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Crazy About Karaoke

Know someone who likes to sing? Maybe it’s you! Don Ho’s Island Grill at Aloha Tower Marketplace presents the Al Waterson and You Karaoke Contest before a live audience Sunday nights from 6 to 9 p.m.

There’s no charge to enter. Kids aged six through nine and 10 through 12 are in the spotlight the first week, teens aged 13 through 17 shine the next week, adults aged 18 through 49 are featured the third week, and seniors aged 50 and older take the mike the fourth week.

Ten singers are in the lineup each week; the winners go on to compete in the finals competition in November. From oldies to pop to Broadway, contestants pick whatever song they’d like to sing. A rotating panel of three celebrity judges selects the winners; past judges include Jordan Segundo, Melveen Leed, Augie Rey and Anita Hall.

Weekly winners take home gift certificates to Don Ho’s Island Grill and admission to various shows, including the Don Ho Show, Cirque Hawaii and Sharkey’s Comedy Club. The grand prize winner receives karaoke equipment, the opportunity to perform at the Don Ho Show and record two songs in a professional recording studio, and numerous other prizes. Call 947-5736.

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Feed Your Body and Mind at Senior Programs

Mark your calendar; AARP Chapter 60 presents a lunch and program on the first Wednesday of every month at the Waikiki Ballroom of the Hale Koa Hotel, 2055 Kalia Road in Waikiki. The event begins at 11:30 a.m., cost is $20, and parking is validated. Call T.J. Davies at 674-2585 for reservations and program details.

You’re also welcome to attend the Kokua Council for Senior Citizens’ lunch and program on the fourth Monday of every month at the Miyama Main Hall, Harris United Methodist Church, 20 Vineyard Boulevard in downtown Honolulu (enter from the driveway off Nuuanu Avenue). The lunch begins at 11:30 a.m., and the program starts shortly thereafter.

A $5 donation is requested for lunch; parking is free. Reservations are not necessary, but you can call Laura Manis at 597-8838 for more information about the April 23 meeting.

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Learn Reverse Mortgage Basics

Primary Residential Mortgage offers free Reverse Mortgage Basics seminars each month. The two-hour programs outline the qualifications, loan review process, costs, benefits and ways customers may receive funds. Consultants also provide real-life examples, and there is a question-and-answer period followed by door prize giveaways.

“If you are 62 years of age or older and have equity in your home, a reverse mortgage can turn that equity into cash, a line of credit, monthly income or a combination of all three,” says Nelson Oyadomari, regional manager and certified senior adviser at Primary Residential Mortgage’s Hawaii branch. “We encourage discussions with accountants, financial planners and your children to better understand each borrower’s unique situation and we plan accordingly.”

The schedule for the coming weeks is as follows: Wednesday, April 18 and May 9, Denny’s Restaurant at Pearlridge Center; Thursday, May 10, Times Coffee Shop in Kaneohe; and Wednesday, May 23, Dot’s Restaurant in Wahiawa. All sessions run from 9 to 11 a.m. and include breakfast. Reservations are required; call 585-9888.

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Get Out and Grow!

If you don’t already have a green thumb, here’s a way you can get one. Get Out and Grow!, a gardening day for seniors, is set for May 18 at the Urban Garden Center in Pearl City, 955 Kamehameha Highway. From 9 a.m. to noon, you can enjoy free trolley rides; games; a plant sale; an exhibit of 100 different varieties of vegetables; and educational displays on bonsai, container gardening, garden products and more.

The event is sponsored by the Oahu Urban Garden Ohana and the University of Hawaii’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. Admission is free and so is parking. Call 453-6050.

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The House Call M.D.

That’s what patients call Dr. Frank Williams, an internal medicine physician who has been practicing in Hawaii for the past 15 years. He makes house calls—a service that’s rarely offered by doctors these days.

Williams points out the pluses of house calls: It’s convenient; you remain in the safe, comfortable environment of your own home. It’s stress free; you don’t have to worry about parking or endure long waits before the doctor sees you. It’s more personal; you and your family get to know your doctor better, and vice versa. “Some people are bedridden, have mobility problems or are otherwise unable to travel to a doctor’s office,” he adds. “They need the doctor to visit them in order to have basic medical care.”

Although Williams primarily makes house calls in East Oahu and Waikiki, he will go just about anywhere on Oahu that he’s needed (depending on where your home is, a travel charge may apply). His visits are covered by most insurance plans, including Medicare, Medicaid, Kaiser Added Choice and HMSA Quest. Call 528-5711 or peruse www.TheHousecallMD.com.

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Festival Lauds the Princely Pineapple

Normally sleepy Wahiawa will be abuzz with activities on May 26, when the fourth-annual Wahiawa Pineapple Festival honors the famed fruit that’s become synonymous with Hawaii. Festivities will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wahiawa District Park, 1139 Kilani Avenue.

Highlights include a parade along California Avenue beginning at 9 a.m.; free narrated trolley tours of the Wahiawa area; historic displays by Dole, Maui Land & Pineapple and other agricultural organizations; and a reunion area for field and cannery workers. Also planned are a keiki pineapple art contest, award ceremony and display; pineapple dessert and “flipping” contests; and diversions for the kids, including bouncers and a geta (wooden slipper) race.

Fifteen dollars buys you the chance to sample a pineapple-themed dish from each of five stations sponsored by popular restaurants such as Roy’s and Alan Wong’s. Chef Wong himself will be unveiling a brand-new pineapple creation. Prize giveaways; live musical entertainment by local school and community groups; and arts, crafts and food booths round out the fun. Call 227-8229 or check out www.hawaiipineapplefestival.com

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