The Annual Festival Of Lights

Monkeypods, royal palms and the historic county building in Lihue will be all aglow for the holiday season beginning Friday. Tim DeLa Vega Photo/Design photo

The annual Festival of Lights kicks off downtown Lihu’e Christmas festivities Friday, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m. with a ceremony on the front steps of the historic county building. Mayor Carvalho does the honors, the Kaua’i Chorale gets things hummin’ and Santa pays a visit. There’s a count- down, then the power goes on, causing thousands of mini-lights on the mon- keypods and giant royal palms to give Lihu’e a nightly glow until New Year’s Day. Kaua’i Museum has outdoor crafts booths, the Lights on Rice parade starts at 6:30 p.m. and it’s all a giant party of fun. This year the county building is under renovation, so the Josie Chansky holiday folk art exhibit won’t be on display. And take advantage the free shuttle from Kmart parking lot to the festivities …

Kaua’i Ocean Recreation Experience (KORE) sponsors its next KORE Beach Day Saturday, Dec. 4, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Blackpot Beach next to Hanalei Pier. KORE enables people with disabilities and their families to enjoy the ocean and surf – and it’s free. Check out its website at KOREKauai.com, or call Suzie Woolway at 652-0267…

Whoa! It’s always cool to find entertainment for the family. Check out Kaua’i Circus, coming to town Dec. 4 from 2 to 9 p.m. at Common Ground in Kilauea with aerial dancers, keiki rides and games, musical merriness consisting of the Yes Men, Iris and the Feel, fire dancing by Soul Fire and scrumptious, locally grown grinds. It’s a benefit to raise scholarship funds for Kaua’i Pacific School. Tickets are available at Papaya’s and A. Ell Atelier in Kapa’a; Magic Dragon in Princeville; Harvest Market in Hanalei; and Healthy Hut in Kilauea. For more information, call the school at 828-1144 or go to kauaipacific.org …

More great free movies are playing at Children of the Land center under the clock tower in the Safeway Shopping Complex. On Monday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m., Kohola Mana ‘Ohana will present the award-winning documentary In the Wake of Giants, and a special guest speaker. The documentary tracks humpback whales migrating between Alaska and Hawaii that become entangled in marine debris, and how a small network of well-trained rescuers risk their lives to save them. Call 640-5761 for more information …

Aaron Feinberg's parents, Robin and Marvin, flew in from Connecticut for Aaron's Fein Photo Gallery opening. Photo by Danny Hasimoto

If your heart’s desire is to be a League of American Bicyclists certified instructor, participate in a bike education program in Kaua’i schools and partner with the county to teach keiki bicycle safety, you want to get this information on your calendar pronto. Training takes place on Oahu Friday, Feb. 18, 5 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 19, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 20, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Don’t sweat the small stuff: Hawaii Bicycle League will arrange for home stays Friday and Saturday nights and loaner bikes for Neighbor Islanders. Kaua’i Path Inc. will provide scholarships of $200 each to cover the entire course fee for Kaua’i residents, and also has limited funds to provide airfare to five applicants. There are a couple more requirements: completion of Traffic Skills 101, to be held here between now and February; and a current membership in the League of American Bicyclists, a $35 annual fee. Randall Blake, M.D., executive director of Kaua’i Path Inc., looks forward to helping you get an application form and will answer your questions at 635-8823 or at oneislandguy@mac.com. …

More than 40 players on the Kapaa Boys Soccer Team recently joined the Friends of Kamalani and Lydgate Park for a morning of volunteer maintenance to reseal Kamalani Kai Bridge in the park. Their coach, Kevin Cram, called it payback, in a sense. The team has relied on the community during its fundraising efforts. “The idea of the team spending a half-day helping out in Lydgate Park was to give back to the community in some way,” says Cram.

Valerie Woods managed this community workday’s logistics. The Friends always need helping hands. Here’s one way to participate: Meet up at the lifeguard station for beach grooming at the park’s swimming ponds every Saturday from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. For more information on how to get involved, contact ThomasNoyes@hawaiiantel.net or 639-1018 …

Fine art photographer Aaron Feinberg has a lot to celebrate. An internationally acclaimed artist, Feinberg has had a heady two years. He won American Photo’s Nature Image of the Year award in 2009 and had one of his photos featured as photo of the month in the August 2010 issue of National Geographic. To top it off, his Fein Photo Gallery in Hanalei Town at Kauhale Center is open every day from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. He also displays his work Tuesdays and Thursdays on the North Shore at the Westin in Princeville, and Fridays at Hanalei Bay Resort. Check out his work at afeinbergphotography.com/Home.html, call him at 643.5804 – or better yet, make seeing his stunning work an excuse to take that overdue trip to the North Shore …

Kathy Leonard, executive director of the nonprofit Live Music Kaua’i, which gets youths involved in jazz and music in general, reports that its Jazz at Joe’s night went so well that they’re planning another in January – date tba. The evening featured jazz pros Trey Thompson on bass, Michael Ruff on keyboard and Marty Leonard on drums. Says Kathy, “The music was smooth jazz with a few hopping songs thrown in – and the crowd responded.” The Leonards are available at 635-6240 …