TGIFr!day

Grinds & Da Kines For Your Weekend

Week of Friday, December 27, 2013 | Vol. 1, No. 33

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2 | TGIFR!DAY | DECEMBER 27, 2013

IN THIS ISSUE:

OUT & ABOUT: TOP PICKS FOR THE WEEK FRI SAT SUN

Top picks for the week

ALOHA FRIDAY NIGHTS 7 TO 8 P.M. KUKUI GROVE CENTER,

3. TUNES:

Performance by Natural Harmony.

4. New Year’s Eve events

HAKU LEI MAKING 10:30 A.M. KAUAI MUSEUM Lei-making event with Elvrine Chow.

2. OUT & ABOUT:

NYE bash

5. FLICKS:

‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’

6-7. DINING OUT KAUAI:

CENTER STAGE

Tahiti Nui

8-9. CHECK DA SCENE: Holiday Hula

STYLISTICS 7:30 P.M. KAUAI MARRIOTT RESORT

10. ISLAND CALENDAR

11. MUSIC CALENDAR

CRITTER CAMP 9 A.M. TO 3 P.M. KAUAI HUMANE SOCIETY Cost is $30 per child. www.kauaihumane. org SLACK KEY GUITAR 4 TO 6 P.M. HANALEI FAMILY COMMUNITY CENTER. Tickets $20 ($15 keiki and seniors).

Proceeds support Hale Halawai Ohana o Hanalei and this program. 826-1469.

Contact Us: www.thegardenilsland.com facebook.com/TheGardenIsland @thegardenisland

RED CROSS TRAINING CLASS 9 A.M. TO 2:30 P.M. Get trained to recognize and care for victims of illness and sudden injuries and learn how to administer CPR and use an AED for life-threatening respiratory or cardiac emergencies on adults; Cost is $90.

9 A.M. TO 3:30 P.M. Get trained to recognize and care for victims of illness and sudden injuries and life-threatening respiratory or cardiac emergencies in adults, children, and infants and learn how to use an AED. Cost is $110.

TALK STORY WITH MASON CHOCK 2 TO 4 P.M. KAPAA LIBRARY Kauai County’s newest council member.

821-2837 BEACH CLEANUP 9 A.M. TO NOON KEALIA BEACH Join the Sierra Club and Surfrider on a beach cleanup.

Look for banners at parking lot.

FENG SHUI BENEFIT WORKSHOP 10 A.M. HAPPINESS PLANTING CENTER This benefit workshop provides practical every-daytools for enhancing your health, finance, romance and family all within the context of the Feng Shui tradition.

Participants will gain an understanding of the energetic influences to be experienced during 2014, the Year of the Horse. All proceeds benefit Lawai International Center. Cost is $225.

651-8893

THU

KHS Critter Camp begins today. Cost is $30 per child.

MON TUE WED KAIOLA CANOE CLUB 5:30 P.M. NIUMALU PARK Men practices Monday and Wednesday. 651-2996 FARMER MARKETS There is a Koloa Sunshine Market at noon at Koloa Knudsen Ball Park side parking lot off Maluhia Road and a Monday Market at 3 p.m. in the parking lot behind Kmart at Kukui Grove Center.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Bill Buley | bbuley@thegardenisland.com | 245-0457 TGIFRIDAY EDITOR/CALENDAR: Chloe Marchant | cmarchant@thegardenisland.com | 245-0451 ADVERTISING: displayads@thegardenisland.com | 245-0425 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: tgiclassified@thegardenisland.com | 246-0325

WEIGHT WATCHERS 5 P.M. ST. JOHNS EPISCOPAL CHURCH Weekly Weight Watchers Meetings held same time on Tuesday.

JOE KANEHOLANI & BLAINE KANEHOLANI 4 TO 6 P.M. ROB’S GOOD TIMES BAR AND GRILL

VA RURAL HEALTH OUTREACH 9:30 A.M. HANAPEPE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST Veterans who are not using VA services are encouraged to stop by and check out what the Kauai VA Clinic can provide. Veterans are asked to bring a legible copy of their military discharge paper unless already enrolled with VA. 246-0497.

QI GONG GOLDEN 8 1 TO 2 P.M. LIHUE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER A beginning qi gong class on Thursdays. Free for all ages. This class promotes balancing the body for greater health, increasing vitality, and radiating more energy.

KAMAAINA TOUR AND CHOCOLATE TASTING 9:30 A.M. TO 12:30 P.M. PRINCEVILLE BOTANICAL GARDENS BASKET WEAVING 3 P.M. KAUAI MUSEUM 90-minute basket weaving classes with Uncle Onio weekly on Thursdays. Class fee is $25 which includes admission to museum. Reservations required. 245-6931

TGIFR!DAY | DECEMBER 27, 2013 | 3

Right: Greenstone Project, including guitarist Jerry Jona, drummer Ariki Foster, lead singer John Rivera, keyboardist Bart Skrbec and bass player Pali Carbonel, will perform during the third annual New Year’s Eve celebration at Poipu Beach Park.

Far right: A large crowd enjoys the music during last year’s New Year’s Eve celebration as the sun sets on 2012.

CHRIS D’ANGELO TGIFR!DAY

NYE bash to highlight local musicians Free festival includes food booths, children’s tent, fireworks display

F

or the third year in a row, the Poipu Beach Resort Association and Kalapaki Joe’s will host a New Year’s Eve celebration at Poipu Beach Park.

