[ ISLAND HOPPING ]
Clothed in aloha
Add to your Aloha Friday wardrobe and pick up discounts at the same time. Hilo Hattie is offering money-saving coupons when customers purchase a Hilo Hattie-labeled garment (from $19.99) in Honolulu, Kona, Hilo, Maui and Kauai.Oahu coupons are good for admission discounts at 15 attractions and 11 Waikiki and Honolulu restaurants.
For more information, call Hilo Hattie at 800-233-8912 or visit the Web site www.HiloHattie.com.
Football fun on Maui
Football fans will once again have the opportunity to get up close to some of the game's most revered players at the fourth annual Whalers Village Hula Bowl Family Fun Fest, 4 to 6 p.m. Jan. 29, in honor of the Hula Bowl.The free fun begins at the Whalers Village Center Stage with prize giveaways, live entertainment by Manutea Productions and Benoit Jazz Works, games and activities for the whole family and a live radio broadcast by KAOI Radio.
Then from 5 to 6 p.m., Heisman Trophy winners and football greats will make an appearance for a live autograph signing and sunset photo session. Although the lineup may change, scheduled to date are Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier, Billy Sims, George Rogers, Eric Crouch, Hugh Green, Dick Kazmaier, Howard "Hopalong" Cassidy, Doug Flutie, Johnny Lattner and Ty Detmer.
For more information, call 808-661-4567 or visit whalersvillage.com.
Sheep Year on its way
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel will be welcoming the Year of the Sheep, with a display of fireworks beginning 5:20 p.m. Jan. 31.Colorful Chinese lions will dance, stomp and roar to powerful drumbeats as guests feed them the traditional offering of red envelopes full of good-luck offerings. The procession will continue to the Pavilion Restaurant, where guests may enjoy a buffet of Chinese delicacies beginning at 6 p.m. Among the offerings will be an assortment of dim sum and pot stickers, roast suckling pig, kung pao shrimp, and gao and the chef's special "firecracker" pastry for dessert.
The cost is $42 for adults and $21 for children ages 5 to 12, plus tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 808-882-5810.
Springtime on Big Isle
Make it a Big Island weekend by heading to the Lunar New Year festivities above, then driving up to Waimea for the 10th annual Waimea Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival.Known as "hanami," or "viewing of the flowers in springtime," it is a celebration of spring, featuring mochitsuki, kite-flying, calligraphy, bonsai, ikebana, Japanese cooking, paper-making and quilting demonstrations. There will also be sake tasting, a plant sale and a bon dance.
Events will take place on the Kahilu Theater lanai and sites throughout Waimea. Call 808-961-8706 for more information. More details will also appear in next week's Travel section.