Summerside presents plenty of places to play outside

The City of Summerside’s Active Winter campaign offers residents a chance to get outdoors and make the most of the winter months. With winter’s short, cool days many find it difficult to get outside and stay active.

“The Community Service Department’s relentless goal is to give residents exciting and fun opportunities to be active 12 months a year,” said Coun. Cory Snow, Community Services Department Committee Chairman. “Active Winter includes over 30 individual days of programmed activities, such as fat biking, snowshoeing, skiing, hiking, indoor and outdoor skating, shinny hockey, and much more.”

Rotary Park opened two kilometres of new trails last year which were used by fatbikers, snowshoers and skiers.

The Park also hosted a winter fat-bike race and the Rotary Park Run Down, both of which will return in 2020.

“There’s a growing interest in fat-biking in Summerside, and we’re pleased to be able to offer these groomed trails in Rotary Park,” said JP Desrosiers, Director of Community Services. “Our department also organizes a Try Fat Biking program several times throughout the winter for those who want to try.”

Previous years were packed with winter activities and this year will be no different. The oval at Queen Elizabeth Park and outdoor rink at Schurman Park will be flooded regularly through the winter for iceskating and hockey, and a monster snow hill for tobogganing is in the plans for the grounds at Credit Union Place and Queen Elizabeth Park.

Snowshoe and skate rentals are available at the front desk of Credit Union Place.

“Residents are often surprised when they see how much there is to do outdoors during the winter,” said Mayor Basil Stewart.

For more information, visit: www.cupevents.ca/ActiveWinter.