Ludlow, VT – For the first weekend of Summer, Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow will offer free concerts starting with the Jackson Gore Outdoor Music Series concert on Friday, June 25, and the Vermont ski and snowboard resort’s first Flip Flop Festival on Saturday, June 26. Also on Saturday, Okemo will host the third annual Okemo Bike Climb, a challenging 5.8 mile uphill bike race starting at Jackson Gore’s Ice House and following Route 103 and Okemo Mountain Road to the summit of Okemo Mountain.nOn Friday nights throughout the summer season, the lawn in the courtyard at Okemo’s Jackson Gore Inn is transformed into an outdoor concert venue featuring popular local and regional entertainers. The festivities will begin on Friday with a local favorite, Twiddle. Returning to the Jackson Gore Outdoor Music Series for their third appearance, Twiddle is a quartet of diverse Vermonters who throw down a shredding, live performance. Twiddle’s musical style taps into influences from around the globe for diverse musical and cultural influences. The basic vibe centers on progressive rock, with funk, reggae, jazz, Latin, and even classical elements deftly blended together.

Admission to the Jackson Gore Outdoor Music Series is free and the grounds open at 5 p.m. The concert is slated to run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Families are welcome and all attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or picnic blankets. In case of rain, the concerts will move indoors. Dining options include burgers, hot dogs, chicken and ribs, or full-service dining with an al fresco seating option at Jackson Gore’s Coleman Brook Tavern.

On Saturday, June 26, the Okemo Bike Climb benefits the charities of the Ludlow Rotary Club. The race is affiliated with the Bike Up Mountain Points Series (BUMPS), a sequence of nine uphill races held throughout New England.

“The number of racers participating in the Okemo Bike Climb has increased every year; 55 in ’08, 91 in ’09,” says Race Director Glenn Deruchie. “We may reach our limit of 125 riders for the first time this year.”

Registration is available online at BikeReg.com until June 21 for $65. Registration after June 21 is $75.00. On-site registration is slated for Friday, June 25, between 5 and 8 p.m., and Saturday, June 26, from 8 to 10 a.m. A mass start is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. All riders will receive an event T-shirt.

An awards ceremony and cookout will follow the race at the Jackson Gore Ice House.

Also on Saturday, Okemo’s Flip Flop Festival features musical guests J-San & the Analogue Sons opening for Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad for a day blending reggae, rock, afro-beat, roots and dub. Admission to the Flip Flop Festival is free and open to the public. In addition to grilled goodies, there will be liquid refreshments and classic summertime games to play like horseshoes, tetherball, and bean bag tossing. The music is scheduled to run from 3 to 8 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring picnic blankets or lawn chairs … and of course, flip flops.

Additional Jackson Gore events are planned for this summer. Okemo’s second annual Hops in the Hills Beer Festival and Chicken Wing Championship will feature the folk and bluegrass sounds of PossumHaw on August 7. The final festival of the season is scheduled for October 9. Okemo’s fourth annual Parrothead Party celebrates the music of Jimmy Buffett with tribute band Changes in Latitudes.

Following Twiddle, the summer lineup for the Jackson Gore Outdoor Music Series includes: Banjo Dan and the Mid-nite Plowboys, July 2; Crunchy Western Boys, July 9; The Butties, July 16; The Pete Kilpatrick Band, July 23; The Alchemystics, July 30; Sly Geralds, August 6; The Chris Kleeman Band, Aug. 13; The Slim Redmond Band, August 20; Bud and Budd the Kind Buds, Aug. 27; The U.S. Air Force Band of Liberty, September 3.