Kalalau Trail Needs You On Aug. 28

Carol A. Peacock-Williams signs copies of her new book, 'Benny the Beetle'

Hear the call of the great outdoors? It’s the Kaua’i Planning & Action Alliance that wants to see you as a volunteer for a workday Aug. 28 along the first two miles of Kalalau Trail. Mother Nature needs a trail grooming. Meet at the Kee Beach trailhead at 8 a.m. and be prepared to learn trail-building skills, get your hands dirty, work hard and feel a great sense of accomplishment. You’ll need water, sunscreen, eye protection, work gloves, covered shoes or boots and lunch. E-mail kalalautrail@ponopacific.com or call 808-681-7685 for more information. What a gift to participate …

Save Our Seas, in collaboration with St. Regis Princeville Resort, Malama Na Apapa, Sacred Seas Scuba and Aquatic Adventures, will host a Hawaii Oceans & Coral Reef Awareness Event at Pu’u Poa Beach, in front of the resort. Here’s a record: Puu Poa reef is the site of the first reef check location in the world, surveyed 13 years ago. The event is free and includes activities, education and awareness of our marine ecosystem. Certified scuba divers may participate in the 10 a.m. reef check. Check the Aug. 21 calendar listing. Contact Scott Bacon, founder of Malama Na Apapa, for more details at 808-482-0683…

“Beauty for Ashes,” a women’s conference sponsored by Hope, Help and Healing Kaua’i, will be held Aug. 19 to 21 at the Aston Kaua’i Beach at Makaiwa Hotel. The title refers to a scripture from the Book of Isaiah in the Bible, says Missy Keyes-Saiki, who’s helping with the event. She says, “This scripture talks about how God brings comfort, gladness and praise instead of ashes, mourning and despair.” The conference will celebrate true beauty and offer sessions to help women find their beauty through simplicity, intelligence, humility and integrity. Check out the MidWeek calendar for Aug. 19. A fee is involved. Contact Malia Tokioka at 634-3499 …

Go hands-on at the National Tropical Botanical Garden headquarters’ Campus Education Center at the Kalaheo entrance following a talk by Mike De Motta, assistant director of Living Collections, about the Polynesian-introduced plants brought to the Hawaiian Islands long ago. Check the Aug. 24 calendar. It starts at 6 p.m. Plants you’ll handle include sweet potato, taro, sugar cane and awa. Pre-register at 332-7324, ext. 204 by Aug. 19. Varied fees, free for pre-registered garden members …

The Hawaii Coffee Association crowned its grand champion of Hawaiian coffee at the 15th annual Conference held in late July on Hawaii Island. One of the Kaua’i companies, Moloa’a Bay Coffee, took the Kaua’i district championship for the second year in a row. Owners are John and Daphne McClure, and you can sample a cup of their brew from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Saturday market at Kaua’i Community College or at the Kukuiula Village market on Wednesday afternoons from 4 to 6 p.m. …

Now the fundamentals of backyard aquaculture can be yours if you take Bernie Tsao‘s course of the same name scheduled to begin Sept. 7. Tsao, a world-renowned aquaculture and aquaponic systems specialist, will teach an eight-session course on Tuesdays and Saturdays at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Kekaha. No kidding – you can grow fish in your own backyard and make it a potential small business! Kekaha Community Garden is proud to host this course. Registration deadline is Aug. 31 and there is a fee. Contact Tsao at 808-647-0640 or e-mail Bernie.tsao@gmail.com …

Carol A. Peacock-Williams has a newly released children’s book, Benny the Beetle, that she introduced at a book signing at the Talk Story Bookstore in Hanapepe. “There seems to be a big demand for good bedtime stories for children, especially ones set here on Kaua’i,” she says …