Rob Hawes of Maui Tiki Tours made this fantastic tiki costume. His website offers a step-by-step guide for making your own. I know what I want to be this year!

Get the instructions at the Maui Tiki Tours website

It’s not too early to think about what you’re going to be! What is your favorite costume that you’ve ever seen?

The third Friday in August is Admission Day in Hawaii. It celebrates Hawaii’s admission to the Union on August 21, 1959. The following article appeared in the New York Times on August 21, 1959 – the actual day of Hawaii’s statehood.

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Hawaii Becomes the 50th State; New Flag Shown

Eisenhower Hails ‘Historic Occasion’ as Proclamation Joins Territory to Union

‘FULL SISTER’ WELCOMED

Star Staggered in 9 Rows of 6 and 5 Each in Latest National Standard

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^{By W. H. LAWRENCE}
_{Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES}

Washington, Aug. 21, 1959 — Hawaii was officially proclaimed as the fiftieth state of the United States today by President Eisenhower at bipartisan White House ceremonies.

The Presidential action was followed immediately by the unfurling of a new fifty-star flag, which will not become official until next July 4. The thirteen alternate red and white stripes remain unchanged, but the stars on a field of blue are arranged in nine alternate staggered rows of six and five stars each.

The President welcomed the new state along with Alaska, admitted earlier this year. Not since 1912, when Arizona and New Mexico were added to the Union, had any new states been admitted.

Ceremony a Formality

The White House ceremony today was but a formality noting the Hawaiian citizens had boted to accept the obligations of statehood and had held elections to choose their officers.

The ceremony had a bipartisan character because a Democratic Congress had voted to carry out a Republican President’s recommendation in authorizing statehood for Hawaii.

The President sat at the long Cabinet table, flanked by Vice President Richard M. Nixon on his right and the House Speaker, Sam Rayburn of Texas, on his left. Behind them stood representatives of Hawaii, including one of her Senators-elect, Oren E. Long, 70-year-old Democrat, and the House member-elect, Representative Daniel K. Inouye, 34-year-old Democrat and war hero.

The other Senator-elect, Hiram Fong, a Republican, remained in Hawaii, as did Gov. William F. Quinn. The Senators will be seated on Monday after they have drawn lots to see whether they receive terms of approximately six years, four years or two years. The Governor was sworn in today at ceremonies at Honolulu.

Mr. Inouvye will also take his seat Monday.

President Eisenhower called it “truly an historic occasion” because for the second time within a year a new state had been admitted.

“All forty-nine states will join in welcoming the new one- Hawaii- to this Union,” he said. “We will wish for her prosperity, security, happiness and a growing closer relationship with all of the other states. We know that she is ready to do her part to make this Union a stronger nation- a stronger people than it was before because of her presence as a full sister to the other forty-nine states. So all of us say to her, ‘good luck.’”

As the President completed his remarks, Speaker Rayburn leaned over to chat with him.

Then the President remarked that he had been reminded by the Speaker of “one fact that has great historic significance.”

“Next Monday will be the first time in 158 years there has not been a delegate in the membership of the Congress of the United States,” he said.

“The delegates are gone and in their places we have Senators and Congressmen.”

Hawaii and Alaska were represented by non-voting delegates in the House of Representatives while they were territories. Puerto Rico, as a commonwealth, continues to have a commissioner, without vote, in the House.

Among the Hawaiian officials witnessing signature of the proclamation were Edward E. Johnston, former Secretary of the Territory, and Lorrin P. Thruston, publisher of The Honolulu Advertiser.

The United States Secretary of the Interior, Fred A. Seaton, who had responsibility for the territories, was also on hand for the official birth of a new state.

The approval of statehood for Alaska last year in effect ended Hawaii’s long fight for statehood. For at that time it was generally understood that this year Hawaii’s turn would come.

Until this year Hawaii statehood bills had passed the House three times in the last decade. On one occasion the bill passed the Senate also, but was tied to an Alaskan measure that brought death to both.

Much of the opposition came from Southerners in Congress who took a dim view of the mixed racial strains of Hawaii’s population. Southerners also fought its admission on the same ground they fought Alaskan statehood. That is, the additional seats would weaken the South’s already diluted strength in the Senate.

Hale Aina Awards are like the Oscars for the Hawaii restaurant scene.
Tiki’s has been nominated for “Best Place to Take Visitors” but you can also write in Tiki’s for a number of different categories.
The ballot is multiple choice, so it should take just a couple minutes.
You don’t have to be a Hawaii resident.

The Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa is proud to announce its 3rd annual “Mangoes at the Moana” event on Saturday, July 9 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Located in the resort’s Banyan Courtyard, visitors and kamaaina are invited to mingle and “mango” through various booths and action stations offering local mango products.  Mango enthusiasts can attend a Mango Growing Seminar (beginning and advanced workshops) along with a Mango Bootcamp focusing on health and wellness.  The Mango Recipe Contest and Best Mango Contest are popular favorites among the local community and will be held in the resort’s Lani Kai Room.

Several celebrity guest judges will be determining winners for each contest including Bravo’s Top Chef and Cooking Channel’s Unique Eats celebrity chef Lee Anne Wong, 2011 Mrs. Hawaii Lara Leimana Fonoimoana, and 2011 Miss Teen Hawaii International Ashley Soderberg. 

In addition to a day-long lineup of mango-themed events, the 3rd annual “Tree to Table – a Mango Throwdown” will also be featured in the Banyan Courtyard and Lani Kai Room from noon to 4 p.m.  The Mango Throwdown will feature local celebrity chefs in a friendly cooking competition to create the dishes featuring mango as the main ingredient.  Guests are welcome to taste each chef’s creation for $2 per script; number of scripts for each booth will differ.

A portions of proceeds will go to benefit the University of Hawaii’s Culinary Institute of the Pacific which is a network of seven unique culinary education centers within the University of Hawaii system.  Participating chefs in the Mango Throwdown include:   

• Azure Restaurant, Chef Jon Matsubara
• Beachhouse at the Moana, Chef Rodney Uyehara
• Chai’s Island Bistro, Chef Chai Chaowasaree
• DK’s Steak and Sansei Seafood, Chef D.K. Kodama
• Kahala Resort, Chef Wayne Hirabayashi
• Michel’s at the Colony Surf, Chef Hardy Kintscher
• Roy’s Waikiki, Chef Jason Peel
• Rum Fire, Chef Darren Demaya
• Tango Contemporary Café, Chef Goran Streng
• Tiki’s Grill & Bar, Chef Ronnie Nasuti
• 12th Avenue Grill, Chef Kevin Hanney

Lee Anne Wong, one of the finalists for the first season of Bravo’s popular cooking reality show, Top Chef, will be our celebrity guest judge and emcee for the Mango Throw Down and Best Mango Recipe Contest.  She was the culinary producer for the first four seasons of Top Chef and is the host and associate producer of “Unique Eats.”  She is currently on the Cooking Channel which is a spin-off of Food Network and the show has been picked up for a fourth and fifth season.  Lee Anne is now executive chef for Kogi New York.

July 9, 2011

• Best Mango Recipe Contest – 8:45 am – 11:30 am, Lani Kai Room
• Best Mango Contest – 9:00 am – 11:00 am, Lani Kai Room
• Courtyard Activities – 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, Banyan Courtyard
• Mango Bootcamp – 11:00 am, 12:00 noon, Moana Lani Spa
• Mangoes Throwdown – 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm, Banyan Courtyard and Lanikai
• Mango Seminars – 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Lani Kai Room

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