Slice of Ice reopens with virus restrictions
A little slice of normalcy returned to downtown Milwaukee at the Slice of Ice at Red Arrow Park, which reopened last Friday ahead of the holidays.
For Becky Moulton and her daughter Hadley, that meant they could continue part of their annual tradition of coming downtown for the holidays.
“There aren’t many outdoor rinks that were open this winter,” Moulton said. “Normally we see a play at First Stage, but this year is different. Hadley was excited we could still come here. There’s not much else we could do.”
Friends, couples and families were skating around the ice rink on an otherwise quiet Tuesday morning. Milwaukee County Parks allows 25 people at a time on the ice, so it’s not as packed as it is every other year. Usually, the park would see thousands of skaters in a day, especially on the weekends around Christmas and New Year’s Day.
The county added an outdoor tent so skaters can get ready outside. There are plexiglas dividers inside where people can rent skates.
On Tuesday, Steve Delaney, an avid ice skater, grabbed a coffee from the Starbucks at Red Arrow Park and waited in the tent to see if any of the 25 people who had reserved spaces would not show up.
He was happy to hit the ice once he got the OK from a county worker.
“I usually would come here every day,” he said. He successfully got on the ice two other days from missed reservations. “It’s nice to still get out here and get a slice of the ice, as they call it.”
Joe Mrozinski, assistant director of business services for Milwaukee County Parks, said reopening the ice skating rink was a priority. The parks department has been working all year to try and find outdoor things for people to do.
“It’s been great,” he said. “We had every time slot reserved for the next seven days.”
Derek Riley and his 4-year-old son Donovan signed up in advance for Tuesday and Wednesday. Riley wanted to continue their newer tradition of ice staking around the holidays. Last year, the two came for the first time, and Donovan
was just getting the hang of it.
“We wanted to all get our own skates and do this every year,” Riley said. “It’s nice to get out of the house and see other people here, too.”
Friends Emily Ciriacks and Brandi Kruger started a tradition of skating at Red Arrow Park during their college winter break. They’ve been keeping it up for the past four years.
“It’s nice to know that outside activities are still open and going on. It’s a good way for friends and family to get out of the house,” Kruger said.
“With COVID and everything, it’s hard to find fun holiday stuff to do, but things like ice skating and going around seeing lights are still good activities,” Ciriacks added.
Ice skating is free, with skate rentals costing $7 for children 17 and under and $9 for adults. Face masks are required.
Reservations open seven days in advance, starting at midnight every night. Time slots are for 1 hour and have been filling up quickly. Mrozinski also encouraged people to cancel on the county website if they are not able to go.
The rink is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 11:20 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The rink is open from 2:10 to 11:20 p.m. on Christmas Day and 8:40 a.m. to 11:20 p.m. Dec. 26 though Jan. 2. An additional midnight skating time slot will be available on New Year’s Eve.
The Slice of Ice will remain open through March, weather permitting.
Reservations can be made at county.milwaukee.gov /EN/Parks/Explore/Slice-of-Ice or by calling 414-2898791.