Winter is coming and the Valpo Parks Foundation and the Valparaiso Parks Department held their First Skate Fundraiser at Central Park Plaza Friday night. Making a return after a year off due to the Covid pandemic, family and friends can experience the ice rink prior to the season officially beginning.
“It’s been absolutely great. I’ve lived in Valpo forever, so to see it grow so much and see so many people of different age groups come out and skate is amazing,” said skater Rachel Carrasquillo.
Tickets were limited to 250 this year with the price of admission at $15 a person. The ticket granted admission, skate rentals, and food. Attendees enjoyed hot cocoa, water, pizza, and for the first time, a live DJ to keep the music and party going. Raffle prizes were also available at the event. All proceeds and donations from the First Skate event go towards the Valpo Parks Foundation and Valparaiso Parks Department to continue the development of city parks.
“The event has two full purposes; to kick off the season and encourage people to come out and skate on the ice rink,” said Valpo Parks Executive Director John Seibert. “Secondly, it’s a training event for our staff to prepare them for the official opening and have them work as a unit for when we start to allow 500 plus people. The amount of people that come out annually and support exceeded any projections we had for the event and venue tenfold. It’s a place for all people across Northwest Indiana to skate and have fun experiences.”
The ice rink is located under the William E. Urschel Pavilion at Central Park Plaza. Inside were tables where attendees could escape the cold and sit down to enjoy hot cocoa or other food and beverages. The glass windows allowed people inside to watch other skaters on the ice rink.
“I didn’t realize this was a thing. Once I found out, I decided to bring the family and kids to have a skate around,” said skater Craig Sims. “It’s great to be here but also great how close some food is.”
There was no First Skate event last season due to the worldwide pandemic, so event planners wanted tonight to be a fun and safe experience for all attendees.
“This has always been a fun event for everybody. It’s when we open up the ice arena for the season and now especially dealing with covid the last year, it feels special seeing everyone here,” said Jim Cunningham, President of the Valpo Parks Foundation.
The pavilion is located right in the heart of downtown Valparaiso, giving it perfect ambiance, and its being accessible to the rest of the city makes it more convenient for the community.
To learn more about the Valpo Parks Foundation, please visit https://www.valpoparksfoundation.org/.
To learn more about the Valparaiso Parks Department, please visit https://www.valpoparks.org/.