This year, Jody Valente, owner of Kalapaki Joe’s, said he and other organizers have taken a somewhat different approach.

“More local live music!” he said. “Giving these bands an opportunity to showcase

their talent to our visitors as well as our local community.”

It is a step in the right direction, according to Valente.

All about using the festival — which draws upwards of 4,000 people — to promote local artists.

“Locally, the event is growing immensely,” he said. “It’s such a big, wonderful event.”

The free festival begins at 5 p.m. with live music, food booths and a children’s tent,

and culminates with a fireworks display at 9:20 p.m.

Featured bands include Russell Wellington, Cruz Control, The Greenstone Project and homegrown reggae band Revival. And all will perform with the Pacific Ocean as their backdrop.

Food booths will be set up around the main county pavilion at Poipu Beach Park and spotlight local fare from

members of the Poipu Beach Resort Association. Food vendors include Kalapaki Joe’s and Uncle’s Shave Ice. The Keiki Tent, sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club of Kauai, will be located next to the beach playground and feature Hawaiian games. The tent is complimentary, but donations to the club are recommended.

“It’s a very family friendly event,” Valente said. “Enjoy

the ocean view, the whales, the sunset … So many things that make the day complete, and a lot of it has to do with our natural resources.”

Parking in the Poipu area is on a first come, first serve basis, and those who plan to attend are asked to be mindful of no parking signage.

For more information, visit kalapakijoes.com or www. poipubeach.org.

4 | TGIFR!DAY | DECEMBER 27, 2013

REVIEW ASSOCIATED PRESS JESSICA HERNDON

‘Mitty’ Stiller’s strong dramatic turn M

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arketed as Ben Stiller’s bend toward drama, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” finds the actor, who also directed the feature, seemingly exuding super-human strength while jumping between buildings and battling his nemesis as they surf asphalt.

The lampoon-like scenarios seem far too fanciful when attempting to take Stiller seriously. But these are just the narratives the title character weaves in his mind. In reality, Walter Mitty, played by a poised and sincere Stiller, is an insecure photo editor with an affinity for daydreaming.

Adapted from a short story of the same name, which was written by James Thurber and was published in 1939 in The New Yorker, the outlandish scenes in “Mitty” bring the most memorable element of the original tale — reality bending — to the forefront.

Thurber’s sarcastic narrative found Walter Mitty at odds with his bickering wife and escaping his humdrum life by daydreaming he was a war hero, surgeon and sharp shooter. The first rendering of “Mitty,” which maintained Thurber’s comedic tone, was realized on film in 1947. It starred Danny Kaye, who this time, battled with an overbearing mother.

Written by Steven Conrad, the contemporary rendition, in which Jim Carey was originally supposed to star, sees the real world altered with such wild inflection that it’s hard to digest.

Visual techniques like interspersing the text of the opening credits into Walter’s surroundings, prove to be the most innovative and clever effect of the picture. Luckily, the CGI-marred moments flood only the first 30 minutes of the film, allowing for a loaded, inspiring experience familiar to other serious Conrad works like “The

Pursuit of Happyness.”

In the new “Mitty,” Stiller’s Walter works at Life magazine, which is transitioning from print to digital. A brilliantly vexing Adam Scott plays Ted Hendricks, the ringleader of a band of executives who’ve come to supervise the completion of the last issue and fire a large chunk of the magazine’s staff.

In this take, the women aren’t nags. Shirley MacLaine, who plays Stiller’s mother, Edna, and Kathryn Hahn, who plays his sister, Odessa, are quite pleasant and supportive. It’s Ted who acts as the villain. He takes to bullying Walter, who must pin down the negative image for the final issue’s cover. Walter consistently spaces out, especially when he’s fantasizing about his co-worker, Cheryl (played sweetly

by Kristen Wiig).

Unable to locate the image, which was shot by a long-standing Life magazine photographer, Sean O’Connell (an explorer superbly pronounced by Sean Penn), Walter heads to Greenland where he hopes to find Sean and his coveted shot.

Once there, Walter jumps out of a helicopter only to be nearly eaten by a shark when landing in the ocean. It’s such a heart-pounding experience that even Walter wonders if what he just endured was real. But, alas, Walter’s finally having actual adventures, as his capacity for taking risks increases.

In the midst of more action — Walter skateboards down a hill in Iceland and escapes an erupting volcano — he receives recurring calls from an eHarmony customer service rep (a facetious Patton Oswalt), who is determined to help Walter make his dull online dating profile more appealing.

TGIFR!DAY | DECEMBER 27, 2013 | 5

Ringing in the New Year with style DARIN MORIKI TGIFR!DAY

T

he new year is only five days away, queria will also host a celebration of its and several Kauai restaurants are own from 9 p.m. to midnight featuring gearing up to ring in 2014 with music from “The Quake Kauai.” style.

For more information, call 742Tortilla Republic Grill at the Shops at 8884.

Kukuiula in Poipu will offer a $59 fourAt the Kauai Beach Resort in Lihue, course prix fixe dinner menu between Naupaka Terrace will be hosting a New 5:30 to 10 p.m. New Year’s Eve. Year’s Eve buffet dinner menu from 6 The party continues immediately to 9 p.m. for $38 for adults and $19 for afterward in The Sky Lounge, featuring children 5 to 12 years old. Children ages drinks, dancing and music from DJ Jon 4 and under eat for free.

