Academy celebrates holiday

Use marshmallows, pretzels and icing to make your own edible snowglobe at "Keiki Christmas" today. Bank of Hawaii’s Family Sunday at the Honolulu Academy of Arts presents a holiday extravaganza from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Among the highlighted entertainment is the Oahu Civic Orchestra and Mele Mai Paki Handbell Choir. The Hapa Haole Hula Holiday Hour kicks off the event and demonstrates how different cultures strive for the same goal: Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards men. Santa will be available for visits until 3 p.m. Admission is free. Visit www.honoluluacademy.org

Merrie Monarch requests start soon

Requests for tickets to the Merrie Monarch Festival 2011 are being accepted after Christmas, but must be postmarked no earlier than Dec. 27.

Ticket requests must be mailed in, and include a ticket request form, payment in the form of a cashier’s check or money order in U.S. dollars, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Each person may purchase a maximum of two tickets. Prices vary depending on seating section and number of nights of attendance.

Requests postmarked earlier than Dec. 27 will not be accepted. Usually, the ticket requests may be postmarked on the day after Christmas, but this year that falls on a Sunday.

The Merrie Monarch Festival 2011 will take place from April 24 to 30, with the competition on April 28, 29, and 30. Visit merriemonarch.com/tickets for more information.

Electric Car Rally charges on Dec. 30

Celebrating 2011: "The Year of the Electric Car" is the theme for the first Electric Car Rally. Green Energy Outlet (GEO) will host an array of speakers from the city and state government, solar, automobile, electric industries and green organizations. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 30 at Mother Waldron Park, across from 575 Cooke St.

The rally starts at Ford Island’s Pacific Aviation Museum and makes its way around the island with stops in Kaneohe, Kailua, Hawaii Kai, Kahala, Diamond Head and Ala Moana, and ends at Kakaako. Makana will present a concert following the rally from 3 to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

A special showing of the classic "Who Killed the Electric Car?" starts at 6 p.m. at Pipeline Cafe. Admission is $10; $5 for military and students. All proceeds benefit PluginAmerica.org and the Blue Planet Foundation. For more information regarding GEO’s Electric Car Rally Hawaii and the event in the park please visit www.GoGeoGo.com or e-mail questions to greeninfo@GoGeoGo.com.

Send us your baby pictures

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser would like to help you announce the birth of your baby on the Ohana page of the newspaper and on our website, www.staradvertiser.com.

Please submit a color or black-and-white photo of the baby alone or that can be easily cropped to only show the baby, along with a copy of the baby’s birth certificate and a signed copy of the Star-Advertiser birth announcement form, available at staradvertiser.com.

Mail the items to Birth Announcements, Features section, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. For more information, call 529-4777.