Ka'anapali Dreamin' » MACC

Travel Tradition: Live Entertainment

Kris — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 17:18:00 +0000

Our Travel Traditions series this week brings us to a tradition that’s not always easy to plan for, Live Entertainment. In addition to attending a luau or two each trip, we still like to find something that’s happening during our trip such as a festival, a concert, things like that. Sure, there are running shows like Warren & Annabelles, ‘Ulalena, and a host of others. While we haven’t seem many of these yet, we’re sure they’re very entertaining.

What we like to look for, though, is something more local, having that sense of community, and especially if it’s being held to benefit local organizations. Here are a few that we’ve been fortunate to attend over the past years.

2007 – Taste of Lahaina

Here in Chicago, we have an annual event called the Taste of Chicago, which has been going on for close to 30 years now. Well, in turns out that Maui has it’s own version, which is held in Lahaina. We were excited to learn that it was going to be held during the weekend of our Sept. ’07 trip, although we had seen the different dates reported by different sources.

The Taste of Lahaina is put together by the Lahaina Town Action Committee, who are the same folks that bring to you the Lahaina Halloween celebration, the Lighting of the Banyan Tree, and many other events. It’s a two night affair, usually Saturday and Sunday, and features booths from local restaurants, games for the keiki, and live music from local favorites. It’s open to both locals and visitors, and we had a blast.

We only made it out for the first night, but still heard a lot of great music. Artists performing on the night we were there included Brother Noland, Beach 5, and Sean and Robi. The event was MC’d by personalities from KPOA, and at one point during the show, she asked for applause from people that came from the different islands, one island at a time. We thought that was neat, seeing (actually, hearing) that folks from across the islands had come to attend the event.

2008 – HAPA at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center

The following year, we were ecstatic to learn that one of our favorite Hawaiian artists, HAPA, was going to be playing at the Castle Theatre at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center during our trip in April. It was one of our all-time highlights on Maui, and the show was absolutely incredible.

It was our first time visiting the MACC, and the event featured a nice outdoor setup, again MC’d by KPOA, prior to the concert. There was food and drinks available, as well as a few merchants with arts and crafts they were selling. We also had time to walk through one of the art exhibits at the MACC before the show, which featured different art projects that students from different grade schools in the area had put together. Every group from kindergarten through high school was featured, and many of the pieces consisted of everyday household items, such as soda cans, cardboard boxes, pipecleaners, and other such items. It looked like the students had a lot of fun putting those together.

As for the Castle Theatre itself, it was a very small, quaint and intimate setting for such a magical concert. From talking to people in the courtyard before the show and during the intermission, we found that many of the patrons were local residents who frequent these shows regularly. It was a shame that more visitors to the islands hadn’t known about this show, since they really missed out.

2009 – Whale Day Celebration

As mentioned last week, part of this year’s plans will be spending the day at Kalama Park in Kihei at the annual Whale Day Celebration. The three week festival, as always, is hosted by the Pacific Whale Foundation. In addition to the Whale Regatta Race, there will also be a parade in the morning and live music in the afternoon and into the evening.

This will be our first year attending the event, but we’ve heard from others that it is a lot of fun. The entire festival benefits the work of the Pacific Whale Foundation, which is centered on Maui and has a number of programs for research, education, and conservation on the islands and throughout the world. A very good cause in our eyes.

Share Your Experiences

Have you been to any of these events in previous years, or have similar ones that you’d like to share? We’re hoping, at some point, to join the Lahaina Halloween festivities as well as see the lighting of the Banyan Tree, but we know there are so many other great events and festivals on Maui all year round.

Tell us about your favorites.

The Travel Traditions Series here at the blog features our habits and rituals that we have for various aspects of our frequent trips to the island of Maui. Getting to know the island so well after all these years, having a few traditions adds a little continuity to our visits, while still giving us so much flexibility to enjoy many new things each trip.

To follow along with future editions of our Travel Traditions Series, be sure to subscribe to our blog feed to get the latest posts and updates.

Maui Newsletters

Kris — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:52:00 +0000

I previously mentioned one way I like to keep tabs on Maui, so I thought I’d share another simple way to stay informed of some local activities happening on your favorite island. Newsletters.

Even with today’s newer web technologies like RSS feeds, blogs and other cool gadgets, newsletters are another great way organizations on Maui keep people informed of upcoming events, news, and other noteworthy causes. Here are the ones that we currently subscribe to. Check out their websites to find more info on how to subscribe.

Pacific Whale Foundation - pacificwhale.org

You’ve seen us mention PWF a few times in past posts, so it should be no surprise that we’re annual members and subscribe to their newsletter. Not only does their newsletter feature some of their upcoming events, it also focuses on different initiatives they are working on to help preserve the environment of the Hawaiian islands, education for local schools, and ways their helping people on Maui become more green.

Maui Arts & Cultural Center - www.mauiarts.org

Located in Kahului, the MACC is host to many great events, including concerts, art exhibits, fundraisers, and more. We’re big fans of everything they do, and look forward to going back for another visit and another great concert in February. Their newsletter features upcoming events and ways you can help support the MACC, as well as coverage of recent events. And they’re also on Facebook, be sure to look for them there, too.

Maui Ocean Center - www.mauioceancenter.com

Another great newsletter we subscribe to comes from the Maui Ocean Center. There seems to always be something neat going on at the MOC, whether it’s their holiday events, Sea Talk, or cool things to see with the sharks (my favorite). Much like the PWF, their newsletter is also a great way to see how they’re doing their part to help preserve the natural wonders of Maui and the Hawaiian islands.

