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A Highlands Skate of Mind!
Written By: Jenny King | Issue: 2016/11 - November | Photograph By: Susan Renfro
The weekend after Thanksgiving is a big one in Highlands.
The tree lighting, caroling, and decorations really make it feel like a Norman Rockwell painting! Can ’t you just see it? The rosy cheeks, mittens, and hot chocolate? If you’re having a bit of trouble imagining such a wholesome picture, go no further than the Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park on Saturday, November 26.
After the caroling and tree lighting the Town of Highlands Recreation Department officially opens the public ice skating rink. It’s just as charming as you might imagine, too. You can enjoy whirling around the ice every weekend until mid-February.
This year you ’ll see some changes. Nick Bazan of the Friends of Founders’ Park, says the much- anticipated stone fireplace will be completed and keeping visitors warm while watching the activity on the skating rink. It is a duplicate of the century-old Kelsey fireplace currently located behind the Falls on Main and will be a gas fireplace rather than one that uses wood. The Recreation Department’s Lester Norris promises skates for every size at no charge and hot chocolate and coffee for only $1. It costs $5 to skate. With any luck you can sit by the fire as the snow falls while you sip a hot drink and take those Instagram-worthy photos.
Hours of operation will be Thursdays, 1:00 to 8:00 P.M.; Fridays and Saturdays, 1:00 to 10:00 P.M.; and Sundays 1:00 to 5:00 P.M. New this year, Norris says they ’ll open the rink Monday evenings from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. for Ice Hockey. Of course, the schedule is subject to change due to weather conditions.
The park is almost, but not totally, finished and Bazan encourages everyone to do their part in helping raise funds for completion. For more information on Friends of Founders Park, contact Nick Bazan at (828) 371-2653, P.O. Box 1703, Highlands, NC.