Buono Party, beginning at 10 p.m. and After dinner, the celebration will ending at 2 a.m. New Year’s Day. continue at Shutters Lounge beginning Tortilla Republic Margarita Bar & Ta- at 9:30 p.m. and featuring live Hawaiian

music from “Kanihou,” including Greg Mira, Garret Santos and Darryl Gonzales.

The celebration will continue until 12:30 a.m. and a complimentary champagne toast will be made at midnight to ring in the new year.

RumFire Poipu Beach at the Sheraton Kauai Resort in Poipu, according to an event flier, will “roll in this New Year like it’s 1922” in honor of “The Great Gatsby,” the famous 1925 F. Scott Fitzgerald novel turned into a successful Warner Bros. movie that was released in May. The celebration, which includes a

“vintage glamour” dress code, will kick off at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday night with an $80 seafood buffet that will be served until 9:30 p.m.

From there, an after hours event beginning at 10 p.m. and featuring music from “The Synapses,” dancing and, yes, champagne will continue until 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Tickets for the after-hours event is $20, but admission to celebrants who paid for the seafood buffet is complimentary.

For more information, call 7424786.

6 | TGIFR!DAY | DECEMBER 27, 2013

TGIFR!DAY | DECEMBER 27, 2013 | 7

Welcome home

Tahiti Nui has been part of Kauai for 50 years

PHOTOS, STORY BY BILL BULEY TGIFR!DAY

“G

ordo” says it straight.

No need for too many words to put it just right: There’s no place like Tahiti Nui. “It’s the only place like this.

The history, the people, everything about it appeals to me,” he said. “It’s not trying to be something that it isn’t.”

Gordo, whose real name is Jeff Gordon, has been playing with the band “Gunga LaGunga” at the Hanalei bar for around three years.

When he’s not performing, you can find him there, sipping a beer, talking story, enjoying life.

He considers Tahiti Nui the place to be on Kauai. Stop in for a visit, have a drink, head to the beach for surfing, stop back again later, listen to music if he’s not playing. You might even spot somebody famous.

It’s casual, easygoing and a

bit renowned ever since they shot scenes there with George Clooney for the 2011 movie, “The Descendants.”

“It’s a local bar,” Gordo said.

“Tourists come here and they love it, but it’s really a local bar.”

Whether the seats are packed and a band is playing or there’s just a few folks and it’s quiet,

there’s something special about Tahiti Nui, says Gordo. You can see it. And what you can’t see, you can sense.

“It’s the best thing ever. We don’t play anywhere else cause I don’t want to play anywhere else,” he said. “It’s awesome. It’s absolutely perfect.”

Tahiti Nui recently marked 50 years on Kauai.

Nanea Marston, general manager, is quick to credit its success to her grandmother, Louise Marston, who started Tahiti Nui in May 1963.

Her late grandmother was

Tahiti Nui. She was genuine, welcoming and loving, and people felt that, even upon meeting her for the first time.

“She really just adored people.

It was her everything,” Nanea said. “It wasn’t just a job or a place for work. She remembered people 20 years later who would come in. It was incredible.”

Sit down in Tahiti Nui. Look around. What you see is what you get. It is, as Nanea and others point out, real. Very real. There’s a strong sense of history. It’s ingrained in the walls, the ceiling, the floor. It’s in the bar and the tables. It’s in the many pictures on the walls. Nothing pretentious.

Nothing fake.

You can almost hear the laughs that have echoed there during the past five decades. You can see the smiles. You can feel the magic of the music.

Countless birthdays, anniversaries, promotions and reunions have been celebrated here. Conversations have unfolded on the outside deck and the inside dining area over burgers and beer. Everything here says relax. Kick back. Talk story. Enjoy life.

So they do.

“There’s not many frills here,” says Nanea as she sits at the bar

DELIVERY AVAILABLE ISLANDWIDE

at most restaurants and bars.

There’s full lunch and dinner menus. There’s an array of draft and bottled beers and bartenders can mix up any drink. It’s open seven days a week.

Tuesday and Thursday’s tend to be the busier, livelier nights with music filling the air.

Mondays tend to be a little on the quiet side, a bit more open, the perfect time to meet old and new friends..

Wednesday’s, the traditional

246-4833 Financing & Delivery Available

1543 HALEUKANA ST. • LIHUE (808) 212-8320 • www. RightSlice.com

during a Saturday afternoon.

“There’s not a lot of fluff. It’s a real place. The core of all of us is the same. We’re a big family.

We genuinely care. I think that’s probably why it’s been able to continue.”

“What makes us different, it’s personality,” she said.

“I enjoy seeing people happy.

I enjoy people coming and being able to relax.”

Tahiti Nui has a staff of about 40. It offers what you would find

Serving The Kauai ‘Ohana Since 1992

HAND-ROLLED BUTTER CRUST PIES! • Fruit Pies • Cream Pies • Weddings & Special Occasions • Savory Pies & Specialty Pies!

OPEN: Monday-Saturday 11am - 6pm (Puhi Industrial Park ~ one block from Mark’s Place)

From top left, clockwise: Becky Britton serves up a cold beer at Tahiti Nui. Ozzie and Maria Neal enjoy a stop in the Hanalei restaurant.

Pictures cover a back wall at Tahiti Nui. Mark Carlberg cooks up some dinners.

742-1112

5-) 342%%4 ,)(5% s -/. 3!4

luau is popular.

“That was my grandma’s favorite night of the week,” Nanea said.

