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Parson's Ice Rink To Finally Open This Weekend Thanks to Brutal Cold Snap

By Mina Bloom | January 8, 2015 1:43pm
 The ice rink looked like a pool of water at the end of December.
The ice rink looked like a pool of water at the end of December.
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DNAinfo/Mina Bloom

LOGAN SQUARE — There's at least one benefit to this week's brutally cold weather.

The ice rink at Parson's Chicken and Fish, 2952 W. Armitage Ave., is set to officially open this weekend, the restaurant's general manager said Thursday.

It'll be open 3 p.m. to midnight Friday, 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.

"The ice is definitely frozen. We got the cold streak we needed," said general manager Michael Trow. "Now it's more about exposure safety."

If it's dangerously cold this weekend, Trow said the chicken and fish restaurant might advise against patrons taking to the ice, but he said that call would be made at the restaurant.

Mild weather had prevented the ice from fully freezing, and therefore the rink had remained closed. It had been scheduled to open Dec. 12, but with temperatures reaching almost 50 degrees, the rink was a pool of water.

That's because the rink on the restaurant's outdoor patio is "100 percent dependent on Mother Nature" to freeze the ice. The restaurant has no source of external or internal refrigeration, manager Samantha Hogan explained at the end of December.

Hogan said the restaurant had been fielding dozens of calls a day from patrons eager to take to the ice. 

This weekend, patrons of all ages can either rent skates on site or bring their own. Regardless, it costs $5 to skate. 

Skaters can order from a hot drink menu designed by bartender Charlie Schott. Hogan said patrons should expect variations on cider, coffee and hot chocolate. Boozy and virgin options will be available.

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