The Gary Arts Council has received a grant from the Knight Foundation-Legacy Foundation to fund a pop-up ice skating rink outside the Carter Woodson Public Library, 501 S. Lake St.
The rink opens to the public at 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12. It will be open for skating from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays through Dec. 21, said McKenya Dilworth Smith, chairwoman of the Gary Arts Council.
Admission is $2.50 but skaters with a Gary Public Library card will be admitted free. Skate rental is $2.50.
The ice is being readied Tuesday in the 20-foot-by-50-foot rink.
“The grant will enable our mission to use the arts and community activities to bring people together,” said Dilworth Smith.
The ice rink is part of the Arts Council’s “Winter Works: Skate Stress Away Project,” which has a focus on community gatherings during the darker, more isolating winter days.
Dilworth Smith said the city of Gary is providing the skates and the library is offering its space in the collaboration that also includes the Gary Public Transportation Corp., Northwest Indiana Health Families, and Drug Free Gary.
She said the idea that led to the $34,798 grant came from arts council members. “When it’s cold and dark outside, folks don’t want to engage that much. We wanted something new and fun that we could kind of learn together.”
Dilworth Smith said festive seasonal activities ranging from karaoke choraling to ornament creation will be offered along with gourmet hot chocolate.
There will be pictures with Santa and his helpers, a DJ, and Steppin’ on Ice performances, as well as Kemetic yoga.
She said the rink will be lit and the library will offer a warming area.
The Gary Arts Council is a collective of arts and cultural organizations that share resources and arts expertise and advocate for Gary artists, arts activities, and the preservation of arts and culture in the city.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
