WAIKAPU – The ninth annual Maui County Agricultural Festival kicks off on Saturday, April 2, with a festive pancake breakfast honoring three island farmers whose positive impact spans generations.

The Maui Legacy Farmers Pancake Breakfast will honor C. Pardee Erdman of Ulupalakua Ranch; David “Buddy” Nobriga of Maui Soda & Ice Works and Nobriga’s Cattle; and Hanako Hashimoto of Hashimoto Persimmon Farm.

“This is the first year we have named Legacy Farmers as part of the Ag Festival,” said Warren Watanabe, executive director of the Maui County Farm Bureau. “These three individuals and their families have made huge contributions to agriculture on our island over the years. We are thrilled to have a chance to honor them in some small way for what they have done for us and for Maui Nui.”

This year’s Ag Festival is a full day of games and activities, crops and animals, education and talk story, all set against the lush backdrop of Maui Tropical Plantation in Waikapu.

Hosted by the Maui County Farm Bureau, the event provides a wonderful means of raising community awareness about local agriculture. The Ag Fest runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., but come early to the Maui Legacy Farmers Pancake Breakfast and your festival admission is free.

Tickets for the Maui Legacy Pancake Breakfast are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $5 for children ages 5-18. The breakfast, set for 8 to 9:30 a.m. in an open-air tent on the luau grounds, will feature a delicious buffet of pancakes with syrup, breakfast meat, eggs, fruits, juice and hot coffee.

Breakfast entertainment includes bingo and a raffle. The grand prize for bingo is a “stay-cation” at Kaanapali Beach Hotel: two nights, double occupancy, and Sunday Brunch for two (blackout dates apply). Grand prize for the raffle is a dinner for four at Roy’s Kaanapali.

For a schedule of events and more information on the Ag Festival, visit http ://www.mauicountyfarmbureau.org/.