LET THERE BE NATURAL ICE
Community rinks sprouting up across Cape Breton
Community rinks sprouting up across Cape Breton.
An evergrowing list of communities with outdoor skating rinks for residents will soon include the Town of Port Hawkesbury.
A special outdoor kit will be installed at the town tennis courts and is expected to be ready to host skaters by the end of January.
“We have a pond in our community that used to freeze years ago well enough that people could take a chance and go skate on it,” said Paula Davis, Port Hawkesbury’s director of marketing, recreation, tourism and culture, in reference to the skating spot known as Grands Pond.
“It doesn’t seem to freeze as well as it used to so that hasn’t been a community opportunity, so they have decided this will be something to look at.”
The rink the town is constructing will be made of timber measuring two inches wide and 12 inches high. A 60’ by 50’ vinyl covering will be wrapped around those connected boards that will form the rink frame.
“It’s old school, absolutely, it doesn’t take any refrigeration or energy to run it. It’s good enough, that’s for sure.”
The location for the new rink, adjacent to the tennis courts and a large playground in the town, should further that spot’s reputation as a gathering place for children and families.
“The nice thing about the tennis courts is we have a power source over there, so we have lights,” Davis said.
“We will be able to extend it past summertime, which is great, or for music or whatever they want to do.”
The tennis courts are also the seemingly ideal rink spot because they are fenced in and have access to water to provide endless resurfacing opportunities.
Community rinks are proving popular all around the island this year.
After a bit of unseasonal weather earlier this week, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality reopened an outdoor skating spot at Open Hearth Park on Saturday, while the Bay St. Lawrence Recreational Society and community volunteers have built a skating pad for their community.
As well, Robin Foote Elementary and its neighbouring community have also constructed an outdoor rink for its students and ice skating will return to the Fortress of Louisbourg this year when Parks Canada constructs an outdoor rink for a special skating event on Sunday.
Smokey Recreation Society is also operating an outdoor rink in Ingonish again this year. Skating takes place there daily from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m., weather permitting.
Across the island, residents have also built a great many backyard rinks, leaving plenty of places and opportunities to skate outdoors this winter.