WESTBROOK – With 15,000 to 20,000 people expected, vendors, performers, and organizers are preparing to go all out for the 32nd annual Westbrook Together Days this weekend.

The event Friday and Saturday features entertainment on three stages, carnival rides, an animal petting zoo, rock climbing wall, mechanical bull rides, and more attractions for all ages. Saturday will feature a parade through downtown. It will start at 10 a.m. on Lincoln Street. It will travel along to Bridge Street, then to Main Street, ending at Riverbank Park.

The events will go on as scheduled, rain or shine, according to Dr. Warren Lane, one of the event’s coordinators.

Organizers said portions of Main Street will be shut down during the parade. Westbrook police will have extra officers on duty for crowd control and traffic monitoring, according to Police Capt. Tom Roth.

There will also be an auction, featuring over 100 items, including gift certificates to many local restaurants and businesses, a microwave oven from L. P. Funiture, an in-vehicle XM Satellite Radio from O’Connor Motor Co., and a baseball autographed by Kevin Youkilis of the Boston Red Sox. The auction starts at noontime on Saturday at the east side of the park, and proceeds will benefit future Westbrook Together Days events. In addition to the auction, this year there will also be a raffle for a Westinghouse 42-inch HDTV.

A fireworks display Saturday night, provided by Idexx Laboratories, ends the celebration with a bang.

Almost all the events take place in Riverbank Park. Parking will be available on the streets around the park, and visitors may also park along Main Street after the parade. This year, the event’s theme will be “Living the Green Dream,” and organizers are encouraging visitors to walk or ride bikes to the park. Valet bike parking will be available for a donation.

Darryl Wright, chairman of the Westbrook Together Days Committee, said many new local businesses and sponsors will be joining the 40-50 participating vendors. He said local participation has been particularly active this year.

“A lot of people are saying, ‘You know what? We want to be a part of that,’” he said.

Wright also encouraged visitors to look for those promoting charitable events. Among those is the Westbrook School Department’s second annual Westbrook Wellness 5K Run/Walk event to benefit the Westbrook Food Pantry and Resource Center. It’s scheduled for Sunday, June 5.

Sharon Beever hopes amid the celebrations and festivities that folks will take a moment to donate to a worthy cause, too.

That’s why Beever, the Congin School librarian, has been teaching her kids how to make origami artwork and ornaments, which will be given away as a “thank you” for a small donation at the event this weekend. Proceeds will go to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March.

“They really got excited about this,” Beever said of the Congin kids.