ALLOUEZ, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Wednesday’s weather brought a reprieve from the bitter cold.
But that arctic air is good for one thing: making ice on local outdoor rinks.
Once it does form up, you don’t need skates to enjoy the ice on the public rinks dotting our local parks.
Just ask Mary Valitchka and her grandkids, happy to slip and slide and slap a puck around on the just-opened rink at Green Isle Park.
“This is our first time out on the ice, we’ve been waiting for the ice to be ready to come and, you know, play some hockey… In winter you can get so house-bound, and so this is just a great activity and the kids love it.”
Wednesday was the first “official” day that the rink was open in the Allouez park.
And even though De Pere has only just gotten the base to solidify in Legion Park, skate marks in the snow nearby tell you that it hasn’t stopped people from testing the ice already.
Parks Superintendent Don Melichar tells FOX 11 it’s all about providing fun for the community.
“Just the smiles, obviously, that you look for. And that’s what we hope for…. You know, I mean, that’s why we set them up. That’s why we go through all the work, put down all the water, hope for the weather to hold out, just for the people to come out and have fun. And you definitely see that.”
As for Green Bay, there are seven parks with rinks across the city.
They aren’t quite “officially” open yet either, but the city says they’re doing what they can with the weather they’re given.
The milder weather that moved in Wednesday meant crews flooding rinks had to stop early in the morning as temperatures approached freezing.
But both De Pere and Green Bay officials say thanks to colder weather in the forecast, they should be done making ice by sometime next week.
The status of outdoor rinks across the area varies by community. So make sure to check with your local municipality first.
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