NEWRY, Maine — Sunday River is excited to announce the celebration of its 50th Birthday on Saturday, December 19, 2009. Complete with live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights, one of the largest fireworks displays the state of Maine has ever seen, and a Viking look-alike contest – Sunday River’s 50th Birthday will be the largest celebration the resort has ever thrown.

“There is a lot to celebrate with Sunday River’s 50 years of operation,” said Dana Bullen, General Manager for Sunday River. “We’ve grown from one peak to eight, we have the most sophisticated, state-of-the-art snowmaking system on the East Coast, we host some of the largest ski events in the world and we continue to honor the past and embrace the future every day.”

Sunday River’s 50th Birthday Party will officially kick off on Friday night with the sounds of the eighties thanks to Orange Crush playing live at the Foggy Goggle in South Ridge starting at 8 p.m.

On Saturday, Sunday River will offer historic ski tours throughout the day and later that evening, turn South Ridge into party central, hosting 10 local restaurants and businesses as well as specialty drink stations throughout the lodge to create a food and drink festival. Sunday River’s food festival starts at 6:30 p.m. and the cost is $15 for adults, $10 for kids ages 6-12 and kids 5 and under are free. All net proceeds go to the Sunday River Region Charitable Fund, a fund at the Maine Community Foundation, dedicated to improving the quality of life in the communities that make up the Sunday River area.

Also, as part of Saturday’s festivities, Sunday River will light the sky with four times the amount of fireworks ever used and a show being put on by New England’s own PoiStar Fire Dancers. Also on Saturday evening there will be a bonfire as well as one of the hottest musical Dave Matthews tribute bands around – One Sweet World. One Sweet World will play at the Foggy Goggle starting at 8 p.m. and will set the stage for the Viking God and Goddess costume contest also taking place that night. Winner of the Viking costume contest will walk away with a 2010-2011 New England Gold Pass.

Save room for breakfast, because on Sunday, Sunday River will flip flap jacks for a pancake breakfast served from 7-9 a.m. out of Barker Lodge.
“We’re excited to celebrate with the very people that have made Sunday River the world-class resort it is today and look forward to the next 50 years,” said Bullen.

For more information on Sunday River’s 50th Birthday celebration including times, deals and lodging packages, visit www.sundayriver.com/50.
To top off the celebration, Sunday River will take advantage of the recent snowfall and cold temperatures in the forecast to continue terrain expansion into the weekend. This weekend, Sunday River looks to be skiing on as many as 55 trails and up to 7 peaks including Jordan Bowl.