Julia Whitford has worked at Tahiti Nui more than 40 years.

She started as a cocktail waitress, cooked, managed, tended bar and cleaned, too.

“Just about everything in here but the music part,” she said, laughing. “I danced instead.”

Like Nanea, Whitford said Auntie Louise’s aloha spirit reigns at Tahiti Nui. “She was that in a big, big way. People loved her. She had that kind of aloha that was just so unique. She loved this place and people loved her.”

And tending bar there isn’t just a job for Whitford. The place is a second home. The memories fill the building and flow out the door. The friends, the family, the music, the laughter. Lots and lots of laughter. It invited passersby

to stop in.

Standing behind the bar, Whitford has greeted people from all over the world. She has talked story with thousands. She does her best to treat them all like family. A hello with a smile.

A good-bye with a hug.

“This is like home for me. I treat it like home,” she said. “It can be contagious. It’s a way of life. This place has become a part of me and my life.”

“It’s a good thing inside, always.”

Ozzie and Maria Neal of California sat at the bar Saturday, enjoying drinks as they celebrated their 35th anniversary. It was their first visit to Tahiti Nui. Maria was impressed with the friendliness of everyone.

The atmosphere, she said, was welcoming.

“Everyone shared the things we should do and places we should see,” she said.

Another couple, Bruce and Robin Larimer of Las Vegas, pulled into Tahiti Nui after spotting it as they were driving on Kuhio Highway with a planned stop in Hanalei.

They had read somewhere it was the best bar on Kauai, and wanted to check it out. They were not disappointed.

“Very cool,” Bruce said. “Very down-to-earth place. Good spot for a cold beer, that’s for sure” “There is something about it that makes you want to sit and stay,” Robin added.

Becky Britton was the bartender who served the Neals.

In her three years at Tahihi Nui, she’s discovered this: “It’s like a family. You’re not really coming here to do your job. It’s working together as a family.”

Britton came here from Nashville to visit a friend and decided to make it home. Nanea and the rest of the Tahihi Nui staff embraced her with open arms.

“They just took me in,” she said. “It’s been amazing.”

Likewise for Mark Carlberg, a cook who was busy Saturday afternoon preparing chicken and pasta dishes Sure, it’s fun, the food, the drinks are great at the landmark establishment. But it’s more about the people.

“It has something about it that doesn’t exist in a lot of places — a lot of good teamwork, a lot of good mana,

a lot of old energy.”

Nanea Marsten grew up in Tahiti Nui — literally. Grandparents, parents and siblings were always around and looked after her. She learned the trade early, took on all the jobs to operate the business.

“I would sleep in my mom’s guitar case as a baby,” she said, smiling. “It’s part of me. It’s part of the family.”

That energy that permeates

the place, she says, can be traced to her grandmother. It runs strong in the family operation.

That sense of caring, of tradition, of love, lives on throughout the North Shore.

Her grandmother wouldn’t want it any other way.

“People enjoy being welcomed. People enjoy feeling at home,” Nanea said. “That’s what people get when they come here.”

There have been structural changes over the years, but the spirit of Tahiti Nui remains the same as when the doors first opened. It’s all about family and aloha and music and smiles.

Some things just stay the same. And that’s good.

“Life moves faster nowadays,” Marsten said. “We’ve been able to maintain a lot of things that are important to people.”

LUAU Every Wednesday

Special Kama‘aina Rate

Call For Reservations 482-4829

6 | TGIFR!DAY | DECEMBER 27, 2013

TGIFR!DAY | DECEMBER 27, 2013 | 7

Welcome home

Tahiti Nui has been part of Kauai for 50 years

PHOTOS, STORY BY BILL BULEY TGIFR!DAY

“G

ordo” says it straight.

No need for too many words to put it just right: There’s no place like Tahiti Nui. “It’s the only place like this.

The history, the people, everything about it appeals to me,” he said. “It’s not trying to be something that it isn’t.”

Gordo, whose real name is Jeff Gordon, has been playing with the band “Gunga LaGunga” at the Hanalei bar for around three years.

When he’s not performing, you can find him there, sipping a beer, talking story, enjoying life.

He considers Tahiti Nui the place to be on Kauai. Stop in for a visit, have a drink, head to the beach for surfing, stop back again later, listen to music if he’s not playing. You might even spot somebody famous.

It’s casual, easygoing and a

bit renowned ever since they shot scenes there with George Clooney for the 2011 movie, “The Descendants.”

“It’s a local bar,” Gordo said.

“Tourists come here and they love it, but it’s really a local bar.”

Whether the seats are packed and a band is playing or there’s just a few folks and it’s quiet,

there’s something special about Tahiti Nui, says Gordo. You can see it. And what you can’t see, you can sense.

“It’s the best thing ever. We don’t play anywhere else cause I don’t want to play anywhere else,” he said. “It’s awesome. It’s absolutely perfect.”

Tahiti Nui recently marked 50 years on Kauai.

Nanea Marston, general manager, is quick to credit its success to her grandmother, Louise Marston, who started Tahiti Nui in May 1963.

Her late grandmother was

Tahiti Nui. She was genuine, welcoming and loving, and people felt that, even upon meeting her for the first time.

“She really just adored people.

It was her everything,” Nanea said. “It wasn’t just a job or a place for work. She remembered people 20 years later who would come in. It was incredible.”

