CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine ??” SpongeBob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer will soon be Sugarloafers when they join the festivities at this year’s Children’s Festival Week at Sugarloaf/USA on Jan. 9-13, 2006.

Children’s Festival is an annual tradition at Sugarloaf when the entire week’s activities are centered around families and kids. In addition to daily and nightly family friendly entertainment, children ski free, get free rental equipment, and free all-day Perfect Kids programs when they and their parents stay three nights or more.

“Skiing or snowboarding with your kids is something you’ll always have in common with your kids,” said Karen Greene, Sugarloaf’s brand manager. “There aren’t many vacations like skiing that build a foundation of happy memories that last a lifetime.”

Nickelodeon favorites SpongeBob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer will be the guests of honor during the Kids Carnival on Tuesday and will lead karaoke and pose for pictures. The carnival will also be filled with games, contests, giant slides, visits with Sugarloaf’s beloved Amos and Blueberry and a Chinese auction where festival goers can win great prizes including SpongeBob and Dora items and a karaoke machine.

Sugarloaf and all American Ski Company Resorts are proud to partner with Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products to launch an exclusive line of Nickelodeon Winter Apparel that will be available at the Sugarloaf Accessory Shop in the Base Lodge during Festival Week and the Sugarloafer Shop all season long.

“Amos and Blueberry are anxious to introduce their new friends, Dora The Explorer and SpongeBob Squarepants, to Sugarloafers of all ages,” said Marcia White, Sugarloaf’s children’s services director. “They are the perfect compliment to an already fun-filled week on and off the slopes.”

The week’s events kick off on Monday with a torchlight parade and fireworks that the whole family will enjoy. On Tuesday, SpongeBob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer will pay visits to all of the Perfect Kids and Sugarloaf childcare program during the day before heading to Carnival Night. Game Night will follow the Kids Carnival.

Wednesday is movie night which will feature the Rugrats Movie and Parent’s Night Out with a pajama party for kids ages 1-5 while their parents enjoy an evening alone or a quiet dinner for two. On Thursday night, the National Marionette Theatre will perform one of the all time family favorites, Peter Pan, in a free performance in the base lodge.

Come enjoy a Sugarloaf getaway that keeps the kids in mind as well as the adults.

Sugarloaf’s Children’s Festival Week packages are available for as little as $69 per person, per night and include on-mountain lodging, lift ticket and Perfect Turn clinics for adults. Free rental equipment and Perfect Kids learning programs are available for children ages 4-12. For more information, visit www.sugarloaf.com or call 1.800 THE LOAF today.