whatever they have thought upon. These adventurers end up creating all of the forms of reality we know of today, but eventually they themselves become lost in their own creation— lost in the distractions of thoughts they themselves created! But… there is a way back—with the power of thought!

“Time and space aren’t quite as they seem… just magical props in a magical

Russell

Jeffers puts it in an analogy about eating junk food. Tastes good now, but eventually it catches up with you and pretty soon, you’re not feeling so great.

“If you consume junk food stories, that’s what’s going to be rolling back in here,” he said.

So it’s good stuff only

Continued from page 3

The longevity of the show can be attributed to its dedication toward providing children with a rich and rounded early life. Toward that goal, they stay positive and avoid negative.

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discoveries!

Also, the book is filled throughout with quotes and fascinating illustrations of both scientific and esoteric iconography!

To sum up, this is a great little book to get us to think!

••• Ed and Cynthia Justus are owners of The Bookstore in Hanapepe.

dream.”

The first half of the book is the tale… the latter half is a journal for your own revelations, epiphanies, and

••• Ed and Cynthia Justus are owners of The Bookstore in Hanapepe.

from Russell the Rooster and Calvin Barker.

This children’s educational program has won state and nation awards. One of the specials was “Birth of a Family.” Another focused on a tour of the islands.

And they do it on a annual budget of $15,000 to $20,000.

The show’s success can be found in its consistency and versatility, said Zelkovsky, and a respect for childhood years.

They’ve looked at literacy, environment and history, all with kids in mind.

“We’re always looking for ways to include young people in what we’re doing,” Jeffers added. “If we say anything, we always show and demonstrate respect

for young people, listening closely to them.”

If you don’t know the world of children, Jeffers said, “your approach to it is simplistic and condescending.”

“If you look at a child as though they’re always about to become something, you’re missing what this child really is,” he said. “The respect of the world of children and the child himself, is so important.”

Jeffers recounted a conversation with a young Special Olympian, who told him, “Do your best and don’t be lazy.”

“That’s exactly what we need to hear now,” he said.

And that’s exactly what Russell and Calvin are about.

Enjoy Happy Hour 2-5pm (M-F)

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CHECK DA SCENE

TGIFR!DAY | JANUARY XX, 2014 | TGIFR!DAY TGIFR!DAY| |January Sept. 30, 5, 2016 2018 | 7 7

DENNIS FUJIMOTO TGIFR!DAY

Ramon Martinez, Mara Everett

Ellie, Catherine, Charlie, Bridget Harrison - Zurich, Switzerland

Paula, Jan Rudinoff

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

W Maria, Cate, Don Vu - California

Marissa Tanji, Kalena Kazen-Batteiger

Liz Hahn

Marielle Rocca - California, Louis Turner - England

Justin Miguel, Geri Yotsuda - Honolulu

Peter, Gerrit, Martha Littrup - Michigan

ith the New Year, the Kauai Community Market and the Kauai Culinary Market, both partnerships with the Kauai County Farm Bureau, bring new items and vendors to their respective marketplaces.

The Kauai Culinary Market is held Wednesdays from 3:30 to 6 p.m. at The Shops at Kukuiula with entertainment, and a special chef’s demonstration starting at 5 p.m. It is a partnership with The Shops at Kukuiula.

Saturdays are the dates for the Kauai Community Market which is a partnership with the Kauai Community College at the Kauai CC parking lot adjacent to Kaumuali‘i Highway in Puhi.

The market opens from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and offers fresh produce, flowers, and food, sometimes spiced with live entertainment.

Jeffrey Andres, Laurena Silva

8 | TGIFR!DAY | January 5, 2018