For those of you currently visiting Maui and who are true music lovers, this is the perfect week for you! Our beloved Maui Arts & Cultural Center will play host to not one but two wonderful musical performances by the incredible local talents from our islands!

Lovers of slack key guitar are in for a treat this Thursday, July 19th at the McCoy Theater when Hawai'i island guitarist John Keawe takes the stage for an unforgettable night of music. And for those who are unfamiliar with this style of music, check out the soundtrack to The Descendants which featured a plethora of brilliant slack key masters. For more information, click here for a direct link to the MACC website to purchase tickets!

On a very different end of the musical spectrum, Saturday July 21 will host the 7th annual Reggae in the Valley concert here on Maui, which is sure to be an event for reggae lovers. Also celebrating Fiji's 20th Anniversary, this year will feature island music by the likes of Ekolu, Kalama, Positive Motions, Mana'o Company, Common Kings, Maoli, Siaosi/Kiwini, Vaita/Laga Savea, J Boog and of course Fiji. Tickets are sure to be a hot commodity on the island so if you happen to be here on our beautiful island and want to check out one (or both) nights of incredible music by our island talents, be sure to visit the Maui Arts & Cultural Center website here for more information. 

Summer is upon us and while one of the absolute best parts about that is the abundance of mangoes we are so lucky to enjoy, summertime means all of our precious college kids are home and festivities begin! We have been celebrating high school graduations with our wonderful friends, and as a mom I am so enjoying having my kids and their friends home to fill our home with laughter and music. And speaking of, this Friday is the perfect opportunity to enjoy some fun summer festivities and fabulous music, including that of my own son, one of his best friends, and the teacher who inspired them to perform together in high school. So come down to Wailuku's First Friday event this Friday, June 1st for a fun night of food, family, and lots of fantastic music!

Being that mother's day is right around the corner, it means the annual Seabury Hall Craft Fair is too! This wonderful event is one that is close to our family's hearts, as all three of our children attended Seabury for intermediate and high school, so this is the first year in nearly 15 years that we will not be working a booth as parents of current students, but rather attending and enjoying the craft fair as alumni parents. 

For those of you who have not had the opportunity to attend yet, I urge you to spend Saturday perusing the many wonderful local vendors sharing their talents, fantastic entertainment (including my youngest son home from college who will be performing at noon), delicious and diverse food booths, a fantastic silent auction, scrumptious homemade baked goods, gorgeous local produce (mother's day flower bouquets from craft fair are always a hit!), and tons of games and activities for the kids! 

Located in beautiful Olinda just above Makawao Town, you can enjoy the largest craft fair on the island, which supports our students as the proceeds of Seabury's Craft Fair all sponsor student scholarships...so your contributions will directly support a student's education there. So come find a gift for your mother, enjoy a beautiful upcountry day, great food, crafts and fun for everyone! Click here for more information

Being that I have lived and raised my family in beautiful Upcountry Maui for the past 30 years, I know I am a bit biased in my love for this part of the island; the cooler breezes, picturesque country landscape, quaint Historic towns, smell of eucalyptus & seasonal jacarandas in bloom are all so quintessentially Upcountry. It is my family's home and will always be special to us for that very reason. 

This being said, we always love to support local products and events, and especially those of our Upcountry family. We have loved attending Wailuku's First Friday Town Party each month, and were thrilled when it finally caught the Upcountry bug and moved to Makawao Town every 3rd Friday of each month. It has only been a few months, but it has been an amazing success and is so thrilling for Upcountry residents to see Makawao and Baldwin Avenue bustling with activity as everyone celebrates the festivities. 

This month in particular I hear will be an exciting special event for Makawao Town Party's 3rd Friday, as they will be hosting their first fashion show featuring clothing and accessories by local Makawao boutiques with hair and makeup styling by the fantastic ladies of Paragon Salon. It is such a joy to see Makawao thriving thanks to this great event, so come Upcountry this Friday, April 20 for delicious local food at the many vendors and restaurants in Makawao (Makawao Garden Cafe is one of our family favorites!), browse local boutiques & galleries (Sherri Reeve's Art Gallery is our fav, and the woman behind all the stunning artwork that adorns our condo walls), enjoy the fashion show and other local performers who will be filling the streets of Makawao with fun for the whole family!