Sit down in Tahiti Nui. Look around. What you see is what you get. It is, as Nanea and others point out, real. Very real. There’s a strong sense of history. It’s ingrained in the walls, the ceiling, the floor. It’s in the bar and the tables. It’s in the many pictures on the walls. Nothing pretentious.

Nothing fake.

You can almost hear the laughs that have echoed there during the past five decades. You can see the smiles. You can feel the magic of the music.

Countless birthdays, anniversaries, promotions and reunions have been celebrated here. Conversations have unfolded on the outside deck and the inside dining area over burgers and beer. Everything here says relax. Kick back. Talk story. Enjoy life.

So they do.

“There’s not many frills here,” says Nanea as she sits at the bar

DELIVERY AVAILABLE ISLANDWIDE

at most restaurants and bars.

There’s full lunch and dinner menus. There’s an array of draft and bottled beers and bartenders can mix up any drink. It’s open seven days a week.

Tuesday and Thursday’s tend to be the busier, livelier nights with music filling the air.

Mondays tend to be a little on the quiet side, a bit more open, the perfect time to meet old and new friends..

Wednesday’s, the traditional

246-4833 Financing & Delivery Available

1543 HALEUKANA ST. • LIHUE (808) 212-8320 • www. RightSlice.com

during a Saturday afternoon.

“There’s not a lot of fluff. It’s a real place. The core of all of us is the same. We’re a big family.

We genuinely care. I think that’s probably why it’s been able to continue.”

“What makes us different, it’s personality,” she said.

“I enjoy seeing people happy.

I enjoy people coming and being able to relax.”

Tahiti Nui has a staff of about 40. It offers what you would find

Serving The Kauai ‘Ohana Since 1992

HAND-ROLLED BUTTER CRUST PIES! • Fruit Pies • Cream Pies • Weddings & Special Occasions • Savory Pies & Specialty Pies!

OPEN: Monday-Saturday 11am - 6pm (Puhi Industrial Park ~ one block from Mark’s Place)

From top left, clockwise: Becky Britton serves up a cold beer at Tahiti Nui. Ozzie and Maria Neal enjoy a stop in the Hanalei restaurant.

Pictures cover a back wall at Tahiti Nui. Mark Carlberg cooks up some dinners.

742-1112

5-) 342%%4 ,)(5% s -/. 3!4

luau is popular.

“That was my grandma’s favorite night of the week,” Nanea said.

Julia Whitford has worked at Tahiti Nui more than 40 years.

She started as a cocktail waitress, cooked, managed, tended bar and cleaned, too.

“Just about everything in here but the music part,” she said, laughing. “I danced instead.”

Like Nanea, Whitford said Auntie Louise’s aloha spirit reigns at Tahiti Nui. “She was that in a big, big way. People loved her. She had that kind of aloha that was just so unique. She loved this place and people loved her.”

And tending bar there isn’t just a job for Whitford. The place is a second home. The memories fill the building and flow out the door. The friends, the family, the music, the laughter. Lots and lots of laughter. It invited passersby

to stop in.

Standing behind the bar, Whitford has greeted people from all over the world. She has talked story with thousands. She does her best to treat them all like family. A hello with a smile.

A good-bye with a hug.

“This is like home for me. I treat it like home,” she said. “It can be contagious. It’s a way of life. This place has become a part of me and my life.”

“It’s a good thing inside, always.”

Ozzie and Maria Neal of California sat at the bar Saturday, enjoying drinks as they celebrated their 35th anniversary. It was their first visit to Tahiti Nui. Maria was impressed with the friendliness of everyone.

The atmosphere, she said, was welcoming.

“Everyone shared the things we should do and places we should see,” she said.

Another couple, Bruce and Robin Larimer of Las Vegas, pulled into Tahiti Nui after spotting it as they were driving on Kuhio Highway with a planned stop in Hanalei.

They had read somewhere it was the best bar on Kauai, and wanted to check it out. They were not disappointed.

“Very cool,” Bruce said. “Very down-to-earth place. Good spot for a cold beer, that’s for sure” “There is something about it that makes you want to sit and stay,” Robin added.

Becky Britton was the bartender who served the Neals.

In her three years at Tahihi Nui, she’s discovered this: “It’s like a family. You’re not really coming here to do your job. It’s working together as a family.”

Britton came here from Nashville to visit a friend and decided to make it home. Nanea and the rest of the Tahihi Nui staff embraced her with open arms.

“They just took me in,” she said. “It’s been amazing.”

Likewise for Mark Carlberg, a cook who was busy Saturday afternoon preparing chicken and pasta dishes Sure, it’s fun, the food, the drinks are great at the landmark establishment. But it’s more about the people.

“It has something about it that doesn’t exist in a lot of places — a lot of good teamwork, a lot of good mana,

a lot of old energy.”

Nanea Marsten grew up in Tahiti Nui — literally. Grandparents, parents and siblings were always around and looked after her. She learned the trade early, took on all the jobs to operate the business.

“I would sleep in my mom’s guitar case as a baby,” she said, smiling. “It’s part of me. It’s part of the family.”

That energy that permeates

the place, she says, can be traced to her grandmother. It runs strong in the family operation.

That sense of caring, of tradition, of love, lives on throughout the North Shore.

Her grandmother wouldn’t want it any other way.

“People enjoy being welcomed. People enjoy feeling at home,” Nanea said. “That’s what people get when they come here.”

There have been structural changes over the years, but the spirit of Tahiti Nui remains the same as when the doors first opened. It’s all about family and aloha and music and smiles.

