NEEBING — Neebing residents took to the ice for a Family Skate Day outside the Blake Community Hall on Sunday.
The family-friendly event took place at its new roughly $1-million rink, constructed last year through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund and completed the day before their hall turned 100 years old.
“We used to have it on the family day weekend, but it’s been more difficult to plan things with our committee having it actually on a holiday,” said Karen Coulson, the head of Neebing’s Recreation Committee.
“So we’re moving it ahead a little bit and basically this is our first organized skating event here at the facility. So we’ve got free popcorn, free smores, free hot chocolate, coffee and then we’re selling hot dogs for $2.”
The event also offered kids’ crafts and movies inside the hall, including The Wizard of Oz.
She said the municipality will continue to put the multi-purpose building to use in the summer, where it will have numerous family events, including Canada Day and in the coming September with a market.
“We just really like the community to keep coming out and using the facilities that are offered through the municipality and to come out to our family events,” said Coulson.
“It’s always lots of fun and we’re very, very blessed to be able to do this.”
The Aiken family was one of many families that stopped at the rink after seeing an advertisement for Family Skate Day.
“This is our first time skating at Blake Hall with the new rink. We wanted to come and try it out,” said Florence MacLean.
“We’re three generations. We’ve been skating for a long time together — my daughter, my son, my grandson (and) my husband — and we’re just really happy to be here and be able to try out the ice, so I think we’re going to come more often now.”
Her grandson Austin added that the ice was pretty good out there.
“(I am) just really happy with the township that they saw the need for this investment. The covered rank is fabulous. You can see the condition of the ice is great and (I am) just really happy to be here today,” said MacLean.
Curtis Coulson, a Neebing councillor, said the rink opened for skating just before Christmas.
“We had a little trouble with some warm weather before Christmas, as we all know, so that kind of put us back a couple of weeks,” said Coulson.
“But we got it going, so by the midweek after Christmas, we had skating both here and at our other rink.”
Neebing has a hard surface and boards used daily in Pearson Township, further out into the country.
Coulson added the new rink has also been used quite a bit.
“The cold weather hasn’t seemed to bother people too much when it was really cold, obviously not, but it’s being used pretty much every day,” said Coulson.
