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Garden group gives landscape awards
Scenic Hawai‘i Inc. celebrated green thumbs with its 2012 Betty Crocker Landscape Awards, named in honor of one of the organization’s founders.
The awards recognize “gardens whose beauty reflects the gardeners’ love of the land and appreciation of the natural beauty of Hawaii.”
Awards of excellence for professional gardens went to Hawai‘i Tropical Botanical Garden, Onomea Bay, Hawaii island; Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‐Day Saints, Kailua‐Kona; Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, Kapolei; and Kahala Beach Condos.
Awards of honor were given to Banyan Street Manor; Kahiwelo Urban Food Garden, Makakilo; Allure Condominium, Waikiki; Kamehameha School Athletic Complex, Kapalama; and private homes on Oahu and Hawaii island.
Community gardens receiving awards of excellence were the University of Hawaii at Hilo and Aikahi Elementary School, with awards of honor going to Kaiser High School’s Rain Garden, the Waianae Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii and Wood Creek Crossing II in Mililani.
Scenic Hawaii’s Legacy Award, honoring “a cherished place that has helped to define Hawaii’s environmental character to both residents and visitors,” was bestowed on Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Chuck Burrows was named volunteer of the year for his dedication to preserving the beauty of the islands.
Visit scenichawaii.org.
Help clean beach, then sip some wine
Help clean up the beach at Magic Island on Saturday and enjoy wine afterward as part of the sixth annual Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project.
The Surfrider Foundation’s Oahu Chapter and Barefoot Wine are hosting the volunteer effort from 10 a.m. to noon at Magic Island at Ala Moana Beach Park. Look for the Surfrider tent.
All adult participants are invited to enjoy food and drinks after the cleanup from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Dave & Buster’s at Ward Centers, 1030 Auahi St.
Cleanups of 25 beaches, rivers and lakes take place on the same day across the nation as part of the project.
Visit BeachRescue2012.com.
Event features dogs, cats up for adoption
Subaru Dealers of Hawaii will host pet adoption and food and supply drives Aug. 25 on behalf of the Oahu SPCA, SPCA Maui and Hawaii Island Humane Society.
The events will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Servco Subaru Waialae in Kaimuki, Island Subaru in Kahului, Kona Subaru and Hilo Subaru. Free goodie bags will be given with every adoption.
The three animal welfare agencies will have dogs and kittens available on site for adoption, and will collect donated pet supplies such as food and treats, bleach, cat litter, soap, paper towels, trash bags and old towels, blankets and sheets.
Burning Man participants sought
Burning Man, the annual do-it-yourself camping fest that is an ode to creative destruction and survival, will take place Aug. 26 through Sept. 4 in Black Rock Desert, Nev.
If you’ll be at Burning Man and are from Hawaii or have other local ties, email TGIF editor Elizabeth Kieszkowski at ekieszkowski@staradvertiser.com.
She will be attending for the first time and will blog from the event at honolulupulse.com.
The event has grown from a gathering on the beach in San Francisco to an annual desert festival in a temporary city 100 miles north of Reno. It does not actively publicize itself, but has grown by word of mouth and via the Web.
This year, after tickets sold out almost instantly, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management gave permission to raise the number of people allowed at the site. The biggest crowd yet — an estimated 60,900 people, 10,000 more than last year — will be on the “playa,” as Burning Man calls it.
Participants, who pay $400 to $600 for tickets, are expected to provide their own necessities and leave no trace of their stay. Many attend as part of creative camps, bringing or creating elaborate art structures, providing entertainment and sharing what they have brought with others.
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