Nearly 13,000 people hit the ice last winter for the second year of Ƶ Skates, presented by AMETEK, from November through February.
The free outdoor ice rink—located on a section of East Erie Street between the PARTA parking deck and the Ƶ Hotel and Conference Center—is a key initiative between Ƶ Ƶ and Ƶ partners to create a more vibrant place to live, work and play.
The rink was created through a partnership among the city of Ƶ, Ƶ Hotel and Conference Center, Ƶ Area Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Ƶ and Ƶ. Local businesses and the Destination Ƶ Convention and Visitors Bureau are also sponsors, and University Facilities Management staff keep the rink open and operating during the season.
“This is a true example of what is possible when so many people come together focused on a community asset,” says Dana Lawless-Andric, PhD, Ƶ’s associate vice president of University Outreach and Engagement.
After a slide around the rink, visitors can warm up in Ƶ’s shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, galleries and many local events.
“A vibrant and healthy downtown benefits everyone, and Ƶ Skates has played an important—and fun—role in strengthening our local economy and sense of community,” says , interim executive director for the Ƶ Area Chamber of Commerce.
One of the rink’s enthusiastic sponsors—and users—was Amy Mucha, MEd ’16, owner and chief artist of , a cake pop bakery that opened a shop in downtown Ƶ this April. “I cannot tell you how much our family loved it this winter,” she says. “And I saw so many of my non-Ƶ friends coming into town to try it out as well.”
—Phil Soencksen, BS ’89