The Snoqualmie Valley will be the center of the recreational cycling world this weekend, as a new event seeks to integrate the sport into the Northwest’s arts and culture scene.

The Sound to Mountains Bike Festival, a benefit by nonprofit arts support group The Levee Breaking, is 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 8, at Bybee Nims Farms outside of North Bend.

“We plan to grow as an annual celebration of Northwest bike builders, and of bike culture as it ties into the Northwest music, art and independent film scenes,” said Valley native Jesse Perrell, Levee Breaking’s director of program and event planning.

The festival includes a showcase of bike builders from around the region, musical acts and food. The ride itself will take cyclists on a more-than-100-mile route between Seattle’s Magnuson Park and North Bend, traversing such locales as Snohomish, Monroe and the Lower Valley. According to Perrell, the trip has already attracted more than 150 riders from 21 to 67 from as far away as Utah.

“There are people riding this as their first ‘century’ ride, and there are riders who probably plan to finish by noon and ride another hundred miles on Monday,” he told the Record by e-mail.

Riders won’t find much in the way of difficulty; Perrell indicated the route is not too technical and should be attractive to many cyclists, regardless of their experience level. There will also be several stops on the route for riders to rest and get food and beverages.

The festival, according to Perrell, is expected to draw more than 600 people. Bands including Amateur Radio Operator, Norey and the Left Coast Gypsies will play.

“We’re really excited about what this has already grown into,” Perrill said. “I’m seriously looking forward to putting up a 30-foot music stage and scaffolding at 6 a.m. Sunday morning with friends I played soccer with in high school.”

Ride cost is $65 for adults, $45 for youths. To attend the festival, tickets are $12 and covers the entire day, or, guests can go to the farm and buy blueberries to also gain admission. Riders can register online until Friday, Aug. 6. Cyclists can register on the morning of the race at Magnuson Park, which is off Northeast Sand Point Way in northeast Seattle.

To register, purchase tickets to the festival or for more information, go to the Levee Breaking Web site at www.theleveebreaking.com or e-mail to STMB@theLeveeBreaking.com.