PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Quoggy Jo Ski Center will hold an all-day capital fundraising event full of music, food, skiing and more on March 26.
The band Too Far North will play at the event, as well as acting as DJ when they are not playing live.
Quoggy will extend its normal ski time to 8 p.m. to allow for more fun on the slopes.
“The big fundraiser for this event is capital improvements,” Quoggy Jo Board Chair Chris Killcollins said. “We want to put some new lights on the hill. The ones we have right now are good but they are incandescent not LED, so they cost a lot of money. It will also make it easier for people to ski at night. We are hoping to kick off the learn to ski program again next year.”
The mountain also needs to update its ski selection, particularly in the teen and adult sizes, as they have seen a huge influx in family skiing over the past few years. While the board and kitchen staff take no salaries, Quoggy Jol does hire high school and college workers to help with ski lessons and lift operation, so money from the event would be used to hire additional help in those roles at the mountain.
The lighting project is estimated to cost $30,000, with the after-school ski program and new ski equipment estimated to cost $10,000. Between now and next year when the program is expected to kick off, Quoggy is hoping to raise $50,000 to cover those projects, general upkeep and other expenses.
Admission to the event will be $12, which will not only pay for a lift ticket for the entire day, but also give access to the live music. There will also be several food trucks, and a small beer garden as well, limiting patrons to four drinks for the day.
At the end of the day, there will be a fireworks display sponsored by John Harvell State Farm.
There will be limited parking at Quoggy Jo, with overflow parking being available at the Northern Heritage Center. There will be a shuttle service to take people back and forth.
Killcollins said that if this event goes well, he hopes to make it annual.
