EAST SYRACUSE — East Syracuse Parks and Recreation held an ice skating party today, Feb. 7, at Ellis Field Park from noon to 3 p.m. Skating will still continue, however, until 6 this evening.
The regular skating hours underneath the park’s Cunningham Pavilion last from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday evenings, but those hours were moved back on Feb. 7 to butt up against the three-hour party and create a six-hour block of skating.
The party was held because East Syracuse Minoa schools had a scheduled shortened day reserved for professional learning for staff members.
With that happening, the village parks and rec department figured it would be a good day to do something outside for the kids in the community.
On the rink, kids played broomball and hockey with makeshift goals and walkers to hold onto for support.
The party at the McCool Avenue park featured fire pits, music, free hot dogs, Kool-Aid Jammers, and a s’mores station, while as always there was also free hot cocoa and no cost for skating or using skates.
The rink itself was created by putting a tarp down, filling it with water, letting it freeze and then resurfacing the ice with a Zamboni.
This weekend on Saturday, Feb. 8, and Sunday, Feb. 9, the skating rink will be open from noon to 6 p.m. each day for regular skating by appointment, but walk-ins are welcome too if it’s not too crowded.
Dave DelPriore, who’s in charge of parks maintenance for the village, said his department has to “rely on Mother Nature” to see how long into the year they can keep the rink open because it needs to be cold enough for it to stay frozen.
He said this winter has been much better for the sake of having the rink going than the past two, which were relatively mild temperature-wise.
