Best of the Weekend: TEDxMaui, Paia Beachfest, and Cheap Dating
Vanessa Wolf is having an inexplicable craving for Sheik’s fried chicken and a salad deluged with black pepper.
By Vanessa Wolf
It’s the weekend again!
And after over a month of holidays and slim pickings, there are actually some fairly impressive offerings on hand for us at last.
Best Cheap Date
You’re a cheapskate. Embrace it.
Tonight you can obscure that fact somewhat at Lahaina Second Friday, where you can enjoy live music, history, and Lahaina’s Art Night…for free!
Events kick off at 5 p.m. with live Hawaiian music by Al Nip, Lance Tokushima, Geri Valdriz and Donn Mitsuyuki accompanied by the hula stylings of Kathy Tokushima and Dale Gushiken-Nip.
From 6:30-7:30 p.m. take in the Na Kupuna Ohana Serenaders.
Most importantly, be sure to get your bargain-basement butt over to the Lahaina Visitor Center where you can pick up a stamped Hula Pie card. Why?
Because that will get you into Kimo’s where you can see Willie K – yes, for free! – from 9 to 11 p.m. (Note: On occasions, Kimo’s bouncers have inexplicably demanded a small entry fee regardless of whether you have a stamped Hula Pie card or not.)
Best Way to (Imagine You) Feel a Chill
Keely Kelleher skiing at Alta, UT. Courtesy photo.
Miss the sight of snowy slopes or just want to gloat about the fact the closest ones are thousands of miles away?
Warren Miller’s Flow State is the 63rd such film capturing extreme skiing and snowboarding.
The filmmakers explain, “the Flow State exists anywhere crisp winter air shocks your lungs and sunlight refracts off snowflakes, allowing you to emerge from this state improved – happier, more confident and more aware of your surroundings.”
The feature-length film “brings audiences to a place only recently identified by scientists; a place where the faster we go physically, the slower things appear mentally.”
We’re not sure any scientists were actually involved in that theory, but the film should provide some good vicarious fun and without those pesky broken bones!
You can catch it tonight at the MACC at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for those 12 and under.
Best Family Friendly Event
Scene from Beachfest 2012. Courtesy photo.
It’s Paia’s 16th annual Beachfest on Saturday.
Organized by the Pa’ia Youth and Cultural Center (PYCC), the Pa’ia Bay Beachfest Bodyboard and Surf Competition provides a showcase for Maui’s young bodyboarders and surfers to show off their skills, tricks and barrel-riding aptitude.
Registration begins at 7 a.m. and the first heat hits the water at 8 a.m.
The event concludes with an awards ceremony at sunset.
Divisions include Menehune (ages 9-14), Junior Men (ages 15-17), Women (all ages), Men (all ages), Drop Knee (all ages) and Free Surfing (all ages). A typical event can exceed 100 competitors in the various divisions, often with most of the competition focused on Menehune and Junior.
This is an alcohol, drug and tobacco-free event for the whole family, so leave the pakalolo at home.
Registration is $20 through today and $30 on-site and includes a plate lunch and collectable t-shirt designed by PYCC members and alumni.
Most Intriguing Offer We’ve Heard All Week
“Come and watch the brain behind MAPA’s madness.”
It’s a thinly veiled warning…and a scintillating invitation rolled into one.
This weekend, check out the Maui Academy of Performing Arts’ (MAPA) debut of their new professional, adult dance company, “ampersand.”
Featuring original choreography conceived and performed by MAPA instructors and alumni, “ampersand” performances are aimed to inspire audiences of all ages with Maui’s exceptional dance talent.
It’s hard to know what to expect, but the word “madness” was bandied about, so we’re optimistic.
ampersand dance company’s inaugural performances will take place on Jan. 11 & 12, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. and on Jan. 13, 2013 at 2 p.m. at Steppingstone Playhouse in Queen Ka’ahumanu Center.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students under 18.
Best Live Music
Uncle WIllie K. Courtesy photo
Seriously, this sounds like a really good time.
MauiTribe and Mulligans on the Blue are hosting the first annual Uncle Willie K’s “Blues on the Blue” barbecue Saturday, promising an afternoon and evening of blues, blues and more blues.
Uncle Willie K has put together a show featuring legendary performers Elvin Bishop, Angela Strehli and Mick Fleetwood.
Opening Blues acts include the Tom Conway Band, The House Shakers, Bobby Ingram, Mike Carroll and more.
Music starts at 4 p.m. and the doors open at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 day of show, and $15 BBQ plates will be served by Smokehouse BBQ.
What’s not to love?
Best Way to Get Inspired
Get ready to squish into a room and expand your mind.
TEDxMaui, an all-day event, starts bright and early at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning at the MACC.
TED is an acronym for Technology, Entertainment, and Design and is a global set of conferences with a focus on disseminating “ideas worth spreading.” In 2009, TED began granting licenses to third parties to organize independent TED-like events internationally.
TEDxMaui co-producer Katie McMillan was “so happy” that the 2013 event was going ahead. Photo by TEDxMaui.
This is the second annual TEDxMaui event here on the island and brings together a diverse array of individuals from the islands and beyond. Each presenter is given 18 minutes to speak or perform on a topic related to the conference’s theme “The Dream is Real.”
TEDxMaui does not post their presenter schedule prior to the event. The schedule is designed so each attendee has the opportunity to watch each presentation, so pack some snacks and put on your pajama jeans and plan to spend the whole day.
Attendees are encouraged to come with an open mind and sit next to someone they don’t already know…not so easy here on Maui, but we’re sure if you can manage it if you really try.
Tickets to TEDxMaui are still available for $100.
Have an event you want harshly judge…er…considered? Drop us a line at [email protected].
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