Expect an exceptional farm-to-fork meal at the Huaka‘i Mauka dinner to benefit Hui o Ko‘olaupoko, a watershed management group for the region from Makapuu to Kualoa.

The event, 3 to 8 p.m. Nov. 14 at Kualoa Ranch, will feature a meal using bounty from the area’s ahupuaa (mountain-to-sea land division) by chefs Mark “Gooch” Noguchi of the Pili Group and Kealoha Domingo of NuiKealoha.

Jeep tours of restoration work at Kualoa will run before dinner.

Tickets: $75; visit huihawaii.org/fundraiser.

Dinner features foods from the ark

Partake of a meal featuring Hawaii foods currently on the International Ark of Taste, a list of more than 1,100 endangered products from more than 50 countries, compiled by Slow Food International. The U.S. list includes 200 foods.

A Taste of the Ark features foods on Hawaii’s Ark, including mana lauloa taro, kiawe and lehua honeys, hua moa and ele ele bananas, Hawaiian breadfruit and traditionally made Hawaiian salt.

The menu: Tin Roof Farm lamb; mana lauloa kalo salad; kulolo made with kalo, ginger, ulu and coconut; roasted root panzanella; luau; limu salad; bananas with curry butter; and Ko Hana Agricole Rum (using native sugar cane).

The gathering starts at 5 p.m. at 2970 E. Manoa Road. Tickets: $85; reserve a seat at bit.ly/1Wuz4CS.

Gala helps dogs that help others

Cheer on man’s best friend at Assistance Dogs of Hawaii’s Giving Thanks fundraiser Nov. 15, a three-course gourmet dinner and dessert. Hosts are Guy Hagi and Kim Gennaula.

Assistance Dogs of Hawaii provides professionally trained animals to people with physical disabilities for free.

The shindig is at 6 p.m., with cocktails at 5:30, at the Waialae Country Club. Tickets: $150; call 298-0167, or go to AssistanceDogsHawaii.org.

Thanksgiving imu ready for orders

There’s nothing like an imu to ensure a tasty, moist bird for Thanksgiving, and Castle High School’s agriculture program and Future Farmers of America club are providing a smoky pit Nov. 25, the day before the holiday.

For $20, take your thawed turkey or chicken (no pork) — up to 25 pounds, placed in a disposable foil pan and wrapped in foil — to the school from 3 to 5 p.m. Pickup is 9 to 11 a.m. Thanksgiving Day.

Tickets on sale at Castle’s office. Call 305-0700.

Waialua cacao wins high praise

Hawaii-grown cacao received a big note of approval Oct. 28 when Waialua Estate Coffee and Chocolate won a Cocoa of Excellence award at the prestigious Salon du Chocolate international competition in Paris.

Waialua’s cacao was among four selected in the Asia/Pacific division and 17 awardees worldwide. Entries from 35 countries were judged on quality, flavor and diversity of cocoas according to their origin. Other winners from the Asia/Pacific division hailed from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Visit cocoaofexcellence.org.

Record attempt

Al Roker, the affable weatherman on NBC’s “Today Show,” wants to report the weather live from every state and do it in seven days, starting Friday at the Royal Hawaiian hotel.

The marathon effort, dubbed “Rokerthon 2: Taking America by Storm,” will begin with six live broadcasts from the hotel’s Ocean Lawn. Roker will go live every half-hour between 2 and 4:30 a.m. Hawaii time. (“The Today Show” airs at 7 a.m. here on a delayed basis on KHNL.)

The public is invited to watch from the edge of the set.

Once he’s finished in Hawaii, Roker will crisscross the country on planes, trains and automobiles to get to each state for a weather report. He will finish Nov. 13 at Rockefeller Plaza in New York.

The effort is an attempt to break what must surely be the most esoteric of records in the Guinness Book of World Records: fastest time to report a weather forecast from all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Last year, in the first-ever Rokerthon, the weatherman broadcast a record-breaking 34 straight hours of weather coverage.

Merrie Monarch

Hula fans can send in their ticket requests to attend the Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo starting Dec. 1, almost a month earlier than in previous years. Festival director Luana Kawelu said the change was made to give organizers and attendees more time to prepare for the hula festival in the spring.

Another change: Most ticket prices were increased by $10 to support the organization’s historical archiving activities.

Ticket requests — maximum two per person — may now be postmarked as early as Dec. 1, rather than the old date of Dec. 26. Requests postmarked prior to Dec. 1 will be rejected.

The 2016 Merrie Monarch will take place March 27 to April 2. The hula competition will begin with Miss Aloha Hula on March 31, followed by group kahiko April 1 and group auana April 2.

Ticket prices are $20 for general admission and $30 for reserved seating for two nights (Friday and Saturday), and $35 and $40 for reserved seating all three nights. Tickets for Miss Aloha Hula on Thursday night remain $5.

Ticket requests — including 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 — should be mailed to Merrie Monarch Festival, 865 Piilani St., Hilo, HI 96720.

Ticket forms and more information are available at merriemonarch.com.

Taste of Waipahu

Celebrate all things Waipahu at the 10th Annual Taste of Waipahu, 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday at August Ahrens Elementary School.

Enjoy food, games, entertainment and a “Waipahu Then” costume contest. To enter, go to wcawaipahu.org to print the registration form, and bring it to the event at 3 p.m. The contest begins at 3:45 p.m. Dress in attire that depicts the plantation era (1897-1995). Costumes will be judged on workmanship and presentation in four categories: elementary, intermediate, high school and adults.

Call 677-6939.