WICKER PARK — A community-funded and volunteer-maintained skating rink that's been open for just one week of skating this winter will likely reopen Saturday, as long as the freezing temperatures hold, organizers said Tuesday.
The amenity in the neighborhood's namesake park at 1425 N. Damen Ave. was erected on Dec. 5 and opened on Jan. 17, attracting modest crowds. The warmer weather prompted the rink to close Jan. 24.
As previously planned, the rink will close on Feb. 28 when the Chicago Park District ends the skating season at the city's other outdoor rinks.
"Ice experts are checking every day. It could open sooner than Saturday. Along the west and north sides of the rink it was still watery because of the sun's reflection. They need to measure depth every day," Doug Wood, treasurer of the Wicker Ice Committee, said Tuesday.
Wood said that the schedule will be slightly altered over the weekend, offering stick & puck or practice drills from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday and rat hockey from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Public all ages skating hours will be from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily; an adults-only skate is from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily. 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.
"It's an El Nino year; we are lucky we got this much. It is what it is. If you want to do it, you should do it [this weekend]," Wood said.
Wood said if Friday skating hours are added, the park field house, which normally stays open until 9 p.m. on days when the rink is open, will be closed at 2 p.m. Friday for President Abraham Lincoln's birthday.
Twenty volunteer resurfacers and greeters are needed for two-hour weekend shifts each day on Saturday and Sunday, according to an online sign-up form.
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.
No reservations or time booking will be accepted. Skate rentals are not offered. (Read what hockey players need to do before showing up, including signing an online waiver).
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.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
