It’s that time of the month once again!  September 3 is the first Friday of the months, and you know what that means: It’s the street party kine fun on Market Street, Wailuku!

This Friday, the theme is “Festivals of Aloha”. Maui Nui Style is launching the Countywide 2010 season at Wailuku First Friday on September 3.  A special opening ceremony will take place at 6 pm performed by Kumu Hula and Cultural Advisor Kaponoai Molitau, Native Intelligence storeowner, along with Council Chair Danny Mateo who is the Honorary Chair for the 2010 Festivals of Aloha.  This ceremony will officially open this year Countywide events which will take place from September through October on Molokai, Maui, Lanai and also the town of Hana on Maui.  The ceremony will be followed by four times Na Hoku Hanohano award winner Weldon Kekauoha who will perform from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at the main stage.  This free event is part of the Wailuku First Friday monthly celebration.

Wailuku’s street part continues to expand with music at the Main Street Promenade building courtesy of building owners Robert and Lisa Joslin.        Basic Bounce a live jazz ensemble appears along with more artisans.  Everyone is welcome and the event begins at 6:00 pm and ends at 8:00 pm along with the happenings on Market Street.

Café O Lei great service will dazzle you along with their cuisine. and stop by the Wailuku Banyan Tree park for Keoni Manuel, Te Tiare Patitifa Polynesian performance, the keiki are great!   And the Wailuku Coffee Store has kids from the Arts Education for Children Group. Check out the Maui Thing stage with live music by Kua`aina.  When the music slows down at 8:00 pm the Maui Young Business Roundtable holds a Mayoral Forum at the Iao Theater, which is free and open to the public.  Also at 8 pm is Gallerie Ha ‘s monthly poetry slam with a $20 prize for the best.

The Wailuku First Friday event is looking for artisans, handmade crafters and food vendors.  A fee of $40 for food vendors with Health Permit, $25 table space for non-food vendors and $20 for non-profits will be assessed each accepted vendor.  Contact Teri Edmonds at 249-9710 at If the Shoe Fits on Market Street.

Maui’s Winery and Ulupalakua Ranch Store invite the public to come on up to Upcountry Maui for “Ulupalakua Cares” on Sunday, September 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

As the air gets cooler with the coming of Fall, it’s a perfect time to celebrate the longstanding commitment to agriculture and open space that make Ulupalakua such a special place. “Ulupalakua Cares” is a free, community event featuring live music by local musicians, walking tours by environmental leaders, and informational exhibits by local conservation groups—all set against the idyllic backdrop of the winery’s historic grounds and the ranch’s pastoral beauty.

It’s Maui meets Lana‘i when the performers take the stage to share their musical talents. The dynamic combination of ukulele virtuosoDerick Sebastian and singer/musician Joshua Kahula will stir things up on the winery grounds from noon to 3 p.m. Sebastian is one of Maui’s rising stars, having just been nominated for a Na Hoku Hanohano Award for his first full-length album, “From His Heart.” Kahula is well-known as the musical leader of the popular local band NuffSedd. Following up will be Polihua, one of Lana‘i’s favorite bands, bringing Hawaiian-style music—from kiho‘alu to contemporary to the classics—to the winery grounds from 3 to 4 p.m. Across the road at the ranch store, Maui’s own paniolo entertainer Bradda Francis Koahou opens the show at 11:30 a.m. and will demonstrate his slack key mastery until 3 p.m. The full day of live entertainment is produced by Jazz Alley TV and MauiFEST Hawai‘i.

Not to be missed is a talk entitled “A Voyage Back in Time: The Natural Treasures of Ulupalakua Ranch,” presented from noon to 12:30 by one of Maui’s leading experts in Hawaiian ecosystems, Dr. Art Medeiros. Medeiros is a research scientist with the Pacific Island Ecosystem Research Center of the U.S. Geological Survey and the head of the Auwahi reforestation project, the state’s most successful restoration of native dryland forest, which is on Ulupalakua Ranch land. His ambitious work extends to the Leeward Haleakala Watershed Restoration Partnership, a coalition with the ranch and 10 other landowners that aims to restore 43,175 acres of koa forest on Haleakala. Working together with ranch owners the Erdmans, Medeiros has set a statewide standard for how endangered biological and cultural resources can be protected.

The unique, 150-year-old trees of Maui’s Winery will be explored in a special Walking Tour of Trees led by Ernest H. Rezents, Professor Emeritus of Agriculture, University of Hawai‘i / Maui Community College. Rezents will give a talk entitled “How to Determine the Value of a Tree” and share his mana‘o, or wisdom, as an ISA Certified Arborist and ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist, a former gardening columnist for The Maui News, and the 2006 Honorary Chair of Arbor Week. The tour and talk will take place from 2 to 2:30 p.m.

Notable Maui conservation groups will have informational exhibits and representatives on hand from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Featured groups include Ulupalakua Ranch, Maui Coastal Land Trust, Maui Invasive Species Committee, and Leeward Haleakala Watershed Restoration Partnership, as well as others.

Ulupalakua Ranch has a long history of conservation—a value that has recently been lauded by the public with the ranch’s amazing donation of more than 11,000 acres of ranchland to Maui Coastal Land Trust, permanently protecting the area from development. Currently, over 50 species of endangered or rare native trees are being nurtured on the ranch, with the help of dedicated volunteers and partner organizations.

According to Sumner Erdman, Ulupalakua Ranch president, the goal is to restore the remains of what was once a vast and biologically diverse ecosystem found only in the Hawaiian Islands. Erdman describes “Ulupalakua Cares” as “a chance to share the work that we do and that these outstanding organizations do throughout the year to ensure the health of the environment for many years to come.”

