Activity Guide Winter 2019 | Page 31

OUTDOOR SKATING & SLEDDING ICE RINKS The park district maintains ice for skating at Lake Ellyn, Lake Foxcroft, and Newton parks from approximately mid-December through February. Skating on Lake Ellyn and Lake Foxcroft is only available when the ice thickness has reached eight inches. LAKE ELLYN: 645 LENOX ROAD Weather permitting, the warming house and restrooms are available from the end of December to February 25: WATCH FOR pop-up ice skating and sledding events as part of our 100 Year Celebration! Warming House Regular Hours Monday-Friday............................................. 4pm-9pm Saturday......................................................... 11am-9pm Sunday........................................................... 12pm-7pm Warming House: Holiday Hours December 24............................................... 10am-3pm December 25............................................... Closed December 26-28......................................... 10am-9pm December 29 .............................................. 11am-9pm December 30 .............................................. 12-7pm December 31 ............................................... 10am-3pm January 1 ...................................................... Closed January 2 to 4 ............................................. 10am-9pm January 21 .................................................... 10am-9pm February 18 .................................................. 10am-9pm NEWTON PARK: 707 FAIRVIEW AVENUE Skating is not supervised and is at your own risk. Public bathrooms are provided. • Lights are on from dusk until 9pm • West rink is open for skating (no hockey) • Hockey is allowed on the east rink only LAKE FOXCROFT: 2S540 LAMBERT ROAD Skating is not supervised and is at your own risk. This park has no warming facilities. ICE CONDITIONS Flags or lights are located at each skating facility designating when it is safe to skate. GREEN indicates safe ice conditions. At Lake Ellyn, this also indicates the Boathouse is open. YELLOW (Boathouse only) indicates safe ice conditions but the Boathouse is closed. RED indicates unsafe conditions for skating. NEWTON PARK SLED HILL The park district has designated a sled hill located at Newton Park. No other hills are maintained for sledding. Sledding is allowed only during daylight hours from dawn until dusk. The hill is not supervised, and the user is responsible for determining if the conditions are appropriate for sledding. Address: 707 Fairview Avenue, Glen Ellyn. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS THE LAKE LOOKS FROZEN, WHY CAN’T I SKATE? An 8” ice base at Lake Ellyn and Lake Foxcroft is needed for the ice to become safe for skating. Snow cannot be cleared until the 8” base covers the lake, including inlets. This requires several consistent days of subzero temperatures to develop. The district is unable to allow skating or to clear the ice without this base. CAN I RENT SKATES FROM THE PARK DISTRICT? The park district does not have ice skates available to rent. Paul’s Shoe Service, located at 486 Main Street in Glen Ellyn, sells inexpensive used skates during the winter months. In addition, the store offers a skate exchange program and skate sharpening. Their phone number is (630) 790-1030. HOW CAN I CHECK ICE CONDITIONS? The park district uses Rainout Line to post updates on ice conditions. The status of each rink can be viewed on the park district website at www.gepark.org/weather. From this page, you can also sign up to receive text message updates or email alerts. An app is also available for both iPhones or Android devices. IS SPEED SKATING STILL AVAILABLE? Speed skating lessons are offered by the Glen Ellyn Speed Skating Club through their ‘Intro to Speed’ program at Center Ice of DuPage. For more information or to register, please visit the club website at www.glenellynspeedskating.org or call (630) 403-8310. 31