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A belated basketful
of congrats and kudos

Once again I'm behind in congratulating several people and companies for their achievements and good deeds. First, is young composer Max Bergmanis. The 11-year-old Punahou student was one of 27 nationwide chosen to perform his original composition, "Funky Five-O," at the Yamaha Jamboree in San Diego last month. This was the first time a Hawaii student received this honor. Max, the only son of Mark and Barbara Bergmanis, began piano lessons at the Hawaii Yamaha Music School when he was 3. "Funky Five-O," inspired by the theme song for "Hawaii Five-O," which Max heard on the radio when he was 10, is his second original composition. Max's co-pianist was 16-year-old St. Louis School student Ken Lykes. Lykes has been a student of Bergmanis' teacher Satoko Nagai for 10 years and Nagai praised both. The boys also brought a bit of Hawaii with them, wearing bright aloha shirts and lei during their performance. ... Congrats also go out to Baldwin High School teacher Wayne Moniz and Rodney Morales, head of UH-Manoa's creative writing program. Both will receive The Cades Awards for Literature on May 25 at the Kumu Kahua Theatre -- Moniz for his plays (he has written and produced 13) dealing with local people, events and issues, and Morales for his novels, his most recent being "When the Shark Bites." Both will read from their works at the awards ceremony, which is free and open to the public. The reception begins at 6 p.m. ... The Bank of Hawaii Charitable Foundation awarded the USS Missouri Memorial Association a $10,000 grant which will be used for two new exhibits being unveiled on Sept. 2, the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII. And, speaking about Bank of Hawaii, I think they had the most appreciated booth at the Filipino festival at Kapiolani Park Saturday. The line of people seeking to cool off with BOH's free slush floats seemed endless. ... Finally, I want to bid an aloha to Lt. Col. Russell A. Weir. Weir has been busy attending many rehearsals and shows of "Secret Garden" at the Army Community Theatre, in which his 10-year-old daughter Channing stars as Mary Lennox. Weir leaves today for a six-month deployment to the Philippines. After two tours in Afghanistan, he says this won't be so bad. ...