What's Up!

Local favorite For arts' sake ArtSpree 2002 offers a day of art-related activities, demonstrations and performances, all in the lovely setting of The Contemporary Museum, 2411 Makiki Heights. The event, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. July 13, is free, and free shuttles will operate from Punahou School and King Kalakaua Plaza in Waikiki. 526-1322.

Grammy Award winner George Winston, who has done much to boost the exposure of Hawaiian slack-key artists through his Dancing Cat record label, returns to the islands for a series of concerts. A July 10 Kaua'i concert is all-guitar and benefits KKCR radio station in Princeville. The July 12 and 14 gigs at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center and the Hawai'i Theatre, respectively, will be piano concerts.

• 7:30 p.m. July 10 / Kilauea Theater, Kaua'i / $25 general, $20 advance / (808) 826-7774
• 7:30 p.m. July 12 / Castle Theater, Maui Arts & Cultural Center / $10, $20, $25 (half price for kids 12 and younger / (808) 242-SHOW
• 7:30 p.m. July 14 / Hawai'i Theatre / $17.50, $22.50, $27.50, $35/ 528-0506

PLANT SALE: July 13

Native Hawaiian plants, heliconias, gingers, fruit trees, herbs, ferns, ti, orchids, anthuriums, cacti, bonsai, bromeliads ... a veritable jungle of plants will be offered at the Lyon Arboretum Summer Plant Sale at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. Also, a red hibiscus, "Kalola," will be introduced, and experts will be on hand with advice. Want more? How about fresh lei, jams and jellies, books, T-shirts and activities for youngsters. Admission is free; proceeds support the programs at the arboretum.

• 9 a.m.-2 p.m. July 13 / Blaisdell Exhibition Hall / 988-0464

STAGE: July 17-Aug. 18

"Anna," about the encounter of poet Anna Akhmatova and an Oxford don in Stalinist Russia, makes its premiere July 17 as a production of The Actors Group. "Anna," written by Nancy P. Moss, won the 1999 Resident Prize for playwriting from the Kumu Kahua theater group. Admission is $10, with discounts for groups on Thursdays.

• 7:30 p.m. July 17 premiere, continuing at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays through Aug. 18 / Yellow Brick Studio / 591-7999

FARM FAIR: July 19-Aug. 4

Hey, city folk, here's your annual chance to get up close and personal with creatures of the farm. The Hawai'i State Farm Fair will fill the Aloha Stadium parking lot with three weekends of critters, contests, games, carnival rides and entertainment. Learn about the islands' agricultural diversity, too. Admission is $3 general, $1.50 kids 5-12, free for keiki under 5.

• 6 p.m.-midnight Fridays and Saturdays, noon-midnight Sundays, July 19-Aug. 4 / Aloha Stadium parking lot / 848-2074

JAZZ: July 18-19, 20-21

Maui gets to bask in the music, too, at the 9th annual Hawaii International Jazz Festival beginning July 18. Among the headliners are Alex Han, 13, a wonder on the alto sax; and Herbie Mann, 72, the legendary jazz flutist who is one of the first "world" musicians. A large local contingent of talent also is on the bill. Here's the schedule:

• July 18, 7 p.m., Blaisdell Concert Hall: Hawaiian Jazz Night with Amy Hanaiali 'i Gilliom, Jake Shimabukuro, Keahi Conjugacion Gabe Baltazar and others.
• July 19, 7 p.m., Blaisdell Concert Hall: Latin Jazz Night with Herbie Mann, Alex Han, the San Diego University Big Band and others.
• July 20, 7 p.m., Outrigger Wailea Resort, Maui: Vocal Jazz Night with The Four Freshmen, Tierney Sutton and others.
• July 21, 5:30 p.m., Outrigger Wailea Resort: Hawaiian Jazz Night and scholarship giveaways, with Gilliom, Shimabukuro, Conjugacion, Baltazar and others.

Tickets are $20, $35, $40 general; $5 for students with ID; other discounts available; at Blaisdell box office and Ticket Plus outlets. 591-2211, 526-4400. On Maui, tickets available at Maui Tacos, Borders, Tropical Disc, Maui Symphony, Outrigger Wailea Resort, Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays desks, Groove 2 Music. The Advertiser is a sponsor.

CONCERTS: July 19, 20

Grammy Award-winning rocker Melissa Etheridge, left, makes her Hawai'i debut in two concerts, July 19 on O'ahu and July 20 on Maui. Etheridge has been touring in support of her seventh compact disc, "Skin," released last year. She'll be bringing an enthusiastic group of fans, ready to party hearty in Hawai'i, with her. Tickets for both concerts are $45 and $55.

• 7:30 p.m. July 19 / Blaisdell Arena / 526-4400
• 7 p.m. July 20 / Maui Arts & Cultural Center / (808) 242-7469

HULA: July 20

A celebration, not contest, of hula is what the Prince Lot Hula Festival is all about. The festival, which generally attracts 10,000 enthusiastic attendees each year, is marking its silver anniversary and includes dance by 11 halau, games, demonstrations, art, lei, crafts and food. Bring your own mats or sand chairs and take in a full day of Hawaiiana at Moanalua Gardens. Admission is free.

