The City and County of Honolulu’s official schedule for Oahu street activities is now packed with holiday parades, starting this weekend and continuing through mid-December.

More than 20 major parades and caravans will be lining up in across the island. For a complete listing of parades and caravans, click here.
 
Here are some of this weekend’s highlights.

Honolulu City Lights Parade — Sat., Dec. 1, festivities starting at 4 p.m.

At sunset (about 6:30 p.m.), the city’s elaborately decorated 50-foot holiday tree, fronting Honolulu Hale, will be illuminated. The lighting will be preceded by the annual Public Workers Electric Light Parade — complete with floats, bands, more than 30 decorated city vehicles ranging from fire trucks to TheBus city buses. The event will also feature entertainment ranging from Ballet Hawaii to comic Frank DeLima, and Hawaii musician Anuhea. Free picture-taking with Santa will continue until 9 p.m. and the opening-evening event for the 28th annual Honolulu City Lights display is set to end at 10 p.m. The display will be glowing nightly through Jan. 1, 2013.

Kaneohe Christmas Parade — Sat., Dec. 1, starting at 9 a.m.

The annual mid-morning Kaneohe Christmas Parade, set to begin at Windward Mall at and end at Castle High School, the parade will include local bands, floats, and, of course, plenty of holiday singing.

Mililani Town Christmas Parade — Sat., Dec. 1, festivities starting at 9 a.m.

Mililani Shopping Center will be decked out as a winter wonderland for the Mililani Town Christmas Parade as well as a number of winter-themed crafts and performances. Festivities begin at 9 am and will continue until noon. The parade will launch from the shopping center and then wind its way to the town center where a panel of judges will select the lineup’s best marching unit and best vehicle. Among this year’s judges: comedian Augie T and dancer/actress Wendy Calio, a cast member on Disney Junior children’s TV series, “Imagination Movers.” 



 

The StarChefs Rising Stars Revue, which showcases up-and-coming culinary talent across the country, will hold its first-ever Hawaii gala next week in Waikiki.

The event, set for 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Tues., Dec. 4 at Halekulani, is a walk-around tasting. It will feature dishes from each 2012 Hawaii Rising Star Award recipient, as well as wine pairings, mixologist-inspired drinks, and entertainment. For more information about the StarChefs Rising Stars Revue Waikiki event, click here.

In a news release issued by StarChefs.com, an online magazine tailored for culinary insiders, managing editor Will Blunt said: “Hawaii is about creativity and custom.” Blunt added, “From island to island, chefs are balancing sophisticated, modern innovations with an underlying celebration of local food culture.”

More than 50 Hawaiian candidates were considered through in-person tastings and interviews with an editorial team representing StarChefs.com.

The 2012 Hawaii Rising Stars Award Winners are:

CHEFS — Christopher Kulis, Capische? (Maui). Featured dish: Australian Beef Carpaccio, Horseradish Aïoli, Radish, Lemon Oil, Fried Capers, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Andrew Le, The Pig and the Lady (Oahu). Featured dish: Pho with Betelnut Leaf-wrapped Pork Sausages. Cameron Lewark, Spago (Maui). Featured dish: Onaga Ceviche, Green Papaya Salad, Kaffir Lime, Coconut, and Passionfruit Flower. Nick Mastrascusa, Beach Tree (Big Island). Featured dish: Gnocchi with Oxtail Ragout. Wade Ueoka, Alan Wong’s (Oahu). Featured dish: Oxtail “Soup”: Oxtail and Corned Beef Roulade, Boiled Peanuts, and Shiitake Mushrooms. Jojo Vasquez, The Plantation House Restaurant (Maui). Featured dish: Australian Lamb Rack, Eggplant Purée, and Chickpea Cake.
 
PASTRY CHEFS — Michelle Karr-Ueoka, Alan Wong’s (Oahu).
Featured dish: Lilikoi Brûlée. Elizabeth McDonald, Honu Seafood & Pizza (Maui). Featured dish: Vegan Chocolate Mousse Cake.
 
SUSTAINABILITY CHEF — Quinten Frye, Salt Kitchen & Tasting Bar (Oahu); Featured dish: Octopus, Chorizo, Olives, Potatoes, Compressed Grape Tomatoes, Almonds, and Kahuku Corn Purée
 
ARTISAN — Doug Kocol, Salt Kitchen & Tasting Bar (Oahu). Featured dish: Pork Rillette and Soppressata.
 
