Gardens And Golf At Poipu

Arnold Meister as Charles Dickens

Thanks to the hardworking landscaping team at Poipu’s Grand Hyatt Kaua’i Resort and Spa, guests now reap the benefits from a recently expanded organic garden. Once an occasional source of herbs for one restaurant, the Hyatt garden has grown to 1,000 square feet, supplying vegetables and culinary herbs for the resort’s kitchens. Landscaping director Sara Sloan is doing it by the organic book, and the garden’s a-poppin’ with seven types of lettuce, three varieties of eggplant, six kinds of peppers, squash, radish, lemongrass, sweet potato, three types of tomato, oregano, arugula, rosemary, fennel, kale, turnips, beets, carrots, chard, chives, three varieties of beans, three types of basil, the natural sweetener stevia, peppermint, chocolate mint and more. The garden is affecting many, according to Sloan, who says not only do resort diners benefit, but there’s an increase in family gardening projects among staff members …

Golfers, get ready for the reopening of the Poipu Bay Golf Course Dec. 16. The club began taking tee times Nov. 16, and you can book ’em up to 30 days in advance. The 18-hole course, situated on 210 oceanfront acres adjacent to Grand Hyatt Kaua’i Resort and Spa, will sport renovated greens and an updated clubhouse. Contact Craig Sasada at 742-8711 or visit online at poipubaygolf.com …

The Sheraton Kaua’i Resort will provide meals on Thanksgiving to all emergency personnel on the South Shore, including Koloa and Kalaheo fire stations and the Poipu Beach lifeguards. It’s their way of saying mahalo for the most excellent service these men and women provide the island every day …

It’s yule season again. The official Kaua’i Christmas celebration begins Friday, Dec. 3, at 6:30 p.m. with the Lights on Rice Parade, Lihue’s annual Christmas extravaganza. The route is Rice Street from Kalena to the County Building. Start at 10 a.m. by perusing specials at the Kaua’i Museum Gift Shop and then head outside to a craft fair on museum grounds. There will be free entertainment on the museum lanai, and of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus will take up residence in the lobby of the historic county building. Don’t miss the free shuttle from the Kmart parking lot to the festivities …

The Hawaii Firefighters Association, along with Chaminade University Women’s head soccer coach Ka’ula Rowe and her staff, will hold their sixth annual free Youth Soccer Clinic Sunday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Vidinha Stadium soccer field. The clinic is free and open to boys and girls ages 8-15. Sign up online at firstdownpromotions.com and also download the waiver and bring it to the clinic. For information, call 545 FIRE. Need more help? Call Richard Morath at 647-0088 …

A Christmas Carol, featuring Kaua’i Museum-designated Living Treasure Arnold Meister as Charles Dickens reading from his own works, will open as dinner theatre for one night only Monday, Dec. 6, at Hukilau Lanai, and will continue at the Church of the Pacific in Princeville Friday and Saturday, Dec. 10-11, and at St. Michael & All Angels in Lihue Friday, Dec. 17, and Sunday, Dec. 19. Evening performances will be at 7 p.m.; Sunday matinee at 5 p.m. Meister is a sure bet to fill the house, and Greg Nickerson as Scrooge also will draw an audience, so get tickets early. Women in Theatre is the producer and promises a showreplete with Victorian carolers and violinists. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $8 for children age 12 and under, and are available at Ola’s, Hanalei; The Kite Shop, Princeville; North Shore Pharmacy, Kilauea; Vicky’s Fabrics, Kapaa; Borders, Lihue, Men’s Hardware at Kilohana, Lihue and The Wine Shop, Koloa. For information, call the WIT hotline at 635-3727 …

“Unpeel the History of Bananas on Kaua’i” is the intriguing title of a presentation by Erik Burton scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 24, at 6 p.m. It’s free and open to the public.

Traveling far their home islands, Polynesians brought plants with them for settling new lands, and among their plants were varieties of bananas, each of which had something unique, warranting it a spot in the canoe. This presentation tells about the past, the present and the future of the banana on Kaua’i and is sponsored by the Friends of the North Shore Library as part of the Dotty Nakea Memorial Speaker Program. To request a sign-language interpreter, call the library at826-4310 …

An open house/western party will take place Saturday, Nov. 27, from 2 to 5 p.m., at Silver Falls Ranch, featuring a new nonprofit organization, Kaua’i Saddle Club, benefiting children, teens and adults by exposing them to horses, horse shows and more. The open house will offer music, food, demonstrations, and to get in the mood, invites you to wear western clothing. For information, e-mail equineinsights@gmail.com …

Love movies? You’ll love exploring “How to Watch Films as Art” with documentary filmmaker Stephanie J. Castillo,who began watching films as art in the 1970s. She has a B.A. in journalism, an M.B.A., and has won an Emmy Award, two CINE Golden Eagles, two Hawaii International Film Festival awards and a Telly Award. She has made nine documentary films – four for PBS – and is a freelance writer, a website builder and a video shooter and editor. The class will run in two-hour increments on four nights: Nov. 30 and Dec. 2, 7 and 9 at 5:30 p.m. and will focus on artistic elements. It will explore a director’s vision; the structure of a film; the role of the cinematographer, the editor, and other key artistic roles; the nature of the viewing audience; the process of “greenlighting” a film and the art of storytelling using popular films as examples. Tuition is $45. The course code is 10F- WFA-101. To register, call the Office of Continuing Education and Training at 245-8318 …

Kapaa-based Kukui IT received the 2010 Silver Award from the International Academy of Visual Arts (IAVA) in the real estate category. The award, administered by A3 Awards, was given in recognition of Coldwell Banker Bali Hai Realty’s new web-site. These awards are bestowed in honor of superior creativity on the Web with recognition for individuals behind award-winning websites, Web advertising, Web video and mobile applications. This year’s awards were selected from 3,000 entries worldwide. Check it out at balihai.com …

The Hawaii Chapter of American Public Works Association (APWA) awarded the County of Kaua’i, along with its consultant and contractor, a 2010 Project of the Year Award in the Parks and Trails category as well as the overall Hawaii Project of the Year. The awards were presented last month to deputy director Kylan Dela Cruz, consultant Akinaka & Associates Ltd., and contractor Jas. W. Glover Ltd. for their partnership on the Kapaa to Kealia portion of the multiuse path, Ke Ala Hele Makalae, which resulted in the construction of an outstanding public works project. Now Kaua’i’s multiuse path project is a contender for APWA’s national award for the Top Project of 2010 …