The City of Hiawatha has announced a new free outdoor skating rink open to the public at Guthridge Park.

The ice rink is located in the Tennis Court area of Guthridge Park, at 704 Emmons St. It is an 85-foot by 90-foot skating surface. There are benches and a rubber entry runway surface at the north end entrance of the fenced tennis courts.

The rink is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. except when rink and weather conditions are not accommodating. It's an awesome addition to the park, and the crew have some very sensible guidelines in the Hiawatha Insights with a lot of answers to all your questions.

City of Hiawatha
City of Hiawatha
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As a kid I remember our dad once sprayed down our backyard with the garden hose, running for hours until it flooded to create a backyard skating rink. We spent more time outside than inside that winter. That was in the 1960s. In our teens my brothers and would play hockey on the frozen canals off the nearby river. That was in the 1970s.

The next memory then flashes forward to the 1990s when our 2 kids were young. We skated on a small neighborhood pond, frozen smooth creating a tiny natural rink. Best of all, it was so well hidden in an overlooked park that it was hardly ever used.

But having the frozen pond ice rink all to ourselves grew a little dull after awhile. It was just more fun when there were a few other skaters around to share the ice with us on that the tiny little rink.

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