Outdoor Ice Rink Opens in Downtown Dexter

Dust off your ice skates and get ready to channel your inner Michelle Kwan or Brian Boitano: The free Dexter ice rink in Monument Park is open for the season.

Thanks to a string of days with temperatures in the low 20s, the village was able to open the rink on Jan. 2. Last year the rink was closed for the entire winter, except for one week in January, due to milder temperatures.

The rink is open Sunday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The rink will be resurfaced daily between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., when necessary, or as soon as weather permits.

Village Manager Donna Dettling said in a previous interview, that the skating rink generates more foot traffic downtown to benefit local businesses.

"(The ice rink) provides prime exposure for people headed downtown and other places in the area," Dettling said. "It's incredibly positive, and it creates community. It gives people a place to hang out together."

Hockey pucks and sticks are strictly prohibited, and walking on the gazebo floor with skates is also restricted. Skaters are encouraged to shop at local merchants to pick up a pair of skates if they don't already have some, because there is no skate rental available on site.

Skaters should use the rink at their own risk. There is no skate attendant on duty.

The rink is funded through donations from the Dexter Village Council, Dexter Parks and Recreation Commission, Dexter Area Chamber of Commerce, Dexter Lions Club, Dexter Rotary Club, and Dexter Daze Committee.