Pacific Whale Foundation is accepting applications for those who wish to have a craft booth, food booth or environmental booth at the upcoming Whale Day festivities, according to the release. Donations are also being accepted for the Whale Day silent auction. And volunteers are being sought to help with the keiki carnival, Wild & Wonderful Whale Regatta and other Whale Day events.

Whale Day is a free, all-day community celebration in honor of the humpback whales that visit Maui each winter. The events attract nearly 10,000 Maui visitors and residents.

Musicians, dancers, community and civic groups, school classes, families or ohanas, businesses, government agencies and nonprofit groups are invited to participate in Maui's Parade of Whales, the official launch to Whale Day. This parade — the only annual parade in Kihei — takes place from 9-10 a.m. along South Kihei Road near Kalama Park.

Pacific Whale Foundation encourages community members and visitors to be creative and join in the fun of participating in this memorable "home town" parade. The parade theme is "Help Save the Whales — Go Green." All parade entries (who sign up in advance) will be announced by an emcee by the Kalama Park whale statue, and will also be listed in an ad in The Maui News. Prizes will be awarded for "best overall act," "most creative individual," "most creative group," "best foot-powered entry" and "most eco-friendly entry."

"All in all, the Parade of Whales and Whale Day are such happy, fun events — with fabulous free entertainment and great attendance by residents and visitors," says Anne Rillero, communications director at Pacific Whale Foundation. "By having a food booth at Whale Day, restaurants can put their name and their fare in front of thousands of people. And crafters tell us that Whale Day is their best sales event of the year."

Environmental groups such as Sierra Club, Maui Surfriders and Hawaii Nature Center, as well as the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Department of Land and Natural Resources and others will be educating the public about their work at their booths at Whale Day's Eco-Alley. In addition, Pacific Whale Foundation will be hosting a "Green Living" section at Whale Day, with booths offering products for environmentally friendly living, as well as local produce and flowers. Eco-Alley booths and Green Living booths are currently available, but are going fast.

Whale Day sponsors include KAOI Radio Group , KONI 104.7 and Pacific Radio Group; they will be at Whale Day with live remotes. Maui.Net will be doing live video Podcasts of the event as well.

To obtain information about a Whale Day craft booth or environmental/green living booth, please call Brooke Porter at 856-8341 or e-mail brooke@pacificwhale.org.

For information about a food booth, please call Diana Bergantino at 856-8301 or e-mail diana@pacificwhale.org.

To learn more about participating in the Parade of Whales, please contact Kara Johansen at 856-8371 or e-mail kara@pacificwhale.org.

To donate to the Whale Day Silent Auction, contact Lendy Leslie at 463-9119 or e-mail whaleday@pacificwhale.org.

To volunteer at Whale Day, please call Kelly Vough at 856-8320 or e-mail kelly@pacificwhale.org.

Funds raised by Whale Day support marine science education programs offered to Maui schoolchildren, including programs about whales, dolphins, coral reefs, tidepools, marine research and careers in marine science. The funds will also help support Pacific Whale Foundation's new "No Child Left Indoors" program to ensure that all Maui schoolchildren, regardless of their families financial situation, can participate in outdoor education field trips at school.