Some things just stay the same. And that’s good.

“Life moves faster nowadays,” Marsten said. “We’ve been able to maintain a lot of things that are important to people.”

LUAU Every Wednesday

Special Kama‘aina Rate

Call For Reservations 482-4829

| TGIFR!DAY | DECEMBER 27, 2013

CHECK DA SCENE

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Angelei Valko, James Hauge - Kapaa

Kawika Kaui - Wailua, Juliette Samio - Waimea Valley, Trinette Kaui - Wailua, Ryan Samio - Waimea Valley

Hiiaka, Kenahe, Jade, Anonui, Eli and Eelekoa Emery Hanapepe

Kylie and Kaua Sugahara - Kekaha

Mikayla Swacker - Hanapepe, Katelyn Lopes - Lawai, Jodee and Melodee Miguel - Eleele

Kawehi Kahananui - Lihue, Taryn Taguma - Hanapepe, Jayel Balaan - Puhi, Kaya Estrada - Hanamaulu

Wendy and Kiele Casillas - Puhi

Amanda Newall leads her hula sisters in a performance of ‘Mary’s Boy Chile.’

Anonui and Hiiaka Emery - Hanapepe, Kaena Rita - Kalaheo, Kaiyana Medeiros - Koloa

TGIFR!DAY | DECEMBER 27, 2013 | 9

Holiday Hula celebrates the joy of the season DENNIS FUJIMOTO TGIFR!DAY

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Kim Tada leads her hula sisters of Na Hula O Kaohikukapulani in a rendering of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Boy Chile.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Keyrsten Estrada - Lihue, Puna Butay - Lihue

Lorin Probasco - Lihue, Kiele Casillas - Puhi, Hailey Overmyer - Wailua

3022 Peleke Street, Suite 8 Lihue, HI 96766 Kale Kaui and kumu hula Kapu Kinimaka-Alquiza welcome guests to the 24th Annual Holiday Hula.

808-643-2100

early 1,000 people filled the grand ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa to enjoy the 24th annual Holiday Hula, presented by Na Hula O Kaohikukapulani.

Under the direction of Kumu Hula Kapu Kinimaka-Alquiza, the halau, featuring students from around the island, mesmerized the audience with its presentations of kahiko and auana hula celebrating the season.

Trinette Kaui, whose family is heavily involved with the halau, Wes playing with the musicians, sons Kale being the emcee and Kawika helping Trinette with ticket sales, said the halau hosts two major hoike each year â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the Holiday Hula and another hoike during the summer.

Guests were treated not only to hula and seasonal entertainment, but were able to enjoy baked goods, snacks and participate in a silent auction.

Join Us For Breakfast!

Open daily for lunch & pupus til sunset Located at the Puakea Golf Course

10 | TGIFR!DAY | DECEMBER 27, 2013

ISLAND CALENDAR

of age. Class is weekly on Mondays. 645-1403.

Hula Class 6 p.m.

All Saints Gym Halau Hula O Leilani is having hula classes for ages 5 to 12 at 6 p.m. and teens and wahine at 7:30 p.m. 651-0682 Farmer Markets There is a Koloa Sunshine Market at noon at Koloa Knudsen Ball Park side parking lot off Maluhia Road and a Monday Market at 3 p.m. in the parking lot behind Kmart at Kukui Grove Center.

BEACH CLEANUP Join the Sierra Club and Surfrider on a beach cleanup at Kealia Beach 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.

FRIDAY Aloha Friday Nights 7 to 8 p.m.

Kukui Grove Center, center stage Performance by Natural Harmony.

Haku Lei Making 10:30 a.m.

Kauai Museum Lei making event with Elvrine Chow.

Stylistics 7:30 p.m.

Kauai Marriott Resort

seniors). Proceeds support Hale Halawai Ohana o Hanalei and this program. 826-1469.

SATURDAY Talk Story With Mason Chock 2 to 4 p.m.

Kapaa Library The Wailua-Kapaa Neighborhood Association features guest speaker Mason K. Chock, Sr., Kauai County’s newest council member. 821-2837 or visit www.wkna.org

Critter Camp 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Kauai Humane Society Cost is $30 per child. www. kauaihumane.org

Beach CleanUp 9 a.m. to noon Kealia Beach Join the Sierra Club and Surfrider on a beach cleanup. Look for banners at parking lot. Bring water and hat. 246-9067

Slack Key Guitar 4 to 6 p.m.

Hanalei Family Community Center.

Tickets $20 ($15 keiki and

Red Cross Training Class 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Get trained to recognize and care for victims of illness and

Aerobics Classes 8:30 a.m.

All Saints Gym Carol Yasutake is having aerobics classes on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Class fee is $12. 822-3817.

TUESDAY sudden injuries and learn how to administer CPR and use an AED for life-threatening respiratory or cardiac emergencies on adults; Cost is $90.

9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Get trained to recognize and care for victims of illness and sudden injuries and life-threatening respiratory or cardiac emergencies in adults, children, and infants and learn how to use an AED. Cost is $110. To register call 1-800-733-2767 or go to www.redcross.org/takea-class

SUNDAY Feng Shui Benefit Workshop 10 a.m.

Happiness Planting Center This benefit workshop provides practical every-day-tools for enhancing your Health, Finance, Romance and Family all within the context of the Feng Shui

tradition. The participants will gain an understanding of the energetic influences to be experienced during 2014, the Year of the Horse. All proceeds benefit Lawai International Center. Cost is $225. 651-8893

MONDAY Kaiola Canoe Club 5:30 p.m.

