Tens of thousands of people are expected in Waikiki this weekend for the 28th Pan Pacific Festival/Matsuri in Hawai'i event, festival coordinators said.

The festival kicks off with a free block party on Kalakaua Avenue from 7 to 10 tonight. Craft fairs and cultural exhibitions will take place tomorrow at Ala Moana Center and Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. There will be a premiere showing of the film "Misora Hibari, A Celebration of her Life and Career" at Kuhio Beach at 7:30 p.m., preceded by a taiko drum performance at 5:30.

On Sunday, Kapi'olani Park will host a Kite Festival from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Pan Pacific Matsuri Parade will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Kalakaua Avenue, from Fort DeRussy to Kapi'olani Park.

Coordinators said they are spending about $500,000 on the event and hope the number of attendees exceeds last year's 40,000 count.

For more information and a detailed schedule of events, visit www.pan-pacific-festival.com.

GROCERY TO PUSH HEALTHY FOODS

A Hilo grocery store will encourage its customers to eat more fruits and vegetables as part of a four-month pilot project with the state Department of Health.

The Community Grocery Store Project is part of the department's Start Living Healthy campaign, which encourages Hawai'i residents to eat healthy foods, be more physically active and not smoke or use tobacco products.

KTA Super Stores will offer discounts on certain produce items and give free samples during cooking demonstrations in the stores. Grocery receipts will include messages that promote eating fruits and vegetables.

The project will be evaluated by the DOH Healthy Hawai'i Initiative in October, according to a news release.

The store will post signs and photos in the produce section to call attention to healthy items.

"When posted in areas where people are faced with a decision to do one thing or the other, signs ... can help encourage the desired behavior," project manager Lola Irvin said.

For more information, visit www.healthyhawaii.com.

KAWAHARA NAMED DEPUTY AT DLNR

Ken Kawahara, a communications officer with experience in civil and environmental engineering, has been nominated as deputy director of water resources at the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Gov. Linda Lingle announced the nomination yesterday. The nomination is subject to approval by the Commission on Water Resource Management.

Kawahara is communications officer for the city Department of Environmental Services. He had managed the department's regulatory control branch and was a consultant at the city's Wai'anae Wastewater Treatment Plant.

FIREFIGHTERS TAME BIG ISLE BRUSHFIRE

Firefighters on the Big Island were able to quickly control a brushfire that apparently started in pasture land and spread into a thickly wooded area Wednesday afternoon, limiting the damage to an estimated $575.

Twenty-one firefighters responded to the call shortly before noon and fought the flames for more than four hours. Three acres were involved in the fire, which was located on Highway 11 in the Ka'u District. The cause of the fire was not immediately determined.