A farmers market, coffee seminar, chocolate samplings, surfboard factory tours and local arts and crafts are among the offerings at Taste of Waialua, an open market 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the historic Waialua Sugar Mill on the North Shore.

The gathering celebrates and supports North Shore coffee, cacao, produce, food, arts, crafts, music, film and community groups, and its surf industry.

"You see a lot around lately about keeping the country country," said event organizer Bill Martin. "This is one way that you can do that. By supporting these little manufacturers, farmers and local products, you really are helping to keep the character of this unique community that we have intact."

Taste of Waialua is also a celebration of the rebirth of the old sugar mill, Martin said. In recent years, a resurgence of shops, businesses and local product manufacturing has helped transform the old mill, which shut down in 1996.

Some of the event highlights:

• 8:30 a.m.: Farmers market featuring Waialua-grown produce from the Waialua Farmers' Market Co-op, whose members are former sugar workers growing their produce on what was previously sugar land.

• 9:30 a.m.: Seminar on coffee roasting and how it affects quality in the cup. There will also be samplings and coffee mill tours.

• 10 a.m.: Concert by North Shore artists Roshan & Shivani of Clear Sky; live music and movies will play until the event closes.

For more information, visit www.tasteofwaialua.com or call Martin at 779-7439.