Wo, ho ho! C.S. Wo & Sons’ huge furniture emporium kicked off the Christmas season Saturday night with its annual "Home for the Holidays" party that featured dazzling displays. The store was packed with kamaaina mingling and chatting together in good cheer. Christmas caroling by John Rampage‘s young Diamond Head Shooting Stars was a treat. Neiman Marcus’ Visual Merchandising Team created holiday table settings that were displayed on both floors of the store. Neiman models in glamorous fashions glided through the crowd. Many of the women attending were also decked out in snazzy attire and heels. Food-tasting stations were by Superb Sushi. A martini bar augmented beverage stations. Diamond Head Theatre and the Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund shared a portion of proceeds from the evening’s store sales …
A PARTY to begin Immigration Judge Dayna Dias Beamer‘s 59th-birthday celebrations was held Nov. 17 at a Tantalus home. Her birthday was Monday, but the party was held early when the Vladimir Ossipoff-designed home, on the National and State Registers of Historic Places, was available. It was built for Howard and Betty Liljestrand. Attending Dayna’s "Sunday Sweet Soiree," thrown by her husband, Kapono Beamer, were U.S. District Court Judge Helen Gillmor and her husband, attorney John Gillmor, and Intermediate Court of Appeals Judge Alexa Fujise. Kanoe Miller, who danced hula for the Beamer Brothers (Kapono and Keola) decades ago in Waikiki before moving on to the Halekulani, was among the 40 guests with her husband, John Miller. Frank B. Shaner, who has spent many years in radio and is also an artist, attended. Chef Peter Foster catered. Kapono is now with Prudential Locations …
HAWAII’S U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is among several notable women pictured with their quotations on a page in December’s Marie Claire magazine. "Choose the hard right over the easy wrong" is the quotation by Gabbard that was taken from her talk at Kauai’s Hale ‘Opio, a nonprofit that serves youth and families. Others in the mag’s "That’s What She Said" feature include first lady Michelle Obama and actresses Olivia Wilde and Rebecca Hall … Honolulu Theatre for Youth invites all kupuna, 72 or older, to attend the 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7 showing of "Nothing Is the Same" at Tenney Theatre for just 5 cents. The drama is about four Wahiawa children whose lives are forever changed when they experience the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Go to www.htyweb.org or call 839-9885 for more info …
THE HAWAI‘I Food and Wine Festival presented checks totaling $228,500 to 10 nonprofit beneficiaries Nov. 22 at the Halekulani Hotel. Since its inception in 2011, the festival has raised nearly $700,000 for local nonprofits.
The net proceeds raised during the third annual event held in September on Oahu and Maui went to the Culinary Institute of the Pacific, $80,000; Hawaii Agricultural Foundation, $70,000; Maui County Farm Bureau, $20,000; Leeward Community College Culinary Arts Program, $20,000; Paepae o Heeia, $10,000; Papahana Kuaola, $10,000; Hawaii Culinary Education Foundation, $7,500; Maui Culinary Academy, $5,000; and the Hawaii Seafood Council, $5,000. In addition, HFWF donated $1,000 to the Ocean Institute in memory of Rick Hadley, an early supporter who shared the festival’s vision of food sustainability in Hawaii. Visitor industry reps, along with HFWF co-chairmen Roy Yamaguchi, owner of Roy’s Restaurants, and Alan Wong, owner of Alan Wong’s Restaurants, presented the checks …
HAWAII Public Radio’s 2013 fund drive surpassed its goal of $992,000 with $1,003,030 in total pledges … Carole Kai Charities has donated $15,000 to the McKinley High School Foundation to provide scholarships for students there …
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Ben Wood, who sold newspapers on Honolulu streets in World War II, writes of people, places and things. Email him at bwood@staradvertiser.com.
