The Buzz

A concert and an auction

Come out and help nonprofit promotions team Unity Crayons while dancing to local bands during an auction show designed to raise money for a new sound system. Among the offerings will be amps, guitars, P.A. equipment, drums and maybe even dates with members of the bands featured that night. Providing the sounds at this all-ages bash will be Upstanding Youth, The Hell Caminos, NVP, The Malcognitos and DJ Antix.

• 7 p.m. Saturday / Coffee Talk / $5 / 737-7444

Felipe offers the laughs

Comic Shawn Felipe is the main attraction at "Feel the Burn" today and Saturday.

• 8 p.m. today-Saturday / The ARTS at Marks Garage / $12 / 531-3113

Hula fit for a king

The King Kamehameha celebration continues this weekend with the 32nd annual King Kamehameha Hula Competition. This international hula contest features 17 halau — from California, Japan and O'ahu —dancing in 48 performances over two days. The competition closes with an awards presentation.

• 6 p.m. today and 1 p.m. Saturday / Blaisdell Arena / $8.50-$20 / 536-6540

Livestock is center stage

There will be 4-H members from around the state showcasing their dairy, beef, swine and lamb projects at the 2nd annual Hawaii 4-H Farm Fair. After the showmanship contests at 9:30 a.m. (swine and beef) and 1 p.m. (lamb and dairy) today, there will be an auction at 1 p.m. Saturday.

In addition to the livestock show, festivities include 4-H fashion and cooking displays, food booths, keiki games, a farmers' market, bouncers, crafts, local agricultural products, preserve and pie-making contests, corn-on-the-cob and watermelon-eating contests, entertainment and 4-H educational programs. A chili cook-off is scheduled for Saturday.

• 10 a.m.-9 p.m. today-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday / Kualoa Ranch / Free / 453-6050

In the Japanese tradition

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Bon dance season is upon us again, a time to honor ancestors, talk story, dance and eat. Three are happening this weekend (admission is free):

• 6:30 p.m. today and Saturday at Honpa Hongwanji Betsuin, 1727 Pali Highway. 536-7044.
• 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday at Wahiawa Hongwanji Mission, 1067-A California Ave. 622-4320.
• 8 p.m. today and Saturday at Haleiwa Jodo-Shu, 66-279 A Hale'iwa Road. 637-4382.

Comedy is on the menu

The laughs continue at Sharkey's Comedy Club tonight, with headliner Bo Irvine, above, and Hawaii's Premium Blend. Local comics taking to the stage tonight include Mo Dixon, Dean Taylor, Matt Flood and Jose Dynamite. Doors open at 7 p.m., followed by open mike and the main show.

• 7 p.m. Fridays / Blue Tropix Nightclub / $15 / 531-4242

Taking the field at Kualoa

Kevin Bogan Troop 311 Boy Scouts got a hands-on feel for amateur radio and Hawai'i's weather with Scoutmaster Albert Kaopuiki and Connie McCurdy at last year's Field Day.

The Ko'oalu Amateur Radio Club is set for its annual Field Day, an emergency operations exercise. The day's events include an overview of amateur radio, hands-on operating opportunities, on-air demonstrations, satellite communications and emergency preparedness activities. Displays will be offered by local amateur radio clubs, the O'ahu Civil Defense Agency, the American Red Cross, the National Weather Service's SKYWARN and REACT. The public demos and booths can be enjoyed until about noon on Saturday but members will be operating 24 hours, through 8 a.m. Sunday. Permit are required for those interested in camping overnight.

• From 8 a.m. Saturday / Kualoa Regional Beach Park / Free / 263-3872

Na Palapalai in concert at the aquarium

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Waikiki Aquarium kicks off its Ke Kani O Ke Kai summer concert series with the tunes of Na Palapalai. The Na Hoku Hanohano award-winning trio of Keao Costa, Kehau Tamure and Kuana Torres will be accompanied on some songs by dancers from Sonny Ching's halau. Other features for the night include food from Tiki's Grill & Bar and educational activities about endangered Hawaiian monk seals. The aquarium galleries and exhibits will be open throughout the evening. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., followed by educational activities at 6 and the concert at 7.

• 5:30 p.m. Tuesday / Waikiki Aquarium / $18 general, $10 ages 7-12, free for age 6 and under (Friends of Waikiki Aquarium members $15 general and $7 ages 7-12) / 923-9741

Swap meet for keiki

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Encourage children to clean out their rooms and make a profit during the Children's Discovery Center's fifth Keiki Swap Meet. Children can learn the value of money by collecting their gently used items, pricing them and handling cash transactions. Children and adults alike are invited to browse the treasures during this fun and educational event.

• 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday / Kaka'ako Gateway Park / $3 registration fee for sellers, free for shoppers / 524-5437

It's all about the food

You've seen the ads; now see for yourself what the 14th annual Taste of Honolulu can do for your waistline. At the very least, this outdoor food festival will expand your palate with samples from new and longtime local restaurants — including Canoes, Ciao Mein, Down to Earth, E&O Trading Company, Hapa Grill, Highway Inn, The Mandalay, Mediterranean Garden Deli, Musashi and 21 Degrees North. Scrips are sold for tasting portions.

Entertainment over the three-day festival includes Rolando Sanchez and Salsa Hawaii, Ho'onu'a, eightOeight, Weldon Kekauoha and Tapa Groove, Ka'ala Boys, Round & Round, Keahiwai, Kapena, Inoa'ole and Spider-Man.

Other attractions include cooking demonstrations, a Ready-Set-Cook competition, keiki activities, Chefs du Jour tent and the International Wine Tasting tour. Free parking is available in the municipal parking lot. The event benefits Easter Seals Hawai'i.

• 5-10 p.m. today, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday / Honolulu civic center grounds / $3 general, free for ages 65 and older and 12 and younger; free for military and their families before 3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday / 536-1015, www.taste808.com

DJs spin their stuff

Indigo's weekly Get Fresh! night gets even fresher with DMC American Battleground 2005. The Pacific regionals for the annual DMC World DJ Championship offer the winner $1,000 in prizes and a trip to compete in the national finals. Competitors can register for free at www.dmcworld.us or at the door by 10:30 p.m.

• 10 p.m.-2 a.m. today / Indigo Eurasian Cuisine / $10-$12, for 21 and older / 591-3500, (877) 71-GROOVE