February 21st's Whale Day Celebration was an unprecedented success

2009's Whale Day Celebration drew the largest crowds recorded thus far. Early estimations place total attendance at between 13,000 and 15,000 people! Attendees enjoyed excellent local entertainment, great food, a bustling craft fair, a children's carnival, a fantastic silent auction, and much more.

A huge mahalo must go out to all the Pacific Whale Foundation employees who worked so hard to organize different aspects of the event, and to make sure everything ran smoothly on Whale Day. These include (but are certainly not limited to): Diana Bergantino, Dixie Bongolan, and Patrick Merrill for running the food booth; Andrea Thomas, Steve Rawson, and Ben Ward for all their help with the BBQ; Blake Moore and Andrea Peltzer for coordinating the smoothie booth; Dixie Bongolan, Paul Skarbo, Joyce Bergantino, Violet Ahlstrom, Erin Donahue, Andrea Peltzer and all who ran the scrip booths; Robyn Dobruck for running the Silent Auction; Brooke Porter for coordinating the craft fair and the Curtain of Whales (and the Run for the Whales); Kelly Vough and Dale Stewart for coordinating the volunteers and Whale Regatta (and thanks to Bob Vough for helping to run the Whale Regatta as well!); Merrill Kaufman and Erica Cushing for running the Keiki Carnival and Keiki Whale-a-thon; Maile Bongolan and Helena Kim for providing all the signs, flyers, and banners; June Freiwald and the awesome retail team for the retail booth; Tony Rivera and reservations for running the Eco-Adventures booth; Quincy Gibson, Annie Macie and Amanda Hutsel for your research display and staffing the Pacific Whale Foundation tent; Anne Rillero for handling all marketing aspects of Whale Day; Jessica Niles and Blake Moore for organizing and launching the Parade of Whales (and Jessica for helping with the craft fair and eco-alley); Brock Munson for creating a fantastic website and helping out throughout the day, John Coppola and David Crist for ensuring that all of our computer systems were working and for doing such a great job with everything that was asked of you, and Bob Ray, RJ and Brian Dobruck and the maintenance crew for keeping everything moving and organized and for stage managing; and Greg Kaufman for emceeing and filming. Everyone who managed any aspect of Whale Day deserves thanks and praise for their hard-work and ingenuity.

We must also acknowledge the generous efforts of the many volunteers who worked so hard on Whale Day. Some were first-timers, while others have participated many years running, and all were absolutely invaluable.

Most importantly, a huge thank you and congratulations go out to Whale Day Coordinator Ashley Justice, who stepped in at the beginning of January to pull it all together. We applaud Ashley for her endless patience, great organization, and persistence.

Thank you, everyone, for making Whale Day a success!

Please note that Whale Day 2010 will take place on Saturday, February 20. The Run for the Whales will be on Saturday, February 6. If you'd like to help out, please contact Ashley Justice, our Whale Day Coordinator, at ashley@pacificwhale.org


2009 Whale Day Celebration Details ----------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW 2009 Slideshow!

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2009
Time: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Kalama Park, Kihei
Click here to download the site map

Featuring
• Live Entertainment
• Craft Fair
• Children's Carnival
• Eco-Alley
• Silent Auction

Voted "Best Community Festival" by the Maui Time Reader's Poll, Whale Day is Maui's largest and longest running celebration of whales! Presented by Pacific Whale Foundation, Whale Day is a free, all-day celebration of Maui's humpback whales that takes place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Kalama Park (by the big whale statue) on South Kihei Road, Kihei.

Whale Day features live entertainment all day by some of Hawaii's top musicians including Willie K, George Kahumoku, Jr., John Cruz, Off Tomorrow and Gomega, a huge craft fair displaying the work of about 100 local artisans, tantalizing food booths by popular Maui restaurants, a fun-filled children's carnival, silent auction, and displays about the environment and whales.

Proceeds from Whale Day will support marine education programs for schoolchildren on Maui.

Location
Whale Day takes place at Kalama Park, on South Kihei Road, just south of Foodland and Keala Place, near the big whale statue. Click here to download a site map.

Parking
Free Whale Day parking with free shuttle bus service is available from 7:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. at two locations:
1. Hope Chapel, on the corner of the Piilani Highway and Welakahao Street.
2. Azeka Place Mauka Shopping Center (on South Kihei Road, just north of Lipoa Street) by the First Hawaiian Bank.

Whale Day paid parking ($10 per car) is located in the Kalama Park lot near the intersection of Keala Place and South Kihei Road.

Handicapped parking only (no public parking) is located in the lot fronting Kalama Park.

For information about Whale Day, please call (808) 856-8333

Click here to view the 2009 Slideshow

Featured Attractions

Wild & Wonderful Whale Regatta Maui's own version of a rubber ducky race. Little rubber whales race on this watercourse from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. The sponsor of the winning whale will receive free round-trip airfare for two between the U.S. Mainland and Maui (or vice versa if you live on Maui). It's easy and you don't have to be present to win.

Click here to sponsor a whale!

Eco-Alley
Find ideas for green living and learn about ways to minimize your impact on the environment. This area will have displays and products from local nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies working to preserve Maui's unique environment. (Participants included to come.) Click here to email Brooke Porter for participation information.

Craft Fair
Over 100 local artisans turn out for this giant craft fair. If you have a desire to display and sell your art at this diverse fair, please call for information at (808) 856-8333.

Craft Fair Downloads
• Craft Fair - Booth Application
• Craft Fair - Map of Booth Locations

Entertainers
• Willie K.
• George Kahumoku, Jr.
• John Cruz
• Off Tomorrow
• Marty Dread
• Gomega
• Micah Wolf
• The Shifty Sailors
• and others!

Silent Auction
Everything from artwork to spa packages and restaurant gift cards is featured at our Whale Day silent auction. To donate, please click here to email Ashley Justice, Maui Whale Festival Coordinator.

Keiki Eco-Fair
The Keiki Eco-Fair combines all the fun of a children's carnival with environmental education. It's our initiative to educate children about the environment in a fun and interactive manner. The Keiki Eco-Fair will include hands-on science and conservation activities, as well as bouncy castles, carnival games, and popular environmental edu-tainers!

Exhibits
list of exhibits to come...

Food Booth Downloads
Food Booth Registration Form
Sponsorship Information Packet
Temporary Food Permit Form

Show your support of Whale Day.
Advertise in the Whale Day special section in Maui Weekly! Click here to download the flyer.

Donations
Donations are currently being sought for our Silent Auction. To donate call, Ashley Justice, Event Coordinator, at (808) 856-8325.

Volunteers
We also need volunteers. Sign up for three hours and receive a free event T-shirt! For information, call Kelly Vough, Volunteer Coordinator, at (808) 856-8318 or 1-800-942-5311.

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For information about Whale Day,
please call (808) 856-8333