Ice Skating in Neshkoro

 

Flying on the ice in Neshkoro    

            They danced, they flew, they glided.  Some watched, some stumbled, some cruised.  They were the ice skaters, light as feathers, arms askew, laughing and grinning as they circled the new community ice rink on Neshkoro Mill Pond.  The thermometer said 15 degrees; the ice skaters pulled their parkas tighter and felt their cheeks tingle, but still they skated.

            Kudos go to those making it happen.  Healthy Communities Healthy Youth Neshkoro Neighborhood Liaison Karen Holseth Brokema lead the charge and it fell into place.

            “These kinds of things would be too much for one person to do,” she said.  “But when you’ve got a community that steps forward, this can happen.  And it did.”

             Neshkoro Mill Pond in winter is spotted with ice shanties and the hardy souls who drill holes and drop lines into the cold depths.  Now the anglers have a prettier view across the lake toward the mill as skaters glide across the ice.  The rink is just off the boat landing and community members have been working to set up the perfect spot for skating.

            Volunteers from the Neshkoro Fire Department cleared and twice flooded a portion of the pond to make a smooth surface.  The Neshkoro Lions are helping with the cost of keeping it cleared.  Shannon Mentink was volunteering out there on a recent day plowing the snow off the ice while about a dozen people waited to skate.  They were joined by more, a group that came from Princeton with hockey sticks in tow.

            “I looked out my window the other day,” said Deb Teske who lives next to the mill pond, “and there must have been 50 people skating on the ice.”

            Teske has been helping to coordinate the clearing of the snow and arrangement of access to the rink.  There are benches to sit on, an easy on and off, and even a shed that gets skaters out of the wind. 

            Healthy Communities Healthy Youth recently had a skate give away at the Neshkoro Library after collecting donated skates.  Dozens of kids and adults took home, for some, their first pair of skates.

            Don’t tell Neshkoro it can’t happen, they’ll prove you wrong every time.  Dust off your skates, unpack those thick wool socks, and head over to Neshkoro for some winter fun.  Or just look across the pond and watch happy people flying, dancing, and gliding on the ice.  Neshkoro deserves Hans Brinker’s silver skates for making it happen.