Blandford, MA (Wednesday, January 28, 2004) - The Springfield Ski Club's Blandford Ski Area is hosting a Military Appreciation Weekend Jan. 30 - Feb. 1 to honor our men and women in uniform and their families that support them.

The Blandford Ski Area will offer free lift tickets to Military personnel and their immediate family for the weekend. All they need to do is show their military ID or family ID at the ticket window. The area will operate Friday and Saturday 08:30-21:00 and Sunday 08:30-16:00.

The Westfield Armory is planning to display a HumVee and climbing wall and the 104th, based at Barnes airport in Westfield, and hopes to have some of their new runway snow-clearing gear on-site.

The ski area has a skier/boardercross race scheduled for Saturday, and the Black Diamond Blues Band, consisting of club members, race coaches and ski patrol members, on the fireside stage Saturday night. Blandford's legendary Great Cardboard Box Race is scheduled for Sunday.