The daylong event also includes free wine tasting in the winery’s historic King’s Cottage Tasting Room, and lunch specials at Ulupalakua Ranch Store Deli & Grill from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

About Sunday Drive events at Ulupalakua

Ulupalakua hosts quarterly Sunday Drive events to share and honor different aspects of this unique historic area. In the spring, it’s “Ulupalakua Remembers,” celebrating the rich heritage of this historic ranchland. Summertime is “Ulupalakua Inspires,” celebrating the beauty that has captivated artists for generations. Fall is “Ulupalakua Cares,” celebrating the commitment to agriculture and open space in our community. And winter is “Ulupalakua Sparkles,” celebrating the arrival of the holidays with Maui-style gifts and festivities.

Each event features live music on the beautiful grounds, lunch specials at Ulupalakua Ranch Store, free wine tasting at Maui’s Winery, and opportunities to learn more about the area’s history and culture.

For more information about Sunday Drive events, call toll-free (877) 878-6058. To learn more about Ulupalakua, please visitwww.mauiwine.com or www.ulupalakuaranch.com.

@Heather Gill graciously gave us permission to post here for a social media coverage of the event Maui Photo Festival being held at the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa in Kaanapali right now.  We have been hearing many positive feedback from the participants, workshop facilitators and guest speakers alike.  Thank you Heather for sharing these gorgeous hula photos wih us.

photo taken by Michael Gingerich of www.michaelchadphoto.com

In my years of blogging here at A Maui Blog, one question that is often asked is “what is the best activity to do on Maui?”  My usual answer is it depends on what you like and enjoy doing. However, there is one activity that is almost guaranteed liked by everyone and I always highly recommend it.  That is sailing with Trilogy.

Trilogy has an official website where you can read details of their sails.  There are many options to choose from, like The Ultimate Seafari, Discover Molokini, Discover Kaanapali and the Excusion to Island of Lanai.   I am not going to repeat what’s already been written there.  I thought that for this blog, you would be more interested in some inside scoops, or talk story on Trilogy – then you can go to the website for usual information like schedules and costs.   You know, I can share some inside story because my husband used to work for them, (long time ago).  He said they are one of the best employers in the island.  They treat all their employees as ohana (family) and so they are happy and content.  This in turn reflects on how the employees treat their customers – with a lot of respect and they make them feel as part of their ohana.  Many of the customers of Trilogy are “repeat visitors”.  They come back and sail with Trilogy everytime they come to visit.  That kind of loyalty reflects customer satisfaction. And Trilogy is very popular with locals too.  They are well respected in the island because they show respect to the island as well.

A few months ago I posted something on the Facebook wall of Visit Maui.  A young man from Norway, Joakim, saw my post and it turns out they were planning a trip to Maui for the first time.  We became friends via FB and I helped them plan their trip.  Of course I recommended sailing with Trilogy.  The long months of planning became reality two weeks ago when they arrived on Maui.  A day after their scheduled trip with Trilogy, I sent him a facebook message asking how it was.  below is the feedback I got:

Hi Liza! I will carry even more awesome memories back home after today. The trip was everything what we expected, and more. The boat was nice, the crew was nice and the trip was nice:) The conditions were good. And so was the food. When we were about to enter Lanai, we got to see a school of dolphins and I think I got some cool photos. I took some more over at the island before snorkling. Well, we tried out the snuba diving! It was an incredible experience to breath under water and spot fishes in all shapes and colors in every direction.. Later we had a swim before eating a nice meal together. After finishing the dinner, we were ready to head back to Lahaina. We sailed in by sunset, very satisfied …

Reading Joakim’s comment makes me want to sail at Trilogy again and visit Lanai.  I would like to see lots of dolphins as they did.  On the photo above you will also see some dolphins.  That was a photo taken by Michael Gingerich – they sailed with Trilogy a few days after Joakim and his mom and friends did.  Joakim is still sorting out the 1,300 photos he took while on Maui Once they are up on his Facebook, I will share a link here.

There really are so many things good things to talk about Trilogy and just one blog post is not enough to capture the legacy it has on Maui. More to come.  In the meantime, if you are looking for something to do while on the island, try sailing with Trilogy - you’ll have fun.

Have you experienced sailing with Trilogy before?  Was it good as well? Please share your experience with us at the comments section.  I’d love to hear about your trip.

P.S. I just found this blog post about Trilogy on Living The Dream.  Nice!

The second Maui Photo Festival and Workshops is going on right now (August 25-29, 2010) at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa on Kaanapali Beach. Their Thursday Night and Friday Night Sessions are open to public.  I think this is a great event to go, both for locals and visitors alike.

The organizers of this major event were very busy these past few months perfecting their signature Maui event that celebrates the exploding popularity of digital photography by bringing world-class photographers to one of the most photogenic destinations in the world: Maui.  They are doing a marvelous job.

Maui Photo Festival is using various social media networks to share with you the things that are going on in the event.  For Twitter, we are using the hashtag #mauiphotofest and the official Twitterhandle for the event is @mauiphotofest.  Below is a photo from their 2009 event.  You can see how much fun these photographers are having:

As you probably have already noticed, we are doing some minor changes here at A Maui Blog.  We have just upgraded to WordPress 3.0 and we are working on adding some features and fixing some glithes.  As soon as these “renovation” is done, we will be back to our normal blogging.  In the meantime, feel free to read some of the previous posts.  Hopefully in this transition I can also start tagging and categorizing all the posts to easily find what you are saerching for.  Aloha fo now …