Question: Have they updated registration for Summer Fun?

Answer: Yes, and enrollment will be free for all participants, Honolulu County’s Department of Parks and Recreation announced Thursday, a change since it addressed the topic a month ago.

Besides waiving the pre-pandemic $25 enrollment fee, Summer Fun will subsidize excursions and other activities to help children safely socialize in small groups, said Laura H. Thielen, DPR’s director, who emphasized the importance of this for Oahu’s pandemic-weary children, some of whom have become isolated during distance learning.

The program, which will follow COVID-19 safety protocols, as it did successfully last year, will be a fun and productive way for children to socialize in person and rebuild “the soft skills that are essential … for people to be good, happy, healthy members of the community,” she said.

Summer Fun is scheduled to run weekdays from June 7 through July 27 (excluding two holidays), from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the department said in a news release.

It will be open to children ages 6 to 13. The youngest participants must turn 6 by Aug. 1, and the oldest cannot turn 14 before July 27.

Registration will be done online, at pros.hnl.info. Parents who don’t have an account should create one before registration opens and input their children’s information, the department said. It recommends using the Google Chrome web browser. The site has a video tutorial to explain the registration process.

Registration will open May 8 at 9 a.m. for District 1 (Hawaii Kai to McCully) and District 2 (Makiki to Aiea). It will open May 15 at 9 a.m. for District 3 (Pearlridge to Waianae to Wahiawa) and District 4 (Waialua to Waimanalo).

Registration opens in two phases so the registration system doesn’t get overwhelmed. Last year Districts 3 and 4 went first.

Parents who don’t have internet access to register online may call the applicable district office for assistance.

>> District 1: 768-8944

>> District 2: 768-9292

>> District 3: 768-6889

>> District 4: 768-8980

The department is hiring about 500 people to help staff Summer Fun, for jobs that pay from $12 to $17.58 an hour, depending on the position. For details, see bit.ly/SummerFunJobs.

Summer Fun enrollment will be capped at about 6,000 children, more than the 3,500 served last year during the height of the pandemic but fewer than the 9,000 enrolled in pre-pandemic times, Thielen said. Children will be grouped in “nonmingling pods” of about 20 kids, she said. Staffers are encouraged to be vaccinated, and the vaccine is available to them, she said.

Q: Will they have before- and after-care for parents who have to work?

A: Yes, Summer Plus will be available at numerous sites, but there will be a fee for that, according to the news release.

Q: What is the ticket supposed to be for texting while driving? Mine was really high. I did it, but I was at a red light.

A: Hawaii’s law prohibiting the use of hand-held electronic devices while driving applies even when the driver is stopped at a traffic sign or signal, according to the state Department of Transportation. The fine starts at $297 and rises to $347 or more if the violation occurs in a school zone or construction area, it said.

Mahalo

Traffic is getting heavy again. Mahalo to the drivers who leave enough room for the bicyclists in the bike lane, not squeezing over and hugging the line. This is not all drivers, mind you, but I appreciate the ones who share the road, as they should. It’s been nice not having to compete with so many, but I guess those days are ending. — Bicyclist

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.