IT'S probably only natural with political races forming and heating up simultaneously all over the country, but there seems to be a "Call of the Wild." Specifically, people seem to feel an urge to head "North to Alaska." My neighbors, Kedric and Suzie Hasha, postcard from Whalers Cove Lodge on Killisnoo Island, which looks as glorious as it sounds, that the fishing there is great. Hasha says it still takes some getting used to when he finds himself on his lanai reading a newspaper by natural light at 3 a.m. They've caught lots of halibut in the 20- to 30-pound range and Suzie caught a black rockfish, which reported to be a pound over the existing world record. The lodge kept the fish for taxidermy and sent paper work and photos to the International Game Fishing Association for certification. We may have a world record angler in our midst ... Isle businessman Bob Hall no sooner pulled up stakes and moved to Las Vegas than he was greeted with 108-degree temperatures and immediately headed off on a cruise to Alaska ... Also planning an Alaska cruise is my S.F. pal Mike Sweetow, who's decided to battle his cancer by living well and doing some luxury traveling. He just wrapped up a respite here with wife Beth at the Kahala Mandarin ... YESTERDAY'S column mentioned the Kanreki, the 60th birthday party for KHON-TV's community affairs honcho Jack Kellner, held at the Queen Emma Summer Home Saturday night. At the birthday "roast," emcee Don Robbs recalled that disaster seemed to follow Kellner around. After he hosted "Lucky Lager Dance Time" on K-POI, the beer went out of business. So, too, did Robert Hall Clothiers for which he was the voice and likewise Pan Am. Now comes word that the Summer House is being closed temporarily in the wake of the Kellner party. "Probably for fumigation," sniffed one of his "pals." ...
Stanley Hong
HAWAII'S Ho'opi'i Brothers, Richard and Solomon Ho'opi'i were selected by the National Endowment for the Arts to receive a 1996 National Heritage Fellowship. Along with the award comes $10,000. The brothers will give a free concert at George Washington University when they pick up the award in September ... New Chamber of Commerce president Stanley Hong must have box office power. The Chamber's Thursday luncheon has already sold 1,000 seats, double the sales of past years ...
GOOD to see longtime broadcast exec Don Metzger up and around. He suffered a stroke in February, but seems to be recovering nicely from it ... All the talk of a large screen version of "Hawaii Five-O" must amuse Al Harrington, who played a detective on the show. He now sports a very non-regulation gray ponytail, and word is he's working on a stage version of "Othello" for Kumu Kahua. "Book 'em, Iago." ...