CONCEPT CHEF — Sheldon Simeon (pictured, top of page), Star Noodle (Maui). Featured dish: Hapa Ramen: Roast Pork, Poached Egg, Bamboo Shoots, Kamaboko, Bok Choi, Mayu, and Spicy Miso (pictured, above).
 
COMMUNITY CHEF — Mark Noguchi (pictured, above), Pili Hawaii Catering (Oahu). Featured dish: Ho’i’o Fiddlehead Ferns, Dried Cuttlefish, Kombu, Octopus, and Tomatoes (pictured, left).
 
RESTAURATEUR — Ed Kenney, Town, Uptown Events (Oahu). Featured dish: Cervena Venison Pipikaula with Bud Bucket Ice.
 
MIXOLOGIST — David Newman, Pint + Jigger (Oahu). Featured cocktail: The Whiskey Thatcher: Rye, Mint, Lime, and Flamed Pernod Rinse.
 
The event’s host, Vikram Garg, Halekulani (Oahu), will also serve up a featured dish: Sumac-marinated Australian Lamb Chop and Chickpea-Tahini Purée.

Host sommelier Kevin Tomaya, Halekulani (Oahu), will tend to beverage pairings with winner’s dishes. Also, serving as featured guest chef: Chai Chaowasaree, Chai’s Island Bistro.

For more information about StarChefs.com, click here.


 

The holding period for the 28th Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau surfing contest — the world's longest-running big-wave invitational — begins on Sat., Dec.  1. 

The event’s opening ceremony is set for 3 p.m. on Thurs., Nov. 28 in Waimea Bay on Oahu’s North Shore. During the annual ceremony, top-notch surfers and members of the Aikau ohana will get into the water and paddle surfboards to gentle waters where they’ll form a circle. They’ll then hold hands and pay tribute to the late Eddie Aikau, a noted big-wave surfer and Waimea Bay lifeguard.

In 1976, Aikau was a crew member aboard the Hokulea, the Hawaiian double-hulled, long-distance voyaging canoe, when it capsized in stormy weather about 12 miles south of Molokai. With no rescue expected, Aikau volunteered to paddle a surfboard toward Lanai, about 10 miles away, for help. Hours later, the crew was rescued. Despite an extensive search, 31-year-old Aikau was never seen again.  

The holding period for the legendary one-day competition ends on Feb. 28, 2013. Why a three-month span? Because, as organizers say, “the bay calls the day.” The contest requires a steady flow of waves measuring 20 feet or higher. Since the launch of the competition, nearly three decades ago, it has been staged a total of eight times, with the most recent “Eddie” held on Dec. 8, 2009.  

Among the 2012-13 contest’s 28 invitees are legends Kelly Slater, Bruce Irons, and Noah Johnson. First-time invitees chosen through a peer poll include John John Florence (Oahu), Alex Gray (California), and Ian Walsh (Maui).

If the bay calls the day during the 2012-13 holding period, thousands of spectators will flock to the North Shore to catch the competition. Wanna go? Your best bet to avoid traffic tie-ups is to arrive early. Otherwise, you may end up in a long line of vehicles slowly making their way to the Haleiwa area and beyond. Bring binoculars and enjoy the waves.

For more information about the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau surfing contest, click here.



 

Over the holiday weekend, lava from Kilauea volcano’s Puu Oo vent poured into the ocean, setting the scene for dramatic views along a remote stretch of the Big Island shoreline. Today, the drama has largely subsided, with the flow continuing at the pace of a weak trickle outside of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park’s eastern boundaries.

On-island viewing of the ongoing lava flow is now largely limited to the Kalapana viewing area, which is maintained by Hawaii County and located outside of the national park. Click here for more information about the viewing area.

For park updates on the status of the Puu Oo ocean-entry flow, along with the latest on the volcano’s lava lake in Halemaumau crater, click here. Last December, Puu Oo lava flow reached the ocean within the park’s boundaries, with several streams of lava pouring over a sea cliff (pictured, above).

Puu Oo, a cinder cone Kilauea volcano’s eastern flanks, began erupting in January 1983. The ongoing eruption ranks among the longest-lasting Hawaiian eruptions in recorded history. The first written accounts of eruptions in Hawaii date back to the 1820s, when American missionaries arrived on the Big Island.

 
Daily updates on Kilauea volcano activity are available at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website.

