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Advertiser Staff

Local favorite: Pow wow in the park

Native American food, crafts, jewelry, music, dancers and singers will be in abundance at the annual Warrior Society Pow Wow, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. June 5-6 at Kapi'olani Park. Cherokee flutist Tommy Wildcat, Flutist of the Year at the Native American Music Awards for 2002-2003, will make a special appearance. Admission is free.

CONCERT: May 14

Enjoy a burst of blues from Chicago, Louisiana and more during the 8th annual Hawaiian Islands Rhythm and Blues Mele 2004. The Eric Sardinas Trio opens up the night with hot blues-rock sounds on the electric slide Dobro guitar. The second act features guitarist/songwriter/singer Sonny Landreth, with the Lafayette Rhythm Section putting on the grooves with some swamp blues and southern rock. The seven-piece Chicago Reunion Blues Band headlines the event, featuring Nick Gravenites, Harvey Mandel (left), Tracy Nelson, Corky Siegel, Zak Wagner, Rick Reed and Don Heffington. Tickets are $30 advance and $40 at the door. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.

Also, the Rhythm and Blues Mele travels to:

• Kaua'i Memorial Theater at 6 p.m. May 12. Tickets are $30 advance and $35 at the door. (808) 337-9234.
• Maui Arts & Cultural Center's Castle Theater, 7:30 p.m. May 13. Tickets are $30, $35 and $40. (808) 242-7469.
• Kona Brewing Company, Brewhouse Oasis on the Big Island at 5:30 p.m. May 15. Tickets are $30 advance and $40 at the door. (808) 334-1133.
  
  
  

STAGE: May 21-June 6

Diamond Head Theatre follows up a successful run of "Swing!" with another fun-loving musical, "Hello Dolly!" When turn-of-the-century matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi decides one of her clients is a perfect match for her, hilarity ensues. The play includes popular songs such as "Before the Parade Passes By" and "Put on Your Sunday Clothes." Shari Lynn stars as Dolly; John Rampage directs. Tickets are $12-$42, with discounts for students, seniors and military.

CONCERT: June 4

The luminous Jaci Velasquez, right, takes to the stage during a star-studded night in the Islands. The award-winning Christian recording artist and her seven-piece band perform along with Jody McBrayer of Avalon. Local sounds added to the mix include Kelly Boy DeLima, Nalani Choy, Danny Couch, Rocky Brown, Kutmaster Spaz, Maila Gibson, Kanoe Gibson, David Katina and Dane Ison. Tickets are $15, $20 and $25.

MIXED BAG: May 14-15

Heads up: The lions are coming! Lion dancers from around the world will roar their way into Honolulu for the Hawaii World Invitational Lion Dance Championships. Ten teams from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, Britain and Hawai'i will don colorful costumes and dance on pillars up to 10 feet high and one foot wide. Tickets are $35 and $50 general and $65 for Red Carpet.

EXPO: May 15-16

Oh, baby! The New Baby Expo is back for its seventh year with exhibits, contests, products and play areas. There'll be free mini-massages and a baby shower at 1 p.m. May 16 for expectant mothers, a private nursing area and baby changing station. New this year is the First Look Sonogram, a 4D ultrasound for those at least 28 weeks pregnant. Watch a movie of your baby and get a videotape, DVD or photos of the experience. Packages for $99 will be offered for 15-minute sessions. Admission to the expo is $3.50 general and free for those 5 and younger.

STAGE: May 18-22

It's absurd! It's hysterical! It's Ridiculusmus! The wacky British theater company is back for more laughs with "Ideas Men." Two advertising execs are pressured to come up with a new idea, and the audience will be in stitches as the two men work out their brainstorms. Tickets are $18 advance and $20 at the door for shows on May 18-20. Shows on May 21 and 22 are $20 in advance and $23 at the door.

FESTIVAL: May 27-30

The Honolulu Gay and Lesbian Cultural Foundation presents the 15th annual Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival, formerly called the Adam Baran Honolulu Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Film offerings this year includes "Revolution," a documentary featuring Margaret Cho, right, on opening night, and "A Touch of Pink," with Kyle MacLachlan from "Sex and the City." Tickets to each film are $6. There will also be a free educational screening on May 29, featuring the documentary "Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin." Later that evening, there will be a gala reception at 5:30 p.m. at the Henry R. Luce Pavilion for the premiere of "Eating Out." The cast and producers of the film will make an appearance. Tickets are $25 for the reception and film screening. All other films are $8 general, $6 for HGLCF members.

STAGE: June 2-July 4

The Actors' Group wraps up its 2003-2004 season with the Broadway comedy "The Sunshine Boys." Here's the story: A popular comic duo from the late '20s to the '60s, Willie Clark and Al Lewis are asked to come together again by Willie's nephew Ben for a vaudeville sketch. But the problem is getting them together in the first place, since they had a falling out more than a decade earlier. Glenn Cannon directs the play and also acts as Willie, with Sam Polson as Al. David Farmer plays Ben. Tickets are $10.

Coming up ...

• 50th State Fair, May 27-June 20, Aloha Stadium
• GiRL FeST, multimedia festival, May 28-June 5, venues to be announced
• King Kamehameha Day Celebration Floral Parade, June 12, downtown to Kapi'olani Park
• "The Honeymoon-ers: The Lost Episodes," starring Joe Moore and Pat Sajak, June 17-20, Hawai'i Theatre
• Atomic Punks, Van Halen tribute band, June 18, Pipeline Café
• Hawaiian Humane Society's Petwalk, June 20, Magic Island and Ala Moana Beach Park
• Taste of Honolulu, June 25-27, civic center grounds
• 'Ukulele Festival, July 25, Kapi'olani Park bandstand
• Hawaii International Jazz Festival, July 30-31 at Hawai'i Theatre, Aug. 6-7 at Maui Arts & Cultural Center