If you were excited to wake up this week and see thermometers stuck in the 20’s, you are probably in the minority of Highlands residents and visitors.
One man who was thrilled to see freezing temperatures was Highlands Parks and Recreation Director Lester Norris. The Highlands ice skating rink is scheduled to open on Thursday, Nov. 17 and the fall weather has not been conducive to making ice.
“We started to make the ice last week, but it was a little too warm and windy, and several leaves blew into the rink before it froze, so we had to melt it and start over,” Norris said. “The next day we tried again, but had a problem with a couple of the lines.”
Norris said the rink was ready to fill on Monday evening and perfect conditions should lead to good quality ice.
“We plan on filling it tonight (Monday) and letting it set up overnight,” Norris said. “The forecast is calling for rain (Tuesday) which is perfect because the rain will fill in any gaps and level out the ice surface.”
Highlands ice rink, which is set up at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park, has a glycol underlay which helps keep the ice frozen even when temperatures power past the freezing mark, but Norris noted that making the first ice of the season is easier with some help from Mother Nature.
The rink will open at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. The facility will be open 3:30 – 8 p.m. on Thursday, 3:30 – 10 p.m. on Friday, 1 – 10 p.m. on Saturday and 1 – 5 p.m. on Sunday from Nov. 17 through March 12, 2023.
There will be special holiday hours from 1 – 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 23. The rink will be closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The cost to skate is $5 per person and covers skate rental and rink access.
The rink is available for private parties from 6 – 8 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays. The cost is $100 for groups of 25 people or less. Every 10 additional skaters is an additional $25. To book the rink for a private event, call Highlands Parks and Recreation at 828-526-3556.