Do You Subscribe?

Do you already subscribe to any of these newsletters already? Maybe you have others that you’d like to recommend as well? Do tell…

Seeing HAPA in concert a second time, pinch me

Kris — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 03:35:00 +0000

Last year, when we found out that HAPA was going to be playing the Castle Theater at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center the same week we were going to be in Maui, we were ecstatic. It was truly a magical night, not to mention the fact it was only 3 days after spending my birthday in Maui.

So imagine my joy this afternoon at lunch when I’m checking Maui News on my mobile phone and find out that HAPA will be back at the Castle Theater for a show on February 27th, the last Friday of our next vacation. Way cool.

This will be our third trip in a row where we’re lucky enough to see live performances by well known Hawaiian artists. In September of 2007, we were in Maui for the Taste of Lahaina (just realized I need a link for that and never uploaded those photos), where we saw Beach 5, Brother Noland, and Sean and Robi. Anytime you can make live, local music a part of your vacation just adds to the memories of it all.

Have any stories of concerts you’ve been to on Maui or in Hawaii? We’d love to hear them.

Magic Isle, Magic Mele, HAPA at the MACC

Kris — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:15:00 +0000

Magic, that’s really the best way I can describe the HAPA show at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center last night. True magic.

We’ve been Hapa fans for a little over two years now, ever since our first trip to Maui. We have just about all of their CDs and as soon as we discovered that they were going to be on Maui during our trip, we knew it was going to be the highlight of our vacation, and indeed it was.

The combination of Barry Flanagan and Nathan Kawai Aweau (braddah Nate on stage) making up HAPA is such a delightful live show. Their light banter and jokes between the two of them, as well as their reminiscing about stories from previous shows along their tours displayed a lot of the chemistry they have together. Throw in Charles Ka’upu as the chanter and narrator of the show and explaining some of the meanings behind the songs, and you have a complete package. Keeping with Hawaiian tradition and adding the visual poetry to their music (as Barry put it), former Miss Aloha Malia Petersen added her beauty and talent by performing hula dances for most of the songs in the two sets they did. Not sure if that’s their standard MO or something special for being back on the islands, but it was a wonderful addition. They played two sets, each about an hour long, with an intermission in between.

It was our first time at the MACC, so we didn’t really know what to expect. They had about 3 dozen tables setup in the courtyard and various booths of people and grills selling food and drinks before the show. There was also live entertainment and hula for about 90 minutes prior to the doors opening. The show itself was in the Castle Theater at the MACC, which was a very nice, small and intimate setting for such a popular group on the islands. Everyone there had a truly great time.

Afterwards, Barry, Nathan and Charles were right out front signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. We had a long drive home ahead of us, so we took a pass on that, but it was still great to see them so open and accessible to everyone.

It was such a memorable night, we won’t soon forget it. If you ever have a chance to see HAPA live, whether in Hawaii or on one of their world tours, don’t miss it.

Slow Saturday? Not Any More

Kris — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:55:00 +0000

Sorry to sound like a broken record here, but no sooner did I power up my Dell laptop to post about how quiet and peaceful today has been did a group of three whales start leading a parade of boats straight across the entire view from our lanai. I’m starting to feel like a whale paparazzi.

Wow, sorry, I had to stop yet again. Between my camera with the telephoto lens, my video camera and my binoculars, I might as well grow two more pairs of arms. Really, we thought this was the end of whale watching season. I’ll have to go back to the wifi spot and upload this latest video I just shot to YouTube. Amazing.

Back to the plans that we didn’t have for today. I woke up around 6am just because I couldn’t sleep any more, and started going over some of the photos and video so far. Cindy woke up around 9am, at which point we turned on the TV and watched a little playoff hockey on NBC. It was only the last half of the third period, and Philadelphia couldn’t overcome a Washington lead, so they’re going to a game six in Philly. Tomorrow morning is Nashville and Detroit I believe, 3pm ET start, 9am HST. I love watching hockey in Hawaii.

Cindy and I walked down to the Westin this morning so she could book her spa day for Monday. She’s getting a full 50 minute massage this year, so I think I’ll have to carry her back after that one. Next it was on to lunch, where we just drove a little north of Ka’anapali and grabbed sandwiches from Subway. There were no tables left to eat, so we kept driving north looking for a beach park with picnic tables. We found Pohaku Park just near Kahana and had a windy bite there. After holding on to our napkins, we stayed and watch one lonely whale swim on by and about 4 turtles in the area.

Coming back to our room to figure out dinner before tonight’s Hapa concert at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center. Cindy went out down by the pool to read and missed the view I had of the whales (described at the top of the post). She said she had a nice view from the beach, but she’s looking at the video now and I’m sure she’ll see my view was better.

We’ll, getting ready to head out to Kahului in a little bit to go see the Hapa concert. What a day!!!

Maui '08 Trip Update – Hapa in Concert, 4/19

Kris — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 19:31:00 +0000

With the holidays all but over now, it’s time to start planning the activities of our upcoming ’08 Trip to Maui. Yesterday, we were excited to book our first activity for that trip, and it is going to be very special.

We recently found out that Hapa was going to be doing a show at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in April, and when we realized that it was going to be the weekend we would be on the island, we were ecstatic. We’ve been fans of Hapa since I received a copy of Namahana for my birthday a few years ago, and they are a big part of our Hawaiian music rotation.

We’re always trying to find something “live and local” on our trips. In ’07, we were in town during the Taste of Lahaina, which was a great time. This year is going to be just as fun, if not better.

More trip updates coming soon as we continue our planning.