Isle mom wins
35 G’s at TahoeJUST the other day we told you about the island man who won over $250,000 in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. Now here's the story of a lucky local lady. Tracey Marsh, daughter of Pacific Century's Judy Marsh, was attending the 75th birthday reunion party for her grandmother, Lorraine Vannucci, at Lake Tahoe. She and her mom stopped by Harrah's and she sat down at a "Let It Ride" table where players are dealt three cards each. They can keep whatever cards they like and Tracey paid $5 each to keep the 10, jack and king of spades. You're way ahead of me if you guess that the dealer then turned over the ace and queen of spades. That gave Tracey a Royal Flush and mom Judy a Royal Rush as she watched her daughter, a new mom, pocket a quick $35,000, a good start on paying for college for the baby.
SOMETIMES it pays not to be No. 1. Players in the Longs Charity Golf Tournament raised $80,000 to be split between the Cancer Research Center and the Arthritis Foundation's local chapter. All players went home with boxes of goodies -- from Longs, of course -- and many teams were awarded prizes. But since it was the 11th annual Longs Tournament, the team that came in 11th was awarded the grand prize. Emcee Kimo Kahoano nearly choked when he announced the winning team: Darryl Yamate and Masaichi Sugiyama of Shiseido and Gerald Saito -- district manager of Longs stores in Hawaii. Saito spent the rest of the day insisting the contest wasn't rigged ...
Beef on Big Isle
IT'S more of a rivalry than a contest when eight Big Island paniolo grill beef for guests at a function called "Real Beef by Real Cowboys." Stepping out of the saddle and behind the barbecue grill at Parker Ranch's Pukalani Stables on Sunday, May 24, will be such rancher/chefs as Pono Von Holt, Robby Hind, Keoki Wood, Earl Spence, Toby King, John Replogle, Rick Habein and Dr. Tim Richards. The beef-a-rama is just one of some two dozen events planned as part of the Bankoh-sponsored re-creation of the late Anna Perry Fiske's historic pageant, "Old Hawaii on Horseback," May 30 ...SPEAKING of the Big Isle, former San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh spent a week there recently sharpening up his tennis game, and speculating on whether he'll have a job with the 'Niners this fall. It all depends on who gets ownership of the team, Eddie Debartolo or his sister, who are engaged in a family squabble of major proportions ... Psst. Wanna buy a symphony conductor? Maestro Sam Wong is on the (silent) auction block at tonight's Symphony Ball. One lucky bidder will get a conducting lesson from Sam as well as a role in the opening concert next season -- conducting the "Star-Spangled Banner." ...
Local angles all around
PEOPLE who look for local angles found themselves surrounded by them last Saturday night. When Steve Thomas won an Emmy as "Best Host" for his role on the PBS series, "This Old House," it brought to mind that he was in the islands recently doing a major Hawaii old house make-over. But did you know that in his life before PBS, Thomas wrote, "The Last Navigator"? The book features his year on Satawal apprenticing under acclaimed Micronesian navigator Mau Pialug of Hokule'a fame. Thomas' book, which has just been reprinted with a new forward, was originally underwritten by PRI. The latter became BHP Hawaii and is about to become Tesoro Hawaii when its sale is finalized May 29. Enough local angles? ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
His columns run Monday through Friday.Contact Dave by e-mail: donnelly@kestrok.com.