Hawaii
PYROTECHNICIANS and fireworks fans certainly have had their fill during the past week. It began Thursday (July 1) when a dazzling display of fireworks were set off at the conclusion of the "Patriots Celebration" honoring Gen. Fred C. Weyand (Ret.) on board the USS Missouri. It was a benefit for the Hawaii Foodbank and some 900 people turned out. Weyand gave a brief acceptance speech and quipped that one definition of a patriot he'd heard was, "Someone who won't order anything off a menu he can't pronounce." Gen. Weyand, in all seriousness, personifies the term "patriot," having served this country in three wars - WWII, Korea and Vietnam ... Saturday night was the even more spectacular pyrotechnic display over Sand Island. Aloha Tower Marketplace was full of folks, and others of us gathered in nearby buildings so we wouldn't have to deal with the traffic. It was hilarious looking at all the blinking tail-lights flashing and alarms going off in the parking lot adjacent to Pier 3, victims of the noise ... Fireworks fill
Fourth with flash
THE topper had to be the actual Fourth of July display over Magic Island, however, again viewed from the safety of a highrise for those who despise traffic jams. Even the show at the adjacent Ala Moana Center was televised. Then there was another fireworks show at Pearl Harbor as another 1,000 people gathered for a swing music show on board the Missouri. And another huge display at the Army's annual July 4 celebration at Schofield. Thank goodness the Fourth only comes around once a year, though a day off was nice! ...
From Patriots to Broncos
WHAT was the owner of the Broncos doing at the Patriots celebration, you ask? Well, if you're Pat Bowlen and you own not only the Denver Broncos but a home in Hawaii, you and wife Annabel join pals Tim & Devon Guard on the Missouri. Bowlen also has spent the NFL off-season with another kind of bronco. He and Fred Hemmings visited Molokai Ranch, where rounding up cattle is a popular activity ...FRIDAY night was as crowded as I've seen it on newly busy Nuuanu Avenue. Even when there's a "Nuuanu Nights" fair going, you'll not see bigger crowds than were in Murphy's, O'Toole's, Hank's, Havana Cabana and especially Indigo, where it was elbow to elbow. Jason Scott Lee and a girlfriend were among the celebrants, but he kept it all in the
family by showing up at Havana Cabana, co-owned by his brother, Stuart Lee ...
PEOPLE are already trying to come up with the perfect way to celebrate the end of the millennium. Roy's is having a special dinner at $325 per ticket, which might seem a trifle pricey. But now comes word on the street that someone with deep pockets has bought out the entire Gordon Biersch restaurant in Aloha Tower Marketplace for the evening of Dec. 31. The exact price is hush-hush, but I hear it's in six figures! ...
Next takeover: Trailways?
YOU'll recall that Bill Gates got married on Lanai and pretty well took over the entire island to ensure his privacy. Well, he's now visited Alaska. In Gates fashion, he flew in friends from all corners of the world to the Juneau Airport, and wanted to have them delivered by limos to a luxury cruise liner docked a few miles away. Alas, Gates should have flown in the cars as well. Total limo count in Juneau: Two. The Microsoft billionaire buddies had to be transported by, shudder, tour buses ...
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: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com