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Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

No lie, you’ve seen at least one of these poses on an album recently.

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Menehulk

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Hawaiian local album covers</title>

Today’s social media find comes from @MeneHulk, with an accurate depiction of most local album covers.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Hawaiian local album covers

No lie, you’ve seen at least one of these poses on an album recently.  Make sure you follow @MeneHulk on Instagram! For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter!

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Aloha Spirit

Lunar New Year, also called Chinese New Year, starts Tuesday, Feb. 17. To mark the event, there are parades, parties and more. Kung Hei Fat Choi!

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"MONDAY, FEB. 9"}]

 A new Sig Zane design called “Hoʻohei,” which means “to lasso,” or figuratively, “to fascinate,” according to the alohawear clothing brand, released in stores on Monday, Feb. 9. The design features two color schemes: one where the horse is orange and the other where it is black. The shirts will be available online starting Wednesday, Feb. 11.

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Chinatown 808’s Chinatown Festival and Parade, presented by American Savings Bank, returns for its 50th year. The all-day event runs from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. and takes place in ʻAʻala Park on N. Beretania Street, between Maunakea and ʻAʻala streets. The parade starts at 4:30 p.m. along Hotel Street and goes from the Hawaiʻi State Capitol through Chinatown. Look for lion and dragon dances, martial arts demonstrations, activities for keiki, live entertainment and vendors with crafts and food. There will also be a pony and donkey petting area. 

The District is hosting a Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day party, which is located one block from Ala Moana Center. The event features DJs, two rooms of music and opportunities to get table service or private karaoke rooms. Enjoy a mix of hip-hop and top 40 hits, as well as dance music. The event runs from 9 p.m. until 4 a.m. Business casual or standard night club dress code applies. The cover charge is $20. 

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. This free yoga class is designed to help attendees start the Lunar New Year with a fresh start. Wear red, if possible. Bring a mat or towel. The class starts at 8 a.m. at the Lululemon store at Ala Moana Center. Water is provided. Afterward, shop the Lunar New Year collection. 

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This event will have attendees building a 2026 mini bingo card, which can be turned into a magnet or key chain. The goal is to get the group back on track with New Year’s resolutions for 2026. Attendees must be at least 18 years old. No artistic experience is needed. Craft as golden hour settles over the North Shore at LPN Farms. Tickets start at $55. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"TUESDAY, FEB. 17"}]

. From Chinese food to coffee and pastries, Food and Dining Reporter 

This challenge asks participants to join a virtual challenge and commit to 2.026 miles, 20.26 miles or 202.6 miles in the year of 2026. Registration for the virtual race costs $25. It includes a commemorative medal and bib, plus 15% of the registration fee goes to the nonprofit Soles4Soles, which takes donated used shoes and creates business opportunities for low-income families across the world. 

 Head to the Royal Hawaiian Center to catch a lion dance from the Lung Kong Physical Culture Club, which will visit The Royal Grove and participating stores. The event starts at 5 p.m. 

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Waikīkī Beach Walk Welcomes Lunar New Year. 

There will be a pole-jumping performance at 5 p.m. at Waikīkī Beach Walk Plaza. Lion dancers will visit retail stores and restaurants after that. 

 Watch an acrobatic lion dance from the Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association at The Royal Grove within the Royal Hawaiian Center. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. 

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 will share traditional Chinese folk dance at The Royal Grove within the Royal Hawaiian Center. The performance starts at 3:30 p.m. 

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This all-day event includes live entertainment, food and craft vendors, and a keiki zone. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Palama Settlement. Parking is available at Likelike Elementary School. Free. 

Chinese New Year with Mahjong Social Club. 

This monthly competitive mahjong community is meeting to celebrate Chinese New Year. The friendly competition is for experienced players only. The event includes a nightmarket with food and vendors. Dress your best. Arrive promptly at 4 p.m. to play. The winner takes home a grand prize. Mahjong costs $15 and includes a complimentary herbal mocktail. 

 Catch calligraphy with Ina Chang at The Royal Grove within the Royal Hawaiian Center. The event runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. 

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Chinatown Festival and Parade

<title>What to do for Lunar New Year on Oʻahu: parades, lion dances, and more</title>

Across Oʻahu, residents are preparing to usher in the year of the fire horse, which starts Tuesday, Feb. 17. Events in the next few weeks include parades, lion dances and opportunities to set intentions for the new year.

What to do for Lunar New Year on Oʻahu: parades, lion dances, and more

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Food & Dining

What’s the best sandwich shop in Hawai‘i?

