Activity Guide Winter 2020 | Page 19

OUTDOOR SKATING & SLEDDING ICE RINKS The park district maintains ice for skating at Lake Ellyn, Lake Foxcroft, and Newton Parks from approximately mid-December through February. Skating on Lake Ellyn and Lake Foxcroft is only available when the ice thickness has reached eight inches. Check ice conditions at gepark.org/weather From this page, you can also sign up to receive text message updates or email alerts. An app (Rainout Line) is also available. Ice conditions can change multiple times throughout the day. LAKE ELLYN 645 Lenox Road, Glen Ellyn Weather permitting, the warming house and restrooms are available from the end of December to February 29. View the warming house hours at www.gepark.org/warminghouse. GREEN LIGHT indicates safe ice conditions and the Boathouse is open. YELLOW LIGHT indicates safe ice conditions, but the Boathouse is closed. RED indicates unsafe conditions for skating. NEWTON PARK 707 Fairview Avenue, Glen Ellyn Skating is not supervised and is at your own risk. Public bathrooms are provided. Lights are on from dusk until 9pm. The West rink is open for skating (no hockey). Hockey is allowed on the east rink only GREEN FLAG indicates safe ice conditions. RED FLAG indicates unsafe conditions for skating. LAKE FOXCROFT 2S540 Lambert Road, Glen Ellyn Skating is not supervised and is at your own risk. This park has no warming facilities or bathrooms. GREEN FLAG indicates safe ice conditions. RED FLAG indicates unsafe conditions for skating. NEWTON PARK SLED HILL The park district has designated a sled hill located at Newton Park. No other hills are maintained for sledding. Sledding is allowed only during daylight hours from dawn until dusk. The hill is not supervised, and the user is responsible for determining if the conditions are appropriate for sledding. Address: 707 Fairview Avenue, Glen Ellyn. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS The lake looks frozen, why can't I skate? An 8” ice base at Lake Ellyn and Lake Foxcroft is needed for the ice to become safe for skating. Snow cannot be cleared until the 8” base covers the lake, including inlets. This requires several consistent days of subzero temperatures to develop. The district is unable to allow skating or to clear the ice without this base. Can I rent skates from the Park District? The park district does not have ice skates available to rent. Paul’s Shoe Service, located at 486 Main Street in Glen Ellyn, sells inexpensive used skates during the winter months. In addition, the store offers a skate exchange program and skate sharpening. Phone: (630) 790-1030. Is speed skating still available? Speed skating lessons are offered by the Glen Ellyn Speed Skating Club through their ‘Intro to Speed’ program at Center Ice of DuPage. For more information, visit the club's website at www.glenellynspeedskating.org or call (630) 403-8310. 19