Gene leading
cafeteria caperYOU put Gene Kaneshiro in charge of finding a site for a reunion of his Class of '63 at McKinley High, and what does he come up with? Well, in Kaneshiro's case, the former owner of Columbia Inn and now director of the School Lunch Program in Hawaii, the selection was a natural. And so it is that the site of the reunion will be the McKinley High School Cafeteria. In a way, it is a natural choice, since the Class of '63 was the first graduating class to use what was then the "new cafeteria." The reunion dinner will be Saturday at 5:30 p.m. And will Kaneshiro's School Lunch people be preparing the food? No way. Kahala Caterers has been hired to transform the institutional looking room into a gala party scene and provide appropriate cuisine. One caveat to McKinley -- there'll be no wine or other alcoholic beverages, since the campus is "dry." ...
THIS is really a time for reunions. Some 2,000 grads from 1958 have been invited back to a Statewide Class Reunion Saturday at Blaisdell Center. Attendees are promised the sensation of entering at the Center a time tunnel, through which they'll be transported back to pre-statehood 1958. Among those invited are Gov. Ben Cayetano, Supreme Court Chief Justice Ron Moon, numerous politicians and lawyers and restaurateurs, not to mention Bank of Hawaii Chairman Larry Johnson. Flags from all schools will be on display and Tom Moffatt will be there spinning records from the period, just as he was on the radio 40 years ago. Those attending are mostly 58, were graduated in '58 and will have to pay $58 to attend the party. If you need a loan to get a ticket, see Johnson ...
Wiley advice
THE name of sex therapist Diana Wiley's show on KHNR (AM650) is "50-Plus & Fabulous." So who's her guest on Saturday morning's show at 9 a.m.? Why, Vicky Cayetano, wife of the governor, though Wiley is quick to point out that she is merely "40-Plus & Fabulous." And while politics is stressful, it never seems to bother Vicky, says Wiley, who plans to find out why. Will she kiss and tell? Will secrets of the First Bedroom be a subject of discussion? Or will the tone of the conversation turn to dirty laundry? I can hardly wait to find out! ...THE Aug. 10 issue of Newsweek reveals that the sharks in the Waikiki Aquarium can be viewed close up on the Discovery Channel's new 24-hour Shark Cam during Shark Week. Its web address: www.discovery.com ... You can't order shark, but Bernard's New York Deli is holding its 13th anniversary Saturday in Ward Centre, with prices rolled back to what they were when Bernard Horowitz opened his deli in 1985. There'll be entertainment and a "New Yawk" accent contest. You tawkin' tuh me? ...
WHEN you hear the term "Small Soldiers" these days, you think of those toys Burger King is plugging the daylights out of on TV. But that's also the title of a major story in the August issue of George magazine about the Japanese-American members of the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team ...
Storm warning
ON Lanai it promises to be an event of "Titanic" proportions. Gaelic Storm, the Irish band that was featured in James Cameron's Oscar-winning film, "Titanic," will appear as part of the Lanai Visiting Artist Program on Thursday, Aug. 27, at the Manele Bay Hotel. They're hoping for good weather that evening since Gaelic Storm will be performing outdoors, and the event is free ...
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.