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Holiday goes off
with a funny bang
as Murphy entertains

Charlie Murphy put on a great one-nighter Friday at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. The comic had the crowd laughing with stories about his encounters with airport security, life as the brother of actor Eddie Murphy, his friendship with Rick James and other experiences and observances. Local comedian Paul Ogata got the party rolling before New York comic Kapone stepped onto stage, followed by Murphy. That was a great way to begin the Fourth of July weekend. And, speaking of the Fourth of July, there were so many fireworks displays this weekend, I hope you got to see at least one of them. BayFest is always a great place for me since there's also great entertainment, food and rides to keep me occupied until the fireworks light up the sky. With Independence Day over, it's time to move onward and plan upcoming weekends. ... First, a little cleaning. The Honolulu Theatre for Youth is having a community workday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Tenney Theatre (located on the St. Andrew's Cathedral grounds). The theater is the new home and performance venue for the HTY. If you can't spare the elbow grease, HTY is also looking for donations of garbage bags, paint brushes and rollers, cleaning supplies, refreshments, a steam carpet cleaner and other items. Call Jessica Fox at 839-9885, ext. 10, for details. ... You can also support the keiki of the Fifth Annual Pacific Rim Children's Chorus Festival. More than 300 children from 10 choruses throughout the United States will be in Hawaii to explore the cultures and music of Pacific Rim countries by participating in Polynesian music, dances, instrument-making, language and storytelling with native speakers and instructors from next Tuesday to July 20. The festival will culminate in two concerts: A free concert, 7 p.m. July 16 at the Cannon Center Auditorium on the BYUH campus in Laie, and another performance 4 p.m. July 17 at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. Tickets are $10 to $20. Call 591-2211. ...