Cool reception: Villages embrace cold temps to open ice rinks

By: 
Dave Lein, Editor

Photo by Dave Lein

A number of village officials, students and community members were on hand for last Friday’s ribbon cutting including (from left) Lisa Worsley-Matthews, Bill Cooper, Rocky Paige, Melissa West, Wally Hibbard, Gordon Stewart, Tom Stephenson, Caroline Kennedy, Dolores Hibbard, Kwin Morris, Mike and Carson Conrad, with their dog Roxanne.

 

REGION – Sometimes the world can be a very cold place.

But that’s OK with winter sports enthusiasts throughout the area. And sometimes the colder it is – the better.

That’s the case for two villages in Antrim County who just recently opened ice-skating rinks in their respective communities.

Elk Rapids officially christened its new rink with a ribbon cutting last Friday, while Bellaire is set to host an open house this Saturday, Jan. 26, from 3-5 p.m. at Richardi Park. Prior to that event, an “ice skate swap” is also scheduled for Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Senior Center in Bellaire.

Creating and maintaining a seasonal ice rink can be a challenge. Besides fickle temperatures throughout the winter, local organizers also cited the necessity of funds and dedicated volunteers to maintain the ice surface on a regular basis.

“We finally have Old Man Winter working in our favor!” said Bellaire volunteer Tammy Lockwood in a Letter to the Editor on page 11A of this week’s Review.

“It takes below freezing temperatures and no snow to make an ice rink work, and this week we have it all working in our favor. Consider that an ice rink needs many layers of ice, so when you see us out there late at night and early mornings with the water being sprayed on the ice (or shoveling off the snow) consider honking a horn of support! That brings a smile to our face!” she added.

The Bellaire ice rink is a collaborate effort between the Rotary club and Bellaire Youth Initiative. This is the fourth year that both groups have partnered to sponsor the rink, with several of those years having a limited life thanks to Mother Nature.

Read the full story in our regular edition of The Review. To subscribe to the paper for just $34 a year, which includes access to our full online e-edition, please go to the subscription page on this website at: http://www.antrimreview.net/subscribe/

 

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Bellaire, MI 49615
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