HawaiiMagazine.com has reported regularly on lava activity at Kilauea volcano and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. Click here to catch up with all of our Volcano News posts. You can also follow our updates on our Twitter and Facebook pages.



 

Where’s your favorite Hawaii beach for swimming or snorkeling? Best place for island-style dining? It’s time to express your savvy, in-the-know opinions on Hawaii matters near to your heart. It’s time to cast your ballot in HAWAII Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards 2013.


Ballots and may be entered either by hard copy (poll can be found in the November/December issue of HAWAII Magazine) or by filling out our online ballot. Click here for the online ballot.  Ballots must be submitted by end-of-day on Wed., Dec. 5, 2012. (One ballot per person.) If you want to elaborate on exactly why your picks are the “best,” go ahead and leave a comment or two on the ballot about your choice. No worries, we’ve left you some space. 


So, what do you get? In addition to the satisfaction that comes with expressing your Hawaii smarts, everyone casting a ballot will be entered into a random drawing for an Apple iPad — complete with a one-year Apple iPad Newstand subscription to HAWAII Magazine.

The results of the Readers' Choice Awards will appear in the March/April issue of HAWAII magazine.

Based on your ongoing inspired answers to questions about Hawaii’s best sights, sounds, scents and tastes submitted for reader polls on our Facebook fan page, we know you’re up to this challenge.

So, start reliving some of your favorite Hawaii memories and let us know where to buy the perfect Made-in-Hawaii souvenirs, enjoy a romantic dinner, and the best beach for simply stretching out on the sand. 

Check out the ballot questions now — and cast your vote!



 

About five miles northeast of the historic Haleiwa town on Oahu’s North Shore, on the grounds of Kawailoa Plantation, construction of Hawaii’s latest clean-energy effort is completed and commercial operations are under way.
 
At full output, the 69 megawatt Kawailoa Wind project has the potential to meet up to 10 percent of Oahu’s annual electrical demand and thereby avoid the annual burning of some 300,000 barrels of oil.

In a news release issued this week by First Wind, the Boston-based wind energy company built the project, which now includes 30 wind turbines, Hawaii’s Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz said: “This is, by far, the single largest wind energy project in Hawaii's history.”

Schatz added, “We should all be pleased and proud that we are making good progress towards more affordable, sustainable energy. We’ve got more work to do, but this is an important moment in our efforts towards a clean energy future.”

Hawaii state law mandates that by the year 2030 clean energy must be used for 70 percent of electricity and surface transportation. Also, 40 percent of that clean energy must come from local renewable sources.

First Wind CEO Paul Gaynor said: “We are proud to complete work on our Kawailoa Wind project, which represents our fourth project in Hawaii to achieve commercial operations over a six-year period.”

The other projects include: Kaheawa Wind (two projects) located in West Maui (total: 51 megawatts, 34 wind turbines); and Kahuku Wind, also on Oahu’s North Shore (30 megawatts, 12 turbines). When the Kaheawa project started generating wind energy in 2006, its commercial operations were the first of its kind nationwide. 

The grounds on which Kawailoa is located, Kawailoa Plantation, is owned by Kamehameha Schools, formerly called Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate. Founded by Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, great-granddaughter and last royal descendant of Kamehameha the Great, Kamehameha Schools is Hawaii’s largest private landowner.

For more information about First Wind, click here.



 

Maui’s Wailea Resort Association is gearing up for its inaugural Wailea Wine & Food Festival, which gets under way on Thurs. Dec. 6.

The four-day fest will take place at the Four Seasons Resort Maui, Fairmont Kea Lani, Wailea Beach Marriott Resort, and the Grand Wailea. Each will showcase award-winning cuisine created by Wailea Resort chefs paired with 65 wineries from around the world and eight attending master sommeliers. Fred Dame, president of the Court of Master Sommeliers, will serve as the fest’s host.

The fest’s main attraction, a culinary extravaganza dubbed DaVine Experience, is slated for Sat., Dec. 8 at the Grand Wailea Resort’s reflecting pools (pictured, above). The evening event will feature live Hawaii music, hundreds of wines and food from several Wailea restaurants.

The fest’s “wine encounters,” at which participants will sample vino while learning about the latest trends in wine and food, include: Pinot Passion, Three Decades of Cabernet, Escape To Italy in Eight Glasses, and Wine & Cheese — The Perfect Pairing.

