B on Hawaii

Roller Derby is back! On the heels of Drew Barrymore's feature film, Whip It, and a resurgence in all-things-retro, womens roller derby season hit Honolulu hard on March 6th at the outdoor roller hockey rink at Kamiloiki Community Park at the corner of Hawaii Kai Drive and Lunalillo Home Road. The event is free to the public, although donations are greatly appreciated.

As most retailers strive to remain open during these waning "hunker down" months, Michael Zhang has taken Blue Hawaii LifeStyle Café to unprecedented heights. This month, he opens a second location, at 1111 Bishop Street in downtown Honolulu, while plans for a third store, to open in San Francisco—are slated for May 2010.

Those that have been following the developments at Kapalua know that here, in one of the most spectacular locales on Maui (and the entire island chain), things have been evolving for the better part of two years.

Ever sat at the opera—or been singing in the shower—and thought: "Man, I've got some chops!" We've got some news for your ego: It's never too late to hone your vocal skills. To boot, you're significant other (and neighbors) might really appreciate you mastering that falsetto. Enter Jacqueline Quirk.

Large resort hotels don't need to go green. With corporate funding coming from overseas (and profits/losses headed in the same direction), there isn't much stigma for executive boards, chair people and shareholders to insist on sustainable processes.

This past summer, a 13 year old student at Kailua Intermediate received a hand-written note from a pen pal in the Solomon Islands, located just below the equator. The note was the third in a series of communications between the two—an exchange that began last spring—the result of a wonderful story worthy of a childrens book.

You know him as the smiley faced restaurateur-about-town, always at the happening spot at the right time. On Friday, November 20th at 6:00 p.m., Chai Chaowasaree will host a culinary party the likes of which we have yet to see in 2009, to celebrate the coinciding 20th anniversary of Singha Thai and the 10th of Chai's Island Bistro.

In the midst of next week's Kona Coffee Cultural Festival on the Island of Hawai`i, three special seminars will be given by the State of Hawai`i's leading coffee expert, Dr. Shawn Steiman. Open to all, his seminars at three premiere coffee houses in the Kailua-Kona area will demonstrate the ins and outs of brewing the best coffee. On Tuesday, November 10, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Get to the store and stock up on Jello Pudding Pops: It will help you get in the mood for Bill Cosby's arrival. That's right: Fat Albert is coming to town. This legendary comedian, actor, artist, father and icon of America will perform two rare shows at the Blaisdell Concert Hall on Friday, January 15.

The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival kicks off this year on Friday, November 6, with events stretching through November 15th. Festival organizers seem to be taking advantage of the "cultural" aspect of the festival this go-around, to spotlight a number of unique offerings in and surrounding the Kona location, on Hawai`i's Big Island.