Niumalu Park Men practices Monday and Wednesday. 651-2996 Tahitian Dance Keiki 3 to 4 p.m.

Joy of Movement Dance Studio in the Dragon Building To register email RhythmFireDance@yahoo.com or call (540) 798-9516.

Hula Class 6 to 7 p.m.

Koloa Neighborhood Center Beginner female up to 12 years

Dance Club 7 to 8 p.m.

Hanapepe Neighborhood Center The dances are East Coast Swing, Waltz and Argentine Tango. Classes are each Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. 335-3554 Weight Watchers 5 p.m.

St. Johns Episcopal Church Weekly Weight Watchers Meetings held same time on Tuesday.

Joe Kaneholani & Blaine Kaneholani 4 to 6 p.m.

Rob’s Good Times Bar and Grill

WEDNESDAY Tahitian Dance Adult 10 to 11 a.m.

Joy of Movement Dance

Studio in the Dragon Building RhythmFireDance@yahoo.com or (540) 798-9516.

Kirtan By The Sea 4 p.m.

Kapaa Neighborhood Center, on the grass near the ocean Praising The Lord through devotional song of Gods many names. This ancient practice of worshiping God through his name purifies the mind and consciousness and strengthens our personal heart connection with God assisting on our own individual spiritual path. Serving hot tea and cookies. (808) 5516610 or visit www.kauaikirtan. com.

QiDance And QiForce 4 to 6 p.m.

Kap‘a Neighborhood Center New dance fitness and functional fitness workout classes.

QiDance 4 to 5 p.m. and QiForze 5 to 6 p.m.

Outreach Sessions 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Hanapepe United Church of Christ and Hale Halawai ‘Ohana ‘O Hanalei The Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic will be holding outreach sessions every Wednesday. Veterans are encouraged to attend to find out what services they may qualify for. 246-0497.

THURSDAY Qi Gong Golden 8 1 to 2 p.m.

Lihue Neighborhood Center A beginning qi gong class on Thursdays. Free for all ages. This class promotes balancing the body for greater health, increasing vitality, and radiating more energy.

Kamaaina Tour and Chocolate Tasting 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Princeville Botanical Gardens

TGIFR!DAY | DECEMBER 27, 2013 | 11

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR

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SUNDAY GARRETT SANTOS 6 TO 9 P.M. MEDITERRANEAN GOURMET Contemporary DOUG AND SANDY MCMASTERS 3 TO 5 P.M. HANALEI COMMUNITY CENTER Hawaiian Slack Key Concert TAPUARII (TAPU) LAUGHLIN 6:30 TO 9 P.M. TAHITI NUI Tahitian, Hawaiian

THE QUAKE FRIDAY ANJELA ROSE 6:30 TO 8:30 P.M. MEDITERRANEAN GOURMET Folk, Jazz HANALEI SLACK KEY CONCERT 4 TO 6 P.M. HANALEI COMMUNITY CENTER Doug and Sandy McMasters LIVE MUSIC 6:30 P.M. TO 12 A.M. TAHITI NUI Keli’i Kaneali’i 6:30 to 9 P.M.

Saturday 8:30 to 11 p.m. at Brennecke’s.

GREENSTONE PROJECT 8 TO 11 P.M. STEVENSON’S LIBRARY Jazz, Pop, Contemporary TREYSARA 6:30 TO 8:30 P.M. RUMFIRE Folk, Jazz KYLE LABEND 3:30 TO 5:30 P.M. LAVA LAVA Sheraton poipu

DJ DANCE NIGHT 10 P.M. TO 2 A.M. BIG WAVE DAVES

LEILANI LOW 6 P.M. TO 8 P.M. SEAVIEW TERRACE Hawaiian

BEN AHN 6 TO 9 P.M. HUKILAU LANAI Ukulele Pop, Blues, Jazz

MANA FLOW 9 P.M. TO 12 A.M. BRENNECKE’S

LIVE MUSIC 5 P.M. TO 2 A.M. ROBS GOODTIME’S GRILL Cruz Control, 4 to 6 P.M. Aldrine Guerro, 6 to 8 P.M. Pono Breez, 8 to 10 P.M. DJ Dancing, 10 P.M. to 2 A.M. RUSSELL WELLINGTON 4:30 TO 6:30 P.M. TOMKATS Hawaiian KANIKAPILI NIGHT 6 TO 9 P.M. KUKUI ULA SHOPPING CENTER Various Kauai Musicians

SATURDAY SARA THOMPSON 6:30 TO 8:30 P.M. MEDITERRANEAN GOURMET Folk, Jazz LIVE MUSIC 6:30 P.M. TO 12 A.M. TAHITI NUI Kaimi & the Boys 6:30 to 9 P.M. SANTIAGO SOTO AND THE STEPS 9:30 P.M. TO 12:30 A.M. TAHITI NUI

