Not Just for Winter Anymore!

Greetings,

First day of Summer has arrived! Summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere on June 20, 2012, at 7:09 P.M. (EDT).

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, each year the timing of the solstice depends on when the sun reaches its farthest point north of the equator. This occurs annually on June 20 or June 21 in North America, depending on your time zone. The word solstice is from the Latin solstitium, from sol (sun) and stitium (to stop), reflecting the fact that the sun appears to stop at this time. In our region, we notice that the sun is higher in the sky throughout the day, and its rays strike Earth at a more direct angle, causing the efficient warming we call summer. In the winter, just the opposite occurs: the sun is directly overhead at its most northern point at "high-noon" on the summer solstice, creating more sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere on this day then any other. So what are you going to do on the longest day of the year?

CampGokemo has opened up at Okemo and anyone who visits the Jackson Gore area Monday thru Saturday will see lots going on at camp. Plenty of activities happen during the day ranging from swimming, to hikes, team sports to rock climbing. There are also visits to Plymouth State Park on some days and field trips to area attractions.

In speaking with the "golf guys", things are going well at both Okemo Valley Golf Course and Tater Hill Golf Club. The greens are in great shape, the grass is growing quickly and the irrigation systems are going full swing during this hot weather. Did you know some of those guys begin mowing greens at 5 am? It is a lot like the winter operations guys, except it is much warmer! Rodney, who is the course superintendent at Okemo Valley and Eric at Tater Hill work hard to keep their courses looking good and it shows.

The biggest question I am getting asked..."how is the zip line coming?" Well, things are looking good. The name is Sawyer’s Sweep Zip line, and the lower two sections are complete. Work is progressing nicely on the upper sections. We are anticipating an early July opening and guests can begin inquiring about reservations at Okemo.com. We will have a more firm opening date to share soon.

The Adventure Zone begins 7-day a week operation beginning on Friday June 29th, so be sure to check it out!

Enjoy the sun and have some fun... Okemo, not just for Winter anymore!!

Bruce Schmidt
Okemo GM