Sports

Molokai Film Festival to feature performance by John Cruz

Tuesday, December 5th, 2006

“I love the island and people of Molokai,” the Oahu native said in an interview with the Dispatch. I’m looking forward to coming back. It sounds like its going to be a great celebration”

Cruz will play songs from his upcoming new album after a premiere of his biographical documentary at the Molokai Film Festival. His first album, “Acoustic Soul,” won two Na Hoku Hanohano awards and gave him notoriety all over the Islands. Individual tracks still receive radio airplay.

He also won a Grammy last year for his contribution “Jo Bo’s Night” to the compilation CD Slack Key Guitar Volume 2. It hasn’t changed his local boy down-to-earth demeanor at all, but the benefits are nice. “I get a few more phone calls returned than I used to,” he said.

His new (and as yet untitled) album will be “a little more bluesy,” Cruz said. He just finished recording the songs at Jackson Browne’s recording studio in Los Angeles and is hoping for a February release date.

The opening act for Saturday’s performance is “Made of Music - The Story of John Cruz.” The documentary talks of Cruz’s struggles and successes and includes stories by friends such as Jack Johnson, Jackson Browne, Kelly Slater and Jake Shimabukuro. It features live performances of his music and some fun stories Cruz has to share.

In the interview with the Dispatch, Cruz shared stories about jamming with Bill Clinton on the East Coast and with friends in Halawa Valley. In 1993 Cruz played in a band in Martha’s Vineyard, a popular vacation spot for Washington elite. His band played for a surprise party of a Clinton staffer, and when the President arrived Cruz shouted, “Bill’s in the house!”

After a hush came across the room, several staff members reminded Cruz to refer to Clinton as Mr. President. “I was quickly reminded that ‘Bill’s in the house’ doesn’t work,” Cruz said. Later on, though, Clinton and Carly Simon got on stage to jam with the band.

He also shared a story about a Molokai show. During a performance in Halawa Valley the generator powering the sound system went down. Someone offered his Volkswagen Beetle to use as the sound system. “So we ran the system through the Bug and it sounded great,” Cruz said. “He saved the gig.”

The Molokai Film Festival takes place Saturday, Dec. 9 at Kaunakakai Ball Park. Gates open at 3:00 p.m. and music begins at 4:00. Films start at sunset under the Molokai stars. Admission is free.

Coffee Time!

Wednesday, November 15th, 2006

The Master Blaster: Molokai’s tipsy tradition

Wednesday, November 15th, 2006

Heavy rains flood Molokai

Thursday, November 9th, 2006

“Same 'ol mess we have every year, nothing new for us,” said Darrel Aia, State Highway supervisor, whose crew, along with County of Maui Public Works teams, cleared massive amounts of debris throughout the day and into the night last Thursday. Aia, who has been working highways for 26 years, said open rivers that flow across the roads during flood season make it impossible to prevent road closures.

Molokai High School, Molokai Middle School and Kualapu`u Elementary School were closed at around 1 p.m. Thursday. Kilohana Elementary School in East Molokai was reported closed by the heavy rains.

According to school officials, Kaunakakai students were stranded on their campuses when fast-flowing streams made the highway impassable.

The heavy rains also caused the state Board of Education to cancel its regular monthly meeting scheduled to be held at Molokai Middle on Thursday. The state Democratic Party also cancelled its Molokai rally that was to feature candidates Randy Iwase and Mele Carroll, as well as senators Akaka and Inouye.

Airports around the county reported periods of heavy rain with overcast or foggy conditions. Molokai and Lanai airports reported cancelled and delayed flights. Visibility was cut to less than a mile at different times of the day.

On Maui, the rough weather forced officials to cancel an air drop by a Hawaii National Guard helicopter of food and fuel to some 340 residents of the Kipahulu region who were cut off from the rest of the island after the Paihi Bridge was closed due to last month’s earthquake damage.

By Thursday afternoon on Oahu, a massive pile of muddy earth, roots, rocks and trees – three to four dozen truckloads worth – were cleared from just outside the Honolulu side of the Pali Highway tunnels that poke through the Koolau Mountains to the windward side of the island.

While no one was hurt in the landslide Wednesday, it blocked both of the town-bound lanes and part of the Kailua-bound side, snarling commuter traffic that night.

Highway officials, however, decided to keep the town-bound lanes closed Thursday because mud was continuing to flow onto the road.

The area received a total of 22 inches of rain over three days, including 8 inches within a 12 hour period, said Maureen Ballard, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu.

The rains, which began Monday on Kauai, are part of the start of the islands’ wet season.

“We do get rain during our wet season, of course. But of course, we don’t every year get stuff which produces landslides,” Ballard said.

Even though El Nino this year is expected to mean a drier winter for the islands, events like this week’s rains aren’t uncommon, she said.

With reporting from AP

Keiki Costume Contest!

Thursday, November 9th, 2006

Ag tour presents a taste of Molokai

Thursday, November 9th, 2006

Perhaps a testament to the Friendly Isle’s best kept secret, many more residents than tourists took the first ever Molokai agriculture tour last Saturday in conjunction with the fourth annual Molokai Chamber of Commerce Food and Business Expo. The half-day bus trip featured five unique agricultural producers, most of them local entrepreneurs.

The Nov. 4 tour brought the group of 30 to a plumeria farm, Coffees of Hawaii, L&R sweet potato farm, Ala Ekahi Salt farm and Beach Boy hydroponics farm.

With one last glance at the hulking adobe house, the group piled into the bus and left for lunch at Hotel Molokai. The day ended with the huge Food and Business Expo at Lanikeha Community Center. The building could not even fit the throngs of visitors on Saturday afternoon.

There was standing room only to watch some of the top chefs in Maui County demonstrate how to make food with fine Molokai ingredients. Local entertainment from Moana’s Hula Halau, Darrell Labrado, the Hawaiian Immersion Class and Pili Pa`a kept the crowd jumping between food demonstrations.

Booths lined the walls for visitors to sample and purchase local fare, including beeswax candles and surfboard wax by local keiki Tabitha Kaneshiro. Coffees of Hawaii was on hand with Mocha Mamas and Molokai High School art classes sold student pottery as a fundraiser.

The fourth annual event was organized by the Molokai Chamber of Commerce with help from the Maui County Office of Economic Development, Hawaiian Telecom, Maui Land and Pineapple, Maui Electric, Goodfellow Brothers, Island Air, Young Brothers Ltd. and American Savings Bank. 

Tahitian Teams Rule a Windless Molokai Hoe

Sunday, October 15th, 2006

The victory was impressive considering the lack wind and surf conditions that normally make for a quicker race. These conditions, however, are very similar to the paddling environment in Tahiti.

Molokai was represented by two boats from team Kukui o Molokai. Both teams were comprised of the best paddlers from all of Molokai’s clubs. The first team did well placing 27^th overall with a time of 5:36:34. The second team placed 78^th with a time of 6:11:43.

“This year was extremely hot with barely any wind the whole time. It was very challenging both mentally and physically, but it just makes the feeling of accomplishment even sweeter” said Dan Emhof, team Kukui 2^nd team. Congratulations to all of Molokai’s Paddlers.