The Parks Department of the Village of Watkins Glen is set to begin the winter season with the inaugural opening of the Clute Park Event Center Ice Rink on Friday Dec 3 at 11am. An opening
celebration will be held at 4pm, before the Holiday Fair event that runs from 5pm to 9 pm.
Opening day will be filled with holiday cheer and events for the family with free parking. Children and adults are warmly invited to join in the celebration of the opening of the ice rink for skaters beginning at 11am and skating will continue in conjunction with the Holiday Fair at Clute Park.
The ice rink is scheduled to be available for ice skating Thursday through Sunday beginning at 11am and hot chocolate and other warm beverages will be available within the Lakeside Café during business hours. Ice skates are available for rental and the cost for skating is $7 a day.
The ice rink uses the same space as the summer splash pad which has been extremely popular with young children and their families. The skating rink was constructed with funds and support from the State of New York Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), Local Waterfront Redevelopment grants, Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, Schuyler County Government, Project Seneca and a private donor. An official dedication of the Ice–Rink will be held at a later date to honor the contributions of all that made the Event Center, Splash Pad and Ice Rink possible.
“Watkins Glen is proud to have a winter amenity that allows our families to enjoy Clute Park year–round. We expect both our residents and visitors will have lasting memories of their enjoyment of the ice skating, hot chocolate, fire pit and fresh air.” commented Luke Leszyk, Mayor of Watkins Glen. For Schuyler County, the Clute Park Event Center, with the ice skating rink, adds to the tourism activities in the fall and winter, thus contributing to the county’s goal of transitioning into a year–round economy.
“The Skating Rink provides another venue that will attract families, promote healthy recreational activity and bring additional revenues to our businesses” commented Schuyler County Legislative Chairman, Carl Blowers.
“As a returning resident to Schuyler County, it’s been a dream of mine to be able to bring joy and family recreational activities for my community to engage in, the Events Center Ice–Skating Rink achieves that goal” said Craig Bond, Parks and Event Manager for Watkins Glen.
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