Highlands has its fair share of recreational resources for a small town.
One item that has become a critical part of the winter in Highlands is the outdoor ice rink at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park.
Now in its eighth season, the rink’s humble beginnings are a thing of the past. Skaters have flocked to the property this winter due to perfect skating conditions.
“We had that really cold snap at Christmas where we temperatures in the single digits and that helped harden the ice surface,” Highlands Parks and Recreation Director Lester Norris said. “Since then, we’ve had enough cold weather to keep the ice in good shape, but it has been warm enough in the afternoons and evenings to draw a lot of skaters.”
Norris noted that in a single day during the New Year’s holiday weekend, the rink saw 424 individual skaters. Because the rink is smaller than a traditional hockey rink, staff members had to help spread out the skaters over time.
The outdoor ice rink was donated by Old Edwards Hospitality Group owners Art and Angela Williams in 2015. Norris said the rink has held up well over time and is in the middle of a potentially record setting year in terms of total skaters in 2022-23.
“I think once we wrap up the ice skating season and look at the numbers, this year may be our busiest year,” Norris said. “Now obviously, weather and other factors can have an impact on how many people come to skate, but so far it’s been a very busy season. Traditionally, it starts to wane toward the end of January, but we haven’t seen that slowdown yet.”
Highlands Mayor Patrick Taylor noted that the popularity of the ice rink has grown as the town’s tourism season has expanded. What used to be a summer home community from Memorial Day to Labor Day has grown into a year-round destination.
“Over the Christmas holiday we were using as much electricity as we did during the Fourth of July weekend,” Taylor said. “It was extremely cold in town at Christmas, so people were running their heat more than usual, but there’s no doubt there were also more people in Highlands than previous years. The influx of people continued all the way through the New Year.”
The ice rink will remain open Thursday through Sunday until at least the end of February, and maybe longer depending on the weather.