Among the featured chefs are four of the founding members of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement: Mark Ellman (chef/owner, Mala Wailea), Bev Gannon chef/owner, A Pacific View), Peter Merriman (chef/owner, Monkeypod Kitchen) and Alan Wong (executive chef, AMASIA).

For more information about tickets and additional fest events, click here.


 

If you happen to be in the Islands during the Thanksgiving holiday, you may hear talk about turkey cooked in an imu. Note: the Hawaiian word sounds like emu — an ostrich-like Australian bird.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Hawaiian term, it's possible that you may find yourself wondering whether traditional holiday tables here feature some sort of super-sized variation on turducken — a dish consisting of de-boned chicken stuffed into a de-boned duck, which is then stuffed into a de-boned turkey.

Much to the relief of even adventurous chefs, this is not the case. An imu is an underground oven, a deep pit in which steam is used to cook anything from turkeys and taro to pigs (for luau spreads).
   
Several imu roasts will be under way in the Islands this week. Typically, on the night before Thanksgiving, people drop off thawed, foil-wrapped turkeys, pork and assorted vegetables for overnight roasting. Then, on Thanksgiving morning, they pick up ready-to-eat steamed and sometimes smoke-infused holiday goodies. Reservations are often required. And some of the roasts, such as one on Oahu's windward side hosted by Kailua High School’s athletic department, serve as fundraisers.
 
How to build an imu? Dig a pit and fill the base area it with kindling. Some roasters opt for kiawe (mesquite wood). Place baseball-sized stones atop the wood and then start the fire. The fire is usually maintained for hours, or at least until the stones are extremely hot. When the fire is snuffed out, the hot stones are evenly spread along the pit’s floor. Next, the floor is covered with layers of ti leaves or grass to prevent the burning of the food. The wrapped food is then spread out atop the layers. It's topped with a few more layers of leaves/grass. Finally, the oven is sealed with a less-porous covering, such as banana leaves. The imu roasting process is called kalua, which translates as "to cook in an underground oven."



 

Alaska Airlines announced today that in June 2013 it plans to launch a new service between Lihue, Kauai and San Diego. Starting today, the carrier is offering introductory one-way fares as low as $209 for the route.

In a news release issued by Alaska Airlines, Joe Sprague, vice president of marketing said the decision to establish the Kauai-San Diego route, along with another new route between San Diego and Boston was “bolstered by strong demand from the business community and vacation travelers alike.” 

The Kauai-San Diego flights will start on June 7, 2013. Introductory fares must be purchased by Fri., Nov. 23, 2012 for travel from June 7 through Aug. 7, 2013. Also, members of Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan can earn double miles for flights between June 7 and Aug. 7, 2013. For more information the introductory offer, click here.

The carrier plans to maintain a schedule of daily flights between Lihue and San Diego until Aug. 23. On that day, it will limit flights starting in Lihue to Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Starting on Aug. 24, flights from San Diego will be offered on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. 

Alaska Airlines now provides air service to a total of 95 cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada. For more information about the airline, click here.



 

A new tour slated to start tomorrow aboard Battleship Missouri Memorial in Oahu's Pearl Harbor offers a behind-the-scenes look at the feats of engineering that powered the “Mighty Mo.”

During the Heart of the Missouri Tour, guides will take visitors through ship areas never before available including boiler, plotting and engine rooms. Visitors will be invited to undergo a quick, hands-on training in how to light one of the 40,000-tone ship’s eight, three-story boilers and adjust throttles, thereby releasing the steam that drives the ship’s massive propellers.

In a news release issued by the memorial, its president, Mike Carr, said: “The Heart of the Missouri tour is a unique experience unlike anything we’ve ever offered at the Battleship Missouri Memorial. For the first time visitors will get to see how the Missouri worked.”

Carr added, “You get to see … how she was powered, how the guns were aimed and fired and tons more. This ship was really a marvel of her time and the Navy engineers thought of everything when they built the Iowa-class battleships.”

The battleship's career spanned five decades before it was decommissioned in 1995. Among the ship's historical highlights: On Sept. 2, 1945, Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Douglas MacArthur and representatives from 10 nations assembled on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay to accept Imperial Japan’s formal, unconditional WWII surrender.

The formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri followed V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day), May 8, 1945, when German troops laid down their arms after Germany surrendered to Allied Nations. Japan announced its surrender on Aug. 15 (Japan time) and formalized the agreement on Sept. 2 aboard the ship, thereby finalizing the Allies’ victory over Axis Powers.

For more information about Heart of the Missouri Tour, click here.