Sure, it's the Presidents' Day holiday weekend, but we on O'ahu know it's also the annual Great Aloha Run weekend, with a health expo today and tomorrow, and the centerpiece fun-run/walk and a party at Aloha Stadium Monday. If you haven't yet registered for the run, you can do it at the expo or online at greataloharun.com.First things first
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| The pace is picking up ahead of Monday's run Great Aloha Run, with a health expo at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall continuing through the weekend.
Advertiser library photo
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The Family Fitness Expo, open to everyone, continues at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall and features more than 200 booths that focus on health, financial services, travel, beauty, diet and more.
Among the presentations: "How to Stop Sabotaging Yourself" (noon today); a meet-and-greet (1 p.m. today) with the Society of Seven and vocalist Lani Misalucha, who are performing this weekend at the Hawai'i Theatre; and Island triathlon training (6 p.m. today).
Other offerings include health testing by Kuakini Hospital; a keiki fair with mini rides; financial fitness seminars by the Hawaii USA Federal Credit Union, which sponsors the expo; tennis demos and lessons; products such as the Undercover Beach Chair that keeps you safe from overexposure to the sun; and the latest in hot tubs and home spas.
And the Rainbow Gymnastics Kuuipo Classic (10 a.m. today and tomorrow) has more than 100 kids competing.
Stargazers' alert: Martial arts/action star Robin Shou of "Mortal Kombat" is scheduled to appear in the Pikake Room at 1 p.m. today and 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. tomorrow.
Expo hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall.
Admission is $4 general; $3 for ages 65 and older, military, and kids age 7-12; free for keiki under 7 when accompanied by a paying adult. Runners and walkers signed up for the Great Aloha Run, who can pick up their packets at the expo, enter for free.
Run, run, run
Thousands of athletic-shoe-clad feet — running, walking or strolling — will hit the pavement as the sun rises Monday morning. The 21st annual Great Aloha Run, from Aloha Tower downtown to Aloha Stadium, covers 8.15 miles and begins at 7 a.m.
If you're registered, head for this weekend's expo to pick up your packet. Or you can sign up at the expo: $40 general, $18 for those under age 12 or age 65 and older.
Or, if you're up early Monday morning, just cheer on your friends and family as they celebrate health and fitness for a good cause: The run is a benefit for more than 100 charitable organizations in Hawai'i.
It's party time!
After the run, Aloha Stadium is the site of a party, awards ceremony, giveaways and a special highlight: Video of the Jan. 31 Great Aloha Run in Afghanistan, with 2,000 Hawai'i-based military personnel participating, will be screened on the Jumbo tron.
There'll be entertainment by Jordan Segundo, Shining Star, The Liberty Belles and The Krush. Robin Shou and Island singer Sonya Mendez are the celebrity emcees.
The party is free and open to the public. The Honolulu Advertiser is a sponsor of the Great Aloha Run and party.
Specter/Freund Quartet plays tonight
It isn't every day that a top blues guitar act ventures outside the urban core of Honolulu. So, North Shore music lovers, sit up and take notice: The Specter/Freund Quartet, featuring Dave Specter and Steve Freund, will give a concert at 8 p.m. today in the Pikake Pavilion of the Waimea Valley Audubon Center. The two are touring in support of their release "Is What It Is."
Tickets are $25 at the door ($20 advance, available at Kua Aina Sandwich in Hale'iwa).
It's a whale of a day in Kihei today
On Maui, they're celebrating Whale Day today with a parade, entertainment, food booths, displays about whales and the environment, a keiki carnival, a silent auction and a craft fair.
The parade begins at 9 a.m. from Kihei Baptist Church, going along South Kihei Road to Kalama Park, which hosts the day-long celebration. Look for musicians, civic groups, a life-sized whale balloon and sea animal costumes. Mayor Alan Arakawa is grand marshal.
On the festival entertainment lineup: Brother Noland, Raiatea Helm, George Kahumoku Jr. and others.
Funds raised by Whale Day, which celebrates the Pacific Whale Foundation's 25th anniversary, will support marine-science education programs for kids.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. Admission is free. (808) 249-8811.