• 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. July 20 / Moanalua Gardens / 839-5334

CONCERT: July 23

It's an R&B tour from a different, mellower era as the touring '70s Soul Jam hits Honolulu featuring The Stylistics, The Chi-Lites, The Delfonics, Harold Melvin's Bluenotes and The Main Ingredient's Cuba Gooding Sr. Who can forget hits such as "Betcha By Golly, Wow" and "Break Up To Make Up" (Stylistics); "Oh Girl" and "Have You Seen Her" (Chi-Lites); "Didn't I Blow Your Mind" (Delfonics); "If You Don't Know Me By Now" (Bluenotes); and "Everybody Plays The Fool" (Main Ingredient)? Tickets are $35 and $45; available at the box office and Ticket Plus outlets.

• 7 p.m. July 23 / Blaisdell Arena / 526-4400

CONCERTS: July 25, 26

The salsa scene just got a heck of a lot hotter now that salsa queen of the world Celia Cruz, left, is heading for Maui and Honolulu with her West Coast Orchestra. The Cuba-born international recording artist is a Grammy winner with dozens of records to her credit. Tickets are $40 for the Honolulu gig; on Maui, $35 general, $30 advance, $10 children 12 and younger.

• 7:30 p.m. July 25 / Maui Arts & Cultural Center's Castle Theater / (808) 242-7469
• 7 p.m. July 26 / Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, Hawaii Ballroom / 941-5216, 526-4400

CONCERTS: July 26-27

Bask in the sounds of island music at the KCCN FM100 Birthday Bash, a two-night affair that showcases top acts in the contemporary scene. As a bonus, the first 5,000 through the gates each night will receive a free mini FM radio that will be able to receive the broadcast of the concert as it happens (it can later receive the full range of FM radio signals, too). The July 26 lineup includes Mana'o Company, Keahiwai, Fiji, Kapena, Oshen, 'Ekolu, Koa'uka, right, Norm, Reign and the Island Music MVPs; July 27 brings Three Plus, Sean Na'auao, Natural Vibrations, Darrell Labrado, Opihi Pickers, Pati, Native Blend and the Island Music MVPs. Gates open at 4:30 p.m., "Live at Five" segment (introducing the year's most requested groups) begins at 5 p.m., the main shows starts at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 lawn, $19.50 terrace, $25 pool; two-day tickets are $30 lawn, $32 upper terrace.

• Gates open 4:30 p.m. July 26-27 / Waikiki Shell / 526-4400, 296-1003

COLLECTORS: July 26-28

Everybody collects something, or would like to. Don't you cherish that Fire King dish or that hula girl lamp? Then join the crowds and tables crowded with collectibles of all kinds at the 12th annual Hawaii All-Collectors Show at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. Among the attractions: vendors from abroad, the Mainland and Hawai'i; a special display on the 50th anniversary of television in Hawai'i; special guests Bill Burgher appears as Elvis July 16, Rubber Soul as the Beatles July 27. Admission is $3.75 general, $2 for kids 7-11; free for seniors 65 and older on July 28 only.

• 4-9 p.m. July 26, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. July 27, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. July 28 / Blaisdell Exhibition Hall / 941-9754, www.ukulele.com

COMING UP:

• Pacific Handcrafters Guild Summer Festival, July 13-14, Thomas Square
• "You Somebody," a comedy by Lee Cataluna with songs by Keola Beamer, July 19-Aug. 4, Diamond Head Theatre
• "Midsummer Night's Gleam, July 20, Foster Botanical Garden
• "Once Upon One Kapakahi Time" trilogy, July 26-Aug. 4, Hawai'i Theatre
• 32nd annual 'Ukulele Festival, July 28, Kapi'olani Park Bandstand
• Tommy Chong and Shelby and the Family Stoned, Aug. 2-3, Gussie L'Amour's
• Hiroshima, Aug. 9, Hawai'i Theatre
• Lou Rawls, with the Symphony Pops, Sept. 27-28, Blaisdell Concert Hall
• Hawai'i International Film Festival's Fall Film Festival, Nov. 1-10 on O'ahu, Nov. 8-10 on the Neighbor Islands
• "Nutcracker," Hawaii Ballet Theatre production, Dec. 14-15, 21-22, Leeward Community College Theatre

BUZZING ABOUT:

• Hot stuff: Tickets go on sale tomorrow for funk-rock funsters The Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose Blaisdell Arena concert begins at 7 p.m. July 31. The Chilis' latest disc, "By The Way," is to be released Tuesday. Tickets — $45 plus service charges — will be available at the Blaisdell box office, Ticket Plus outlets and the University of Hawai'i-Manoa Campus Center. 526-4400.
• "Peach Girl": Hawaii Ballet Theatre offers a new twist to a Japanese folk tale with "Momotaro and Other Delights," 7:30 p.m. Aug. 2, 2:30 p.m. Aug. 3 and 4 p.m. Aug. 4 at Dillingham Theatre, Punahou School. In the segment titled "Momotaro & the Peach Girl," a childless woman finds a magical peach that contains a girl; eventually the girl meets her brother, Momotaro (the original peach boy in the traditional tale). $16 general, $12 children, military, seniors; group discounts available. 839-1596.

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The Great Index to Fun (TGIF) four-week guide at least 10 working days before the event. This planner appears weekly, featuring major events only; others are listed in the weekend and daily calendars.

Write: TGIF, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802, or fax 525-8055.

Schedule is subject to change.