Neither rain, nor wind, nor flooding have halted the arrival of Bunny season.
Translation: The 2026 edition of Easter pins is out and hopping.
Two batches of the holiday pins – what I create annually for Easter – have been mailed at the post office, and more will be surfacing in the weeks ahead.
So watch your mail box office. Initially, out-of-town recipients will be the first to receive Easter pins.
Neither rain, nor wind, nor flooding have halted the arrival of Bunny season.
Translation: The 2026 edition of Easter pins is out and hopping.
Two batches of the holiday pins – what I create annually for Easter – have been mailed at the post office, and more will be surfacing in the weeks ahead.
So watch your mail box office. Initially, out-of-town recipients will be the first to receive Easter pins.
Award-winning Robert Cazimero and his hula Halau Na Kamalei O Lililehua will go Windward in March, making their debut at the Windward Community College’s Paliku Theatre in two shows at 2 and 6 p.m. March 22.
The concerts, themed “A Ko‘olau Au” (“I Am the Windward Side”), will pay tribute to the region. Cazimero said the show’s title is derived “from an old chant many schools perform.”
He added, “What is most important is the fact that we are going to be doing songs for the Windward side of O‘ahu, from Waimanalo to Paumalū. It’s a celebration for its people, ‘aina and mele.”
Robert Cazimero
The Windward side, with its verdant and dominating Ko‘olau rmountain range, is notably impressive and inspiring especially during the winter raining season, like now. Over the decades, it has motivated and stimulated the imagination of many. Windward resources are plentiful; the Pahinui family in Waimanalo has been prolific singers-musicians, Singers-composers have made their marks with hit songs (think Jerry Santos of Olomana, with “Kuu Home O Kahaluu” and Jay Larrin, with “The Ko‘olaus Are Sleeping Now.”
Historic towns and communities like Lanikai, Kailua, Kaneohe, Waiahole, Ka‘a,’awa, Kahana, Punalu’u and La’ie have also inspired songs and mele; even Hollywood has been lured to a popular site, Kualoa Ranch, and welcomed filmdom’s Steven Spielberg and his “Jurassic Park” dinosaur box office hits.
Members of Halau Na Kamalei O Lilililehua, in hula kahiko
So there is no shortage of titles and theses from Cazimero and Halau Na Kamalei, reigning Merrie Monarch Festival winners.
“I am a towny,” said Cazimero, “and there is no doubt and I do love it. But it’s easy to let what you see at face value overshadow what you need for my heart’s value. When that happens, I drive through the Pali, to the Windward side of the Ko`olau. It fills and replenish me and is the inspiration for our show.”
A few other performers will be secured, but not yet named. Negotiatons also are underway for “the conglomerate of three hula halau,” he noted.
He added, “As should be expected, HNKOL will be there as well as Bob’s Boys. That would be my band consisting of Kaipo Hale, Keala Chock and Richard Heirakuji. (The gents made their debut as a backup band) at Cazimerio’s two concerts last Oct. 11 and 12 at Leeward Communty Theatre). I’m hoping that Miss Kanoe Kaumeheiwa Miller will be there, but I haven’t heard back from her yet.”
Cazimero,, left, with Bob’s Boys: Richard Heirakujii, Keala Chock and Kaipo Hale.
“It is my birthday month, but we’re not gonna be celebrating that too much. Cazimero will perform at his birthday bash at 6:30 p.m. March 19 at Chef Chai and it’s already virtually sold out. For reservation inquiries, call the retaurant at (808) 585-0011.
Cazimero, a legendary vocalist, showman, and recording artist, is featured at his first-time art show in the Gallery Iolani adjoining Paliki Theatre. The display, focusing on Robert and his brother Roland Cazimero and the Cazimero ‘ohana, will be open before the 2 p.m. Paliku concert and after the show, and also before the 6 p.m. finale.
“We’re taking advantage of the gallery next door and incorporating what’s there for the show,” said Cazimero. “It’s an opportunity to talk about those that I love in the gallery that are no longer here. I’m hoping that after the concert people will go to the gallery and appreciate it even more. It gives me chicken skin.”
Proceeds from the concerts will go to the sponsoring Wahea Foundation, and beneficiaries include Cazimero and his singing-and-dancing halau gentlemen.
Tickets go on sale this week, with all seats priced at $50, though University of Hawaii students with student ID cards can purchase limited student tickets for $25, with a link at www.waheafoundationb@gmail.com
Good news: Zippy’s Kahala will be renovating its restaurant. Last day for dining: Wednesday Feb. 25. The restaurant will shut down for a facelift, though the update in the main dining room doesn’t appear to be tattered. The take-out counter and the on-site Japanese restaurant will be closed, too, beginning Thursday, Feb. 26. On-site wait-help will have to pitch in and tidy up the eatery…then seek shifts at other Zippy’s locations till the reopening.
Bad news: Zippy’s Kahala will be closed until June 2026. Precise reopening date will be announced later. That means if you’ve been accustomed to chowing and chatting at Zippy’s, you may have to settle for Zippy’s Hawaii Kai take-out at Koko Marina, since the dining room has been shuttered for quite a while now. The nearest Zippy’s (without the usual dining room) is the Kaimuki restaurant, not the same as a customary dining room. You’d have to go west to either the Maikiki Zippy’s near Washington Middle School, or the earlier renovated popular site where Wisteria used to be.
