Contractor Plans to Convert Defunct Evergreen Valley Ski Area into Campground and Concert Venue
Harold Brooks created the Redneck Olympics in nearby Hebron.
Wednesday, October 18, 2017, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
After some 35 years of closure, Evergreen Valley may be starting a new chapter. Harold Brooks, creator of the Redneck Olympics in Hebron, Maine, is planning to purchase the defunct ski area and redevelop it into a campground and concert venue.
Located on the eastern boundary of the White Mountain National Forest in Stoneham, Maine, Evergreen Valley had a short, troubled history as a ski resort during the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1975, the resort hosted the New England Folk Festival.
In 1986, race track developer Robert Bahre purchased the shuttered ski area for $1.35 million. Though there were rumors of plans to reopen Evergreen Valley as a casino, Bahre later developed the Oxford Casino. Bahre is now in talks to sell Evergreen Valley to Brooks, of whom Bahre is quoted in the Lewiston Sun Journal as calling a "decent, honorable man."
Brooks, an owner of a construction company, started the Redneck Olympics at his 210 acre home in 2010. After reportedly being threatened with a lawsuit by the U.S. Olympic Committee, Brooks renamed subsequent events as the Redneck Blank, Pig Roast and Music Festival, hosting the final one in August 2017.
According to the Advertiser Democrat, Brooks hopes to develop the Evergreen Valley Event and Cultural Center with a 700 site campground and concert venue. According to WCSH, Brooks hopes to purchase the property as soon as possible, so that he can begin stabilizing the former ski lodge.
While there are plans to host winter events and cater to snowmobilers, there are no plans to offer lift served skiing.