That, of course, depends on who you ask, but the newest 50 Best list from Only in Your State — devoted to the 

According to Only in Your State, Sprout “focuses on fresh, vibrant sandwiches that feel lighter but never boring. Known for creative veggie-forward options alongside meatier builds, the shop emphasizes texture, crunch and bold sauces.”

A number of factors were evaluated when selecting the list, including accessibility, inclusivity, affordability, hours, overall value and more.

The locally owned shop at 1154 Koko Head Ave. has been serving up “fresh, handcrafted sandwiches” using locally sourced ingredients since 2014, 

“With more than 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, co-owners and longtime friends Stephanie Leonard and Steven Ashcraft created Sprout with a clear mission: to build a neighborhood sandwich shop that supports a variety of dietary needs while serving delicious food the whole family can enjoy,” its website notes.

 is a “local travel and discovery resource” that highlights “off-the-beaten-path attractions and unique natural wonders” of each state. 

 is a monthly series that spotlights the best dishes, restaurants and food traditions across the U.S.

I Stock kaimuki 020626

<title>Kaimukī sandwich shop named best in Hawai‘i on new 50 Best list</title>

The newest 50 Best list from Only in Your State — devoted to the 50 Best Sandwich Shops Across the U.S. — has declared its winner.

Kaimukī sandwich shop named best in Hawai‘i on new 50 Best list

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawaii History

Columnists

Out for an evening drive, a young couple becomes stranded when their car breaks down on a long, isolated road. Enveloped by darkness, the car won’t start, and the man takes on the role of hero, saying he will walk back to the last house they passed to ask for help.

[{"type":"text","text":"“Stay in the car,” he tells his girlfriend, “No matter what.”"}]

The woman waits in the safety of the car, but after a while, she begins to hear a slow tapping on the roof. She waits and waits. Finally, she grows tired and falls asleep, but is startled by a policeman knocking on the window. It’s daybreak, and the officer instructs the woman to get out of the car.

[{"type":"text","text":"“Don’t look back,” he says as he guides her to his patrol car."}]

She looks back anyway and sees her boyfriend hanging upside down from the tree above their car. The tapping sound was his blood, slowly dripping onto the roof. 

This is the urban legend that most of us have heard growing up. No one really knows exactly where the story originated, but no matter where you’re from, you’ve probably heard some version of this story. On O‘ahu, we associate this story with the infamous Morgan’s Corner.

Another urban legend is about a young woman who, distraught over her boyfriend leaving her, chooses a tree at Morgan’s Corner from which to hang herself. She hung so long that her head separated from her body. People say that her headless body roams the area, and if you look up into the tree, she will be there waiting to grab you.

Sometimes legends start with a bit of fact, and over time, the stories morph into something scarier or spookier. While we can say for sure that neither of these actually happened at Morgan’s Corner, there are several events that may be the cause of alleged hauntings in that area.

While the urban legends are just that, there was an actual murder nearby. In 1938, two prisoners escaped from a work line on Smith Street, near Beretania, and caught a city bus to Nu‘uanu Valley. After hiding out overnight, they came upon the Wilder Estate. They broke in through a small dressing room window, gaining access to the Wilder home where 68-year-old widow Therese Wilder was just sitting down to dinner. Mrs. Wilder heard the noise and went to investigate.

When she discovered the men in her home, she tried to escape, calling out in an attempt to frighten the intruders. One man grabbed her, and the other struck her in the eye. Mrs. Wilder was quickly overpowered and was bound and blindfolded. When she began to regain consciousness, she struggled and was beaten until she passed out. She was gagged with the towel that was initially used as her blindfold. The escaped convicts took some food and left. Mrs. Wilder wasn’t found until five days later. Her official cause of death was suffocation. Her jaw was broken, and the gag further impeded her breathing.

But death and destruction in this valley go back even further. In 1795, Kamehameha’s quest to conquer O‘ahu brought the decisive battle between his army of 12,000 warriors against Kalanikupule’s 9,000 O‘ahu and Maui warriors to Nu‘uanu Valley. From Pūowaina to La‘imi, to Pū‘iwa, to the 500-foot cliffs of the Nu‘uanu Pali, the armies clashed, leaving death in their wake. The battle raged right through the area that is now Old Pali Road and Nu‘uanu Pali Drive as the warriors fought for control of the island. Some people think the spirits of warriors continue to linger due to the many deaths that occurred in and around this area.