Jack be nimble: Maybe Jack’s in Aina Haina will lure the breakfast trade, since its menu has ample options and the grilled biscuits, with honey butter, always hits the spot.
Worth exploring: Beastside Kitchen, in the Niu Valley Shopping Center, has imaginative breakfast options, and with options lean in the area, this restaurant might be the one to come to the rest. Tried the breakfast earlier but the offerings now are more like inventive and bountiful lunch for the morning crowd, with daily feasts from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring creative island-style dishes, ranging from loco mocos to eggs benedict, kal bi with eggs, with options with imaginative names as Da Elvis French Toast and Chee Hoo Breakfast Sandwich. Bring a big appetite and hey, your breakfast feast turn out to be lunch, too.
Unconfirmed rumor: That open space where Fat Boy’s used to be, at Koko Marina, might become a future Popeye’s chicken restaurant.
Recent arrival: Domino’s Pizza, at the Hawaii Kai Towne Center, on the site of the former Jersey Mike’s.
Fritters: Fans of Safeway’s apple fritters are discovering that the version in the mix of doughnuts and bagels is simply OK; the current fritter is rounder than the one we all remember, and the “complexion” is lighter than the darker original which also had its own distinctive shape.
Recently, I had a yummy dinner the likes of which I haven’t had for perhaps 50 years.
It was fried aku bones.
Yep, many families used to dine on aku bones when available. No, you don’t eat the skeletal remains, but you’d nibble on the flesh of the bones of fish, which were seasoned with salt and pepper and served as a casual meal.
You were able to buy uncooked aku bones at your neighborhood market; if it sold aku filet, it would have had the aku bones – remnants of the fish – the home chefs would buy and then serve. Ono stuff.
Fried aku bones — a delicacy, if you can find ’em these days
But I don’t know how long ago that markets pulled the plug on aku bones. After all, it’s supposed to be a discarded item. If they’re still sold, it must be a regional secret.
But my nephew, who was on a mission to purchase aku filets at Tamashiro Market in Palama, noticed the availability of aku bones. He managed to score enough and save some for me.
These bones were simply wrapped up in a market’s pink paper, and given to regular customers. I mean, come on, you can’t buy/sell steak bones, so why can you sell aku bones?
Folks of a certain vintage will remember aku bones. You’d have to grab the bones with your fingers cuz you couldn’t use a knife and fork to cut the flesh off the fish, since there wasn’t much on the bone. Yet if you had two or three of these critters, you had a meal in the old days.
After salt and peppering – you could add a dash of garlic – you simply fried till it was koge – blackened or charred – and some folks deep-fried the aku bones. White rice wouldn’t have been the only other component you’d need to have a feast. Since the bone would be a hand-held item, a musubi would have been the perfect partner.
Then you’d suck away, till every morsel of the aku flesh would be slurped and consumed. But eating the aku bones required some skill and caution, because the bones were sharp and subject to poke and wound you. So you’d have to learn to use your tongue to navigate. Honest!
This all might sound gross and disgusting, but if you have elders in your household, ask ‘em about aku bones. It was an incredible edible, only consumed at home. You’d never serve it to guests at your dinner table and you’re never find it on a restaurant menu. But if you remember and treasured aku bones, you’d never forget ‘em.
So: If you’re a fan of fried aku bones, share your memories here.
Singer Kevin I. released today – Valentine’s Day, his birthday – a new studio version of his early, early yesteryear hit, “One in Love.”
The timing is essential here. Kevin earlier updated his beloved catalogue of music which had been on the shelf for four decades, and his “My Continuum” EP was released last February. It found a receptive audience that adored his romantic sound.
I wondered out loud to him: “Too bad you couldn’t release it on Valentine’s Day, to celebrate your birthday.”
Kevin I.
Interestingly, his recordings intersect with his life. No other singer I know jump-starts a career 40 years after turning off the mike; however, Kevin’s journey has had a marvelous turnaround. His vintage melodies caught the ears and hearts of Spotify fans, who discovered this retired vocalist who still had limited love songs in stock. Kevin always focused on romantic tunes, since he’s got the voice to deliver ‘em, and that’s what connects with his audience.
His newest update is “One in Love,” is a melody he performed at the Tokyo Music Festival years ago, earning the Grand Prize laurels. So something old is new again.
He’s chatted about this tune, I’ve written about it, so his fan base is no stranger to his work.
“This song has always been deeply special to me. It validated me professionally, solidified my reputation as a vocalist, and honestly changed the course of my life. Fast forward to today, and Lance Jyo stepped way outside his comfort zone by producing a song he didn’t compose.”
Kevin’s big on yesteryear tunes; his collection of ‘80s songs triggered a new life and fueled a base of loyalists who want more.
“One in Love” is the ideal Valentine’s Day tune, so its release today globally is timely marketing. It has a past, but certainly will enjoy a new future, too.
I commend Kevin’s decision to finally open up his well-oiled pipes – his voice, silly – and go into the studio to update “One in Love,” which has uncharted magic and potential to connect with those who’ve been streaming his music. To his current fan base, this is a new, fresh commodity.
Kevin knows his way around a love song; he enhances lyrics, adding his own warmth and vibes. In this particular case, he’s caressing and embracing an old friend from the past. He’s wanted to give “One in Life” new life, so yep, he can finally check this one off his bucket list.
He’s had a grand career in the business community, and is not likely to return to live singing. (I could be wrong! But he’s not likely to go live)…