Go on an African safari — of culture
The Bank of Hawaii Free Sunday event at the Honolulu Academy of Arts celebrates Black History Month with the theme "African Cultural Safari."
That means a gallery hunt, a special exhibit of African arts and masks, and entertainment by Azure McCall. There's more: Create a Zulu bead love letter or try on African clothing. And there will be videos, storytelling, African drumming and dance.
Margaret Burroughs, founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago, will give a free lecture, "What Shall I Tell My Children?," at 4 p.m. at Doris Duke Theatre.
And, of course, all of the museum's galleries will be open for all to see.
Hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow. Admission is free. The Honolulu Advertiser is a sponsor.
Oratory contest ratifies winner
The 67th Annual American Legion National High School Oratorical Contest has come down to two Hawai'i finalists: Tiffany Au of Sacred Hearts Academy and Michael Won of 'Iolani School.
The two will go head to head today at 9 a.m. in the Sacred Hearts Academy conference room, to see who will advance to the national finals in Indianapolis in April. Admission is free.
The contest, developed to instill better knowledge and appreciation of the U.S.Constitution, will consist of an 8- to 10-minute prepared speech by each contestant, as well as a 3- to 5-minute extemporaneous speech about a Constitutional amendment subject.
The winner will receive a $1,500 scholarship from the national organization, a $500 scholarship from the local chapter, and a chance to win $18,000 more at the finals.
Pet projects benefit from events today
Animal lovers, here are a couple of pet-related events:
• The Hawaii Dog Foundation is celebrating its first anniversary with an outing from 11 a.m. today at Blaisdell Park in Pearl City.
Dogs on leashes — and their people, too, of course! — are welcome. It's a potluck event where you can learn more about the organization.
Or, if you can't wait to find out more about the animal-rescue group, go online to hawaiidogfoundation.org. 220-8165.
• A garage and plant sale will raise money for food, medicine, supplies and veterinarian bills for the Hawaii Animal Sanctuary. The sale, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, is at 603 Haha'ione St. in Hawai'i Kai. Donations of money or pet food are welcome, too. 395-0023.
Backyard Jam will play in the park
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| Pohaku |
The Hawaiian Style Backyard Jam, an event that celebrates Drug Free Awareness Month, is from noon to 5 p.m. tomorrow at Kapi'olani Park.
Among the performers will be Pohaku, the Opihi Pickers and 'Ale'a.
It's a day of music, food and family activities, with an inflatable funhouse for the keiki.
Admission is free.
Film screening at specialty venues
If the films at your nearby multiplex just don't appeal to you, there are other options — including "Infernal Affairs," screening at the Doris Duke Theatre at the Honolulu Academy of Arts.
Film critic Roger Ebert gives this Hong Kong cops-and-gangsters tale three stars. He wrote: "The movie pays off in a kind of emotional complexity rarely seen in crime movies."
It's about a cop (Andy Lau, left) who goes undercover as a gangster, and a gangster (Tony Leung, right) who goes undercover as a cop. Eventually each is assigned to root out the other.
"Infernal Affairs," rated R (100 minutes, in Cantonese, with English subtitles) screens at 7:30 p.m. today and Monday. Admission is $5 general, $3 for museum members.
And then there's "Scared Sacred," which examines the relationship between suffering and the sacred, including stories of goodness in Afghanistan during the Taliban and in New York City after 9/11.
The Canadian film, directed by Velcrow Ripper (86 minutes) will screen at 5 p.m. tomorrow in the University of Hawai'i-Manoa's Architecture Auditorium. Admission is $5 general, $3 students.
'Evening of Improv' tonight at LCC
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| On the Spot |
Need a laugh? Who doesn't? Well, head over to the Leeward Community College Lab Theatre tonight for "An Evening of Improv with On the Spot," beginning at 8.
On the Spot is a high-energy improv group based in central O'ahu. Bring your suggestions and watch the show take shape.
Tickets are $10 general, $7 students; available an hour before the show begins. It's a benefit for the LCC Lab Theatre and future drama productions. 224-7585.
