CARRABASSETT VALLEY -- The summer months are traditionally a critical time for the American Red Cross, and Sugarloaf will do its part to help when it hosts an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Tuesday, Aug. 4 from 12 to 5 p.m. in the Avery Ballroom at the Sugarloaf Inn.

All blood donors will have the chance to win two tickets to see the Boston Red Sox and to be honored on the field as the "Blood Donor of the Game."

During Sugarloaf's last blood drive in January, the Red Cross collected 61 pints, one of the most successful drives at Sugarloaf in several years.

On average, fewer people donate blood during the summer months, even though demand typically rises, making summer blood drives particularly important. An estimated 1,400 pints of blood must collected every working day in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont just to meet patient needs.

For more information on Sugarloaf's upcoming drive, or to schedule an appointment, contact Cheryl Fullerton at 237-6903 or the American Red Cross at 1-800-GIVELIFE.

For more information on the "Blood Donor of the Game program, visit www.newenglandblood.org.