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BIG ISLAND
Fastest duck wins

The Great Waikoloa Rubber Duckie Race & Fourth of July Extravaganza will feature live entertainment by John Keawe, New Hope Christian Fellowship, Hot Lava 808, Uncle Smitty, Kealakehe High School Jazz Band, the Great Barusky and Good Times Jazz Band, among others, and an evening fireworks display.

Keiki will delight in the party bouncer, keiki ID photos, rubber duckie adoptions, balloon sculptures by the Great Barusky, ipu making, lei making, popcorn and cotton candy, face painting and the duck waddling and calling competition. Families can also learn about blood pressure and healthy lifestyle habits.

The highlight is the Rubber Duckie Race, with the first 50 duckies crossing the finish line winning prizes, including a $1,000 cash first prize. Adopt a duck for the benefit of the United Cerebral Palsy Association.

» Place: Hilton Waikoloa Village
» Time: Celebration from 10 a.m., Rubber Duckie Race at 3 p.m., fireworks at 8:30 p.m.
» Admission: Free; adopt a duckie for $5. Adopt online at www.ucpahi.org.
» Call: 808-886-8811 or visit www.waikoloabeachresort.com

MAUI
Fourth of July on Maui

The Kaanapali Beach Resort Association will celebrate Independence Day with a day of free family fun, including carnival games, magic shows and clowns at Whalers Village.

From noon to 4 p.m. tomorrow, keiki can have fun creating "spin art" with paints, visors out of foam shapes, stickers and stamps, and dino puzzles for making minidinosaurs, as well as participating in a keiki coloring contest, with prizes for the best Fourth of July artwork.

Kids also can enjoy inflatable walk-throughs and bouncers, holiday face painting and carnival games.

Just look for the balloon arches, flags and windsocks in red, white and blue at the entrances to Whalers Village.

Visitors can also check out the classic car show along the Kaanapali Parkway median, featuring more than 40 exotic show cars from 1916 to 1960.

Other Maui properties celebrating the holiday are:

» Marriott's Maui Ocean Club: Entertainment from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. includes live music, clown games for children, prize giveaways and food booths feature local specialties of kalbi ribs, shoyu chicken, mango barbecue ribs and all-American favorites like cheeseburgers, hot dogs and desserts of apple pie, rainbow shave ice and root beer floats. Call 667-8356.
» Sheraton Maui Resort: A new summer "Kaanapali Sunset Luau" debuts from 6 to 9 p.m., with lei greeting, arts and crafts displays, Hawaiian music, Tihati Polynesia dance revue, a sunset cliff-diving demonstration, fire-knife dancing and luau buffet. The luau will continue weekly on Mondays and Wednesdays. For reservations, call 877-HULA (4852).
» Westin Maui Resort & Spa and Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas: 40,000 fresh orchid blossoms will drop from the sky onto the pool decks at 11 a.m. to pay tribute to the U.S. military troops in Iraq.
» Lahaina fireworks: Front Street will be closed to vehicles from sunset to 9 p.m. A free fireworks show begins at 8 p.m. For more information, call 888-310-1117.

For more Kaanapali Beach Resort Association information, call 808-661-3271.

Feast on seafood

Fifteen of Hawaii's top chefs will celebrate the bounty of the sea during the Kapalua Seafood Festival, taking place 5:30 to 9 p.m. July 10 at the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua's Aloha Garden Pavilion.

In addition to dining on an extraordinary menu of delicacies by chefs such as Maui's Beverly Gannon, James McDonald, Peter Merriman and Russell Siu, and sipping from an unparalleled collection of wines, festival attendees can also cast a vote for their favorite "Best of the Fest" dish.

A four-day admission pass to the Kapalua Wine Food Festival is $825 and includes entry to all wine seminars and culinary demonstrations, golf tournament, the signature grand tasting of more than 150 world-class wines from around the world, and the festival. Individual tickets for the Grand Tasting and the Seafood Festival are also available to those with a valid Hawaii driver's license at a kamaaina rate of $140 per person.

For tickets, call toll-free 866-669-2440 or visit www.kapaluamaui.com.

Birds, bees and coral

The public is invited to the Maui Ocean Center, 192 Maalaea Road, to explore the wild world of coral reproduction during the fifth annual Coral Spawning Spectacle.

The rice coral is expected to spawn on Thursday, in the ocean and in the exhibits.

From 7 to 9:30 p.m., viewing stations will be set up around the park in various exhibits including the Surge Zone and the Discovery Pool. The event will include a presentation by David Gulko, education specialist with the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Complimentary desserts and coffee will be served, and a cash bar will be open. The aquarium's main exhibit, the Open Ocean Exhibit, will be open, giving guests the rare opportunity of watching the sharks and rays during the transition from day to night.

Admission is $20 for adults and $15 for ages 3 to 12 ($17.50 and $12.50, respectively, for members). Reservations are recommended. Call 808-270-7084 or e-mail prr@mauioceancenter.com.