ALLIANCE ? Swoosh, swish − soon skaters will glide across the new rink at Silver Park.
The rink is seasonal, open Dec. 6 to Feb. 14. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
It is free to skate.
The rink is iceless, or synthetic, and all ice skates − except double blade skates − are permitted. No roller skates or roller blades are permitted.
Additionally, there will be concessions and free skate rentals from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at the shack. The other days of the week, visitors need their own skates.
The shack, which will sell drinks, hot chocolate and snack items, will be run by local non-profit groups on a rotating basis. The non-profits earn 75% of all sales for donating time.
A private donation and state grant made the rink possible
A $10,000 donation from Buckeye State Credit Union and a $180,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources helped fund the rink, the shack and the purchase of 40 pairs of rental skates.
The same state grant helped fund the new slash pad at Maple Beach Park.
No labor dollars or operations were funded by the donation or grant money, only the hardware, according to Alliance City Parks and Recreation Department.
Kim Cox, parks director, said the city attempted rinks in the past at Silver Park and at Memorial Park, but Ohio's unpredictable winters made it difficult to maintain frozen ice all season.
"To keep the ice frozen all the time was a significant cost," Cox said.
Cox said the iceless rink, similar to ones in Massillon and Jackson Township, are more cost effective. The rink will be disassembled after Feb. 14, and stored until 2026.
Already there's future possibilities for the rink, park officials say.
Cox said the possible uses for the rink are evolving with rental opportunities and hockey practices.
"We've gotten calls already from hockey moms," she said.
Andrea Lee with the Friends of Alliance Parks said a fee to rent the rink could fund repairs or maintenance.
"That's a great idea," Cox told Lee while the pair spoke with a reporter. "We'll have to talk about that."
The rink debuts with Christmas in the Park − a wildly popular holiday event for individuals and families at Silver Park.
Lee said the rink will offer the older kids an activity at the Christmas event because many of the activities are for younger children.
"Like some of the youth and middle school kids still want to come participate for Christmas in the Park, but they need something age-appropriate," Lee said.
Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or [email protected]. On X (formerly Twitter): @bduerREP.