By Amy Paradysz
Outdoor skating is even more special because it is fleeting. February is prime time for outdoor skating, not only at the well-known and well-maintained seasonal spots like Thompson’s Point Rink but at these good ol’ fashioned community skating ponds from Kittery to Brunswick.
MAINTAINED RINKS
Lee Twombly Pond at Family Ice Center
20 Hat Trick Road, Falmouth
Nestled between two indoor skating/hockey rinks is a nostalgic pond-shaped manmade rink that is refrigerated and resurfaced by Zamboni. When the weather cooperates, it’s a wonderful skating pond open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Confirm that it’s open by calling Family Ice Center at 207-781-4200. Restrooms are in the Pond House (masks required). No sticks or pucks on the pond. Free!
Photo of Lee Twombly Pond at Family Ice Center by Amy Paradysz.
Thompson’s Point Rink
10 Thompson’s Point, Portland
If you need rental skates and you want outdoor skating in Southern Maine, this is where you want to be. The 10,000-square-foot covered rink right off I-295 has a view of the Fore River and the Portland skyline. Entry is $10 per person ($5 on Wednesdays 3-9 pm). Every two hours, the rink closes for half an hour for resurfacing. But your admission covers the whole day, and there’s a snack bar and a bar. Rental skates $3; skate sharpening $7. Open for public skating Wednesday through Friday, 3-9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. -9 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. www.therinkatthompsonspoint.com/
Labrie Family Skate at Puddle Dock Pond
Strawbery Banke Museum, Portsmouth, N.H.
Just over the New Hampshire state line is a manmade skating “pond” in a quaint historical museum village, and the nationally renowned Ice Dance International company pops up here in the winter. Check the “Labrie Family Skate at Puddle Dock Pond” Facebook page for ice conditions, session sellout alerts and a detailed weekly schedule, including public skate sessions, lessons and adult pond hockey. Getting a spot on the pond isn’t a simple as it sounds. To comply with physical distancing guidelines, public skating is in timed sessions with admission tickets sold on a first-come, first-served basis (kind of like getting on a ride at Disneyworld). Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m., are only sold in person, and do sometimes sell out for the day. Admission is $12 (free for kids under 5), skate rentals $6, skate sharpening $7.
Photo of Puddle Dock Pond courtesy Will Zimmerman.
‘NATURAL’ ICE
West Brook Rink
West Brook Rink in Biddeford. Photo courtesy Marty Grohman.
1 Columbus Way, Biddeford
The volunteer-run rink on West Brook has lights, music and loaner skates (both hockey and figure) if you can find a matching pair in the right size. Check the “West Brook Skating Rink” Facebook page on updates on ice conditions and whether the rink is open. It’s a sunny spot, which makes for warm skating. But, if it’s not real cold out, the ice isn’t skateable. Masks are required when physical distancing isn’t possible. Donations accepted.
Frisbee on Ice
Frisbee Commons, Kittery
New this winter, Kittery Community Center has a 104-foot by 52-foot public skating rink on Frisbee Common. Skaters must wear face masks and bring their own skates. Open daily (conditions permitting) from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Check the “Kittery Community Center” Facebook page for updates.
Mackey State Park
17 Bog Road, York
Volunteers maintain two patches of ice on Town of York land: one that’s 50 feet by 60 feet and one that’s 50 feet by 75 feet. There’s a warming hut and an occasional warming fire. Lights are turned on at dusk. Ice is scraped nightly by hand and a layer of water put down for fresh ice. Whether it is skate-able in the morning all depends on the weather. Check the “Mackey State Park” Facebook page for the latest conditions. Free.
Riverside Golf Course Rinks
1158 Riverside St., Portland
A city-owned golf course turns out to the be the perfect spot for a pair of side-by-side rinks totaling 20,000 square feet of ice. The smaller of the two rinks is lit at night, and they’re both free and open to the public around the clock. No rentals available. For more info: riversidegolfcourseme.com.
Photo of Payson Park by Amy Paradysz.
Payson Park
Baxter Boulevard & I-295, Portland
It’s a flooded field of a rink, but—if you’ve got skates in the car—it’s a quick stop off the highway and the price is right. The 0.6 acre skating rink is across from the tennis courts off Catafalque Drive.
Windham Parks & Rec Skating Party at Chaffin Pond. Photo courtesy Katia Hrycay.
Chaffin Pond at Donnabeth Lippman Park
18 Chaffin Pond Road, Windham
Windham Parks & Recreation attempts to maintain a pretty large skating rink on Chaffin Pond on the end of dirt road off Route 302, behind Sherwin Williams. The designated skating area (read: no ice fishing) is “from stick to stick.”
Pineland Farms
15 Farm View Drive, New Gloucester
The free rink behind the tennis courts is open daily till 9 p.m. and maintained by hand. No rentals. No hockey sticks on the ice while figure skating is happening. Check the Pineland Farms website to be sure the rink is open (that is, frozen and cleared of snow): www.pinelandfarms.org/recreation/trail-conditions
Orland H. Blake Skating Pond
200 Main St., Yarmouth
Yarmouth Community Services maintains a skating pond—and a website that specifies whether the rink is open (www.yarmouthcommunityservices.org/orland-blake-skating-pond). Skating is free from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. if the lights are on (if they’re not on, the pond is not open). Face masks are required and social distancing is requested. Thank the Village Improvement Society for the warming hut.
Knights Pond
477 Greely Road Extension, Cumberland
Knights Pond Preserve, located less than a mile from the town centers of Cumberland and North Yarmouth, includes the shoreline of a 46-acre shallow pond—a popular place for ice skating—and a network of six trails. From Route 9 in Cumberland Center, turn west onto Greely Road Extension and the entrances will be at the end of the end. Here’s a map from the Royal River Conservation Trust: Knight’sPond_Preserve_small (rrct.org)
Brunswick Mall Rink
Maine Street, Brunswick
The Parks & Recreation Department’s skating rink on the town mall on Maine Street is right in the middle of a quaint downtown with convenient parking and park benches. Free. No rental skates. Check the Parks & Rec website to confirm this natural ice surface is open: Winter Activities | Brunswick, ME
