People who missed getting free tickets for the upcoming Virgin Mobile FreeFest can still obtain seats by volunteering or giving blood this summer.

The “Summer of Service” will allow people who are 18 and older to sign up for volunteer projects in Howard County and elsewhere, from cleaning up parks to working in senior centers. Virgin Mobile USA, I.M.P., the concert producer, and Merriweather Post Pavilion have donated 3,000 tickets to the volunteer program.

“This is a great opportunity for people who want to attend the concert to earn a ticket while they make a difference in their local communities,” County Executive Kenneth Ulman said in a statement.

About 400 of the volunteer tickets will be available to those who donate blood to the American Red Cross in Maryland, which is in need of donors, according to Howard County officials. In addition, people in the Maryland and Washington area can sign up to volunteer 13 hours at homeless youth shelters in exchange for a V.I.P. ticket to the festival.

The 2009 Virgin Mobile FreeFest, featuring Weezer, Blink-182 and more than a dozen other acts, takes place Aug. 30 at Merriweather Post Pavilion. The event previously was a two-day event at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore and one-day passes started at nearly $100.

All of the roughly 35,000 tickets, which became available to the general public June 27, were sold out within minutes, according to Virgin Mobile USA.

Beginning at noon July 1, click here for volunteer applications for projects in Howard County. For more information on the VIP tickets and other projects, click here.

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