[{"type":"text","text":"But where exactly is Morgan’s Corner, and how did it get its name?"}]

The actual “corner” on Nu‘uanu Pali Drive was located at the spillway under the bridge at Judd Trail. Before the roadway was adjusted, the turn was nearly 90 degrees.

As early as February 1938, Honolulu newspapers were drawing attention to the dangerous curves on the Nu‘uanu side of Pali Road. Letters to the editor described a narrow, slippery road with almost no straight stretches of visibility, which was considered unsuitable and unsafe.

That same year, the Department of Public Works began promoting plans for a future Nu‘uanu Pali tunnel route that would eliminate some of the most dangerous bends. But public opposition and lack of interest delayed major improvements for years. In the meantime, the winding section of Nu‘uanu Pali Drive, including its almost-ninety-degree turn, continued to earn a deadly reputation.

The press began calling the turn the Morgan S Curve, after Dr. James A. Morgan, whose estate bordered the hazardous roadway. Over the next decade, newspapers used several variations. In 1941, printed articles referred to the stretch of road as the Morgan Estate curve, the Morgan residence curve, and Morgan’s corner. Other journalists called it Nu‘uanu’s death curve, the death trap, and Morgan death curve.

[{"type":"text","text":"By 1953, the name “Morgan’s Corner” stuck."}]

Between 1949 and 1957, nearly 200 crashes occurred along this stretch, including multiple deaths at Morgan’s Corner itself. For decades, officials talked about correcting the dangerous roadway, but there was always another reason to postpone construction. Even after a major legal dispute was settled in 1956, collisions persisted. One official bitterly joked that the place should be called “Morgan’s Coroner.”

Ultimately, reconstruction helped, but the danger was not fully eliminated until the opening of the new Pali Highway in 1958, which finally bypassed Nu‘uanu Pali Drive and Morgan’s Corner altogether.

Many believe that places are haunted by the spirits of people who died there. If this is true, then there are several reasons for this stretch of road to be haunted.

A friend once called me about something strange that happened near the hairpin turn on Nu‘uanu Pali Drive. He parked on the grassy shoulder in front of the gated community because he spotted a thick patch of dark laua‘e ferns, which were perfect for a fragrant lei po‘o. He began properly by offering an ‘oli before he started gathering, as his elders taught him. When he finished, he gave thanks to the forest and started back across the road.

On his way back to his car, neither he nor the approaching vehicle saw each other until the last second. He froze just in time as an old car swept past him. It was an old 1930s Packard sedan, black, new-looking, like something from territorial-era Hawai‘i. The driver, a white man in a coat and tie with horn-rimmed glasses, glared at him with sharp irritation.

The Packard pulled over near the small waterfall. My friend hurried to his own car, dropped the bag of ferns onto the seat, then angrily walked toward the sedan. But with every step closer, the vehicle began to fade until it completely vanished.

Shaken, he returned to his car, and that’s when he noticed the strangest detail. The bag was no longer filled with the thick, fragrant laua‘e leaves that he thought he picked. It was packed with light, lacy pala‘ā ferns instead.

“That corner,” I told him quietly, “is Morgan’s Corner. A residual ghost, maybe?”

[{"type":"text","text":"His face filled with fear, “Should I take the pala‘ā back?”"}]

“Make a lei from it first,” I suggested, “Then go back and make an offering of apologies. I’ll go with you.”

A few days later, we returned to offer apologies. Rain hammered my windshield the entire drive, but the moment we reached the spot where my friend parked earlier, it stopped completely. It seemed everything grew quiet, the rain, the traffic. I’ve never heard my friend chant so beautifully as he did that day.

Note: Many people believe that Morgan’s Corner lay on the Kane‘ohe side of the Nu‘uanu Pali on a narrow lane called Kiona‘ole Road, although the area has nothing to do with Dr. Morgan or anyone else with the name. The misnomer is possibly due to the simple directions given to thrill-seekers and ghost hunters as being “a twisting road with hairpin turns just before the Pali lookout.” These days, it is often referred to as the “Second Morgan’s Corner.”

Morgans Corner Nuuanu

<title>Residual spirits at Morgan’s Corner</title>

Arguably the most famous haunted place on O‘ahu is Morgan's Corner in Nu‘uanu. Do you know the real story behind it? Turns out, there's more than one possible explanation for the things seen and presences felt where life and death intersect on Nu‘uanu Pali Drive.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Hawaiian local album covers

Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Hawaiian local album covers

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Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

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