Reggae, Rock SANTIAGO SOTO & THE STEPS 4 TO 6 P.M. KAPAA CAFE Blues, Reggae, Ska BILLY PAUL 6 TO 7 P.M. HUKILAU LANAII Country, Folk, Rock 7TH ANNUAL KAUAI SINGS CHRISTMAS 7 TO 10 P.M. KILOHANA PLANTATION Christmas Songs MILO MATHEWS 11 P.M. TO 1 A.M. TOMKATS Rock Contemporary KUKUI‘ULA ART WALK 6 TO 9 P.M. THE SHOPS AT KUKUI’ULA Various Musicians SYNAPTIC WIND 8 TO 11 P.M. STEVENSON’S LIBRARY LEILANI LOW & HAUNANI KAUI 6 TO 8 P.M. SEAVIEW TERRACE Hawaiian THE QUAKE 8:30 TO 11 P.M. BRENNECKE’S

BILLY PAUL 6 TO 9 P.M. HUKILAU LANAI Country, Folk, Rock KALANI KAIMINAAUAO & FAMILY 5 TO 7 P.M. JOES ON THE GREEN Hawaiian GREENSTONE PROJECT 8 TO 11 P.M. STEVENSON’S LIBRARY Jazz STEVE MU 6 TO 8 P.M. SEAVIEW TERRACE Hawaiian

MONDAY ANJELA ROSE 6:30 TO 8:30 P.M. MEDITERRANEAN GOURMET Folk, Jazz MIKE KEALE 6 TO 8 P.M. TAHITI NUI Contemporary Hawaiian SANTIAGO SOTO 4 TO 6 P.M. ROBS GOODTIME’S GRILL Rock, Reggae, Blues KIRBY KEOUGH 5 TO 7 P.M. JOES ON THE GREEN Rock, Country, Hawaiian KAUAI JAZZ QUARTET 8 TO 11 P.M. STEVENSON’S LIBRARY Jazz

DARRYL GONZALES 6 TO 8 P.M. SEAVIEW TERRACE Hawaiian

TUESDAY KANAK ATTACK 6:30 TO 9:30 P.M. TAHITI NUI Hawaiian SANTIAGO SOTO & THE STEPS 5 TO 7 P.M. KAPAA CAFE Alternative, Ska, Reggae EASY LIVING JAZZ 6 TO 9 P.M. HUKILAU LANAI LIVE MUSIC 4 TO 10:30 P.M. ROBS GOODTIME’S GRILL Milo Mathews, 4 to 6 P.M. Swing Dance DJ, 7:30 to 10:30 ALIKA SIMPSON 11 P.M. TO 1 A.M. TOMKATS Original Reggae RON TOKI 5 TO 7 P.M. JOES ON THE GREEN Contemporary KEONELOA JAZZ QUARTET 8 TO 11 P.M. STEVENSON’S LIBRARY NEW YEARS EVE GATSBY PARTY 10 P.M. TO 12:30 A.M. RUMFIRE Synaptic Wind Rock Pop LEILANI LOW & HAUNANI KAUI 6 TO 8 P.M. SEAVIEW TERRACE Hawaiian NEW YEARS EVE PARTY! 10 P.M. TO 1 A.M. BRENNECKE’S DJ Bliss Dance Part WEDNESDAY JAZZ BEACH 6:30 TO 8:30 P.M. MEDITERRANEAN GOURMET BILLY PAUL 6 TO 9 P.M. HUKILAU LANAI

Live Music Calendar brought to you by www.KauaiMusicScene.com

LIVE MUSIC 4 TO 10 P.M. ROBS GOODTIME’S GRILL Sheldon Espina, 4 to 6 P.M. Salsa Dancing DJ, 7:30 to 10 P.M. DJ DANCE PARTY 11 P.M. TO 2 A.M. TOMKATS DJ BLISS KIRBY KEOUGH 5 TO 7 P.M. JOES ON THE GREEN Rock, Country, Hawaiian KUKUI ULA CULINARY MARKET 4 TO 6 P.M. KUKUI ULA SHOPPING CENTER Boys of Greenstone GREENSTONE PROJECT 8 TO 11 P.M. STEVENSON’S LIBRARY Jazz DARRYL GONZALES 6 TO 8 P.M. SEAVIEW TERRACE Hawaiian

THURSDAY LIVE MUSIC 5:30 TO 9:30 P.M. TAHITI NUI Keola Yokotake, 5:30 to 6:30 P.M. Kanak Attack, 6:30 tot 9:30 P.M. DENNIS CHUN 6 TO 9 P.M. HUKILAU LANAI Contemporary LIVE MUSIC 5 TO 11 P.M. ROBS GOODTIME’S GRILL Cruz Control, 7 to 9 P.M. Na Pu’ali, 9-11 P.M. MILO MATHEWS 10:30 P.M. TO 1 A.M. TOMKATS Rock, Funk, Soul BYRON FERNANDEZ 5 TO 7 P.M. JOES ON THE GREEN Hawaiian, Reggae, Jawaiian KEONELOA JAZZ QUARTET 8 TO 11 P.M. STEVENSON’S LIBRARY LEILANI LOW 6 P.M. TO 8 P.M. SEAVIEW TERRACE

12 | TGIFR!DAY | DECEMBER 27, 2013

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve trimmed the tree for all to see in hope of spreading holiday glee!

Wilcox Health invites you to stop by the main lobby of Wilcox Memorial Hospital to view the beautifully lit Christmas trees, all creatively decorated by hospital staff. Lights will be on daily from 5:00 amâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;8:00 pm until January 6. Come by and vote for your favorite tree!

wilcoxhealth.org Â&#x2039; 808-245-1100 /H^HPÂşP 7HJPĂ&#x201E;J /LHS[O PZ H J UV[ MVY WYVĂ&#x201E;[ JVYWVYH[PVU