WICKER PARK — A small crowd of skaters braved brutally cold temperatures on Sunday to be among the first to enjoy Wicker Ice, a community-funded and volunteer-maintained ice skating rink in the neighborhood's namesake park.
"It's amazing," said Barbara Watt, a Wicker Park resident who was skating around the rink with her husband and their two young daughters shortly after the rink opened at noon Sunday.
Watt, who grew up in Thunder Bay, Canada, says there were 200 ice rinks in her hometown and skating was a nightly routine.
Watt's 5-year-old daughter, Addison, was pushing a chair across the ice to retain her balance and learn to skate "the old fashioned way," Watt said.
Beginning Monday, the rink at 1425 N. Damen Ave. will be open for all ages from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. An adults-only skate is scheduled for 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays.
On Tuesday, hockey begins. Hockey games will be played from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Players will be required to resurface the rink after the games on a golf cart Zamboni, which will require a training session
The park field house will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on days the rink is open for restroom access and warm-up breaks from the cold.
No reservations or time booking will be accepted. (Read what hockey players need to do before showing up, including signing an online waiver).
Lorna Cagann, the rink's volunteer coordinator, said on Sunday that more help is needed, especially for snow removal and resurfacing. Cagann created an online signup sheet, which shows open volunteer slots.
Erected and filled with water on Dec. 5, the 60-foot-by-120-foot rink is non-refrigerated, so it can only be open when temperatures are cold enough to freeze the ice naturally.
Rink users are advised to check the Wicker Ice Facebook page to ensure the rink is open and ice conditions are suitable for skating before arriving to the rink.
First night at the new skating rink. Three skaters, including a volunteer resurfacer, joined the open skate from 7 to 8 p.m.
Wicker Ice, minutes after opening on a brutally cold Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. [Photos by DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser]
Charlotte and Michael Watt. Sunday was Charlotte's first time skating.
Wicker Ice Committee members, folks from the Chamber of Commerce, the Chicago Park Districtt and Ald. Joe Moreno (1st) at a ribbon cutting prior to opening the rink.
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