HONOLULU – The U.S. Postal Service will commemorate the issuance of a Forever Stamp depicting Maui’s Haleakala National Park at a special event on June 2. The stamp is the first USPS stamp to ever depict a Maui locale.

The stamp, which features a stunning image of a rainbow within the crater at Haleakala National Park, is part of a sheet of 16 Forever Stamps depicting an assortment of national parks that will be issued nationwide on June 2 to celebrate the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary. USPS Postmaster General Megan Brennan will dedicate the entire sheet in a First-Day-of-Issue ceremony at the World Stamp Show in New York. Dedication ceremonies will also take place at or near each of the national parks depicted on the stamps.

The Haleakala stamp will be unveiled during a dedication event scheduled for 11 a.m. on June 2 at the Makawao Post Office. The public is invited to attend the event. Those in attendance will be able to purchase sheets of the national parks stamps and have them hand cancelled for free with a special commemorative postmark. Commemorative cancellations will be provided at the site from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The National Parks stamp sheets will be available for purchase on June 2 at Post Offices nationwide, online at USPS.com and by phone at 800-782-6724.

The Haleakala stamp will be officially dedicated during the event by USPS Pacific Area Vice President Dean Granholm, USPS Honolulu (A) District Manager Noemi Luna, Makawao Postmaster Celine Balthazar-Suda, Haleakala National Park Superintendent Natalie Gates, and longtime Haleakala patron Rose Cambra Freitas.

The Haleakala stamp image was shot by Seattle photographer Kevin Ebi. “National parks take us into a different world, a world of jaw-dropping scenery and experiences that are dramatically different from our daily lives,” he said. “Such was the case that afternoon I spent chasing Haleakala’s rainbows.

“Haleakala is known for stunning sunrises. I decided to take a look at the crater during the day in order to determine where I wanted to be the next morning. But the closer I got to Haleakala’s summit, the less I could see. The fog got thicker and thicker. Then…sunlight poked through a tiny hole…and a rainbow dipped into the crater. I managed to get a few shots before the sun slid back behind the storm clouds... It was a beautiful scene.”

Note to media: High–resolution images of the Haleakala stamp and the National Parks stamp sheet are available upon request. Contact duke.gonzales@usps.gov for the images.

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