HONOLULU (KHON2) — Music lovers listen up, the free Fifth Annual Gift of Mele concert is going down this weekend at International Market Place.

“Our Gift of Mele program is actually in its fifth year,” International Market Place marketing and sponsorship director Malia Zannoni said. “The first year that it launched, it was in 2020, was the pandemic and we wanted to support local artists who hadn’t been able to perform all year. And we partnered with the amazing team at Haku Collective, to bring virtual concerts into the center and play through social media. At the end of the year, we purchased a whole bunch of music from these artists and we just gave it out for free, the Gift of Mele. The following year, concerts were back online and it perfectly aligned with the launch of Kimie’s Christmas in Hawaii album. So what better way to kind of bring those two projects together than during the holiday season?”

The goal is for the concert to be a celebration of music that cultivates culture.

“Don Ho, when you think about the nostalgia of the heart of Waikiki, we are trying to continue that tradition with a new tradition,” Miner said. “I always say we’re the way finders of a new generation, but our songs carry the echo of our kupuna. And so that’s what we’re gonna do, continue doing this Friday.”

There will be an hour and a half of music with special guests and hula dancing. The concert runs from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Friday. International Market Place recommends accessing the center from Kapahulu Avenue to avoid parade traffic. Take Kapahulu Avenue to Ala Wai Blvd and turn left onto Walina Street directly into the parking garage.

The family of missing Hawaiian photographer Hannah Kobayashi says two suspicious Venmo payments she made to a man and woman around the time she vanished are being investigated by cops.

Kobayashi, 30, made the payments on Nov. 9 — a day after she missed a connecting flight to New York and was left stranded in Los Angeles, her aunt Larie Pidgeon told the US Sun.

One sent at 6:25 p.m. was to a woman named Veronica Almendarez and had a description of a bow-and-arrow emoji.

The second payment was made less than an hour later — at 7:19 p.m. — to a man named Jonathan Taylor with the subject line “Reading,” which appeared to be for a tarot card reading, sources told the outlet.

“We have been made aware and so have the LAPD. It’s in their hands,” Pidgeon told the Sun.

“We are still focused on Downtown LA. Even though it’s been 15 [days] we still have hope,” she added.

The distraught aunt also said the family was asking people “across the nation to keep an eye in case she has been taken outside of California.”

“We are looking at all possibilities, hotels, metros, bus, train stations,” she added.

It was not immediately clear how much money Kobayashi sent either of the recipients, who have not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Taylor, who has since gone private on social media, did not respond to multiple requests for comment, the Sun said.

There was no mention of Almendarez.

The LAPD would only tell the Sun that it was still investigating the missing woman’s disappearance.

The University of Hawai‘i men’s basketball team narrowly avoided an upset Tuesday night, holding off Division II Hawai‘i Pacific 67-63 in a tense contest at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

The Sharks, representing the PacWest Conference, gave the Rainbow Warriors all they could handle, building a five-point lead at halftime behind a stellar performance from Sherman Brashear, who finished with a team-high 22 points.

Hawai‘i clawed back thanks to an impressive night from beyond the arc, sinking 15 of 31 three-point attempts. Leading the charge was Kody Williams, who scored a career-high 24 points, including seven three-pointers. Ryan Rapp contributed 12 points, hitting four shots from deep.

With the win, the Rainbow Warriors improve to 5-1, wrapping up their season-opening homestand. Their next game will be on the road against Grand Canyon University next Tuesday.

For the Sharks, led by second-year head coach Jesse Nakanishi, the focus shifts to the Hoops in Hawai‘i Thanksgiving Classic, where they will open against Grace Christian on Friday night.