Spring may be just around the corner.
But Franklin parks officials and local tourism advocates are already thinking about slipping and sliding when the cold weather returns at the end of the year.
Plans are in place to bring a temporary ice skating rink to downtown in November and December, thanks to the parks department with help from Festival Country Indiana, the county’s tourism organization. Local residents will be able to rent skates or bring their own for open skating, while food trucks, performers and other entertainment make weekends in downtown a destination.
“It brings a whole new thing for people to do. Downtown Franklin is fun and festive during the holidays, and this is one more thing to bring people to town — local people and others in our surrounding communities,” said Holly Johnston, Franklin Parks and Recreation community events and program director. “It’ll be fun, and it’ll be affordable.”
The Franklin Board of Public Works and Safety approved an agreement Monday between the city and Anytime Ice Skating to provide the rink, equipment, skate rental and other services. With plans cleared to move forward, officials hope to add yet another reason to visit Franklin during cold weather months.
“Winter is our slowest tourism season, and it is a time when there isn’t as much for residents to do, so we have made it a top priority to work toward adding an attraction and events to the winter season,” said Kenneth Kosky, executive director of Festival Country Indiana. “Our goal is to provide fun for residents and to increase tourism.”
Franklin park officials have tossed around the idea for a temporary ice skating rink to operate in conjunction with the annual holiday lighting for nearly a decade. But the prohibitive cost never fit into the department’s budget, Johnston said.
The situation changed in 2021, when Festival County Indiana announced plans to offer a grant for a local city or town that’s willing to host a temporary ice skating rink.
The $50,000 grant will cover the cost to rent a 2,000-square-foot synthetic ice skating rink, a supply of rental skates, and for Anytime Ice Skating to provide a team of four people to staff the rink during the days it will be open. Franklin Parks and Recreation will provide most of the staff, though.
“Paying for staffing as part of the grant will help alleviate the burden on the staff of Franklin Parks and Recreation and will show the park staff how a skating rink is traditionally operated,” Kosky said.
Anytime Ice Skating is an Indiana-based business located in Greencastle that specializes in temporary synthetic ice rinks. Rather than using traditional ice, Anytime makes the rinks out of a high-tech plastic that mimics the feel and slickness of ice. The material is eco-friendly and made from a non-toxic, recyclable acrylic material.
Because it is synthetic, the rink can be used regardless of weather, Johnston said.
“We don’t have to worry about if it’s 70 degrees in November one day, so we can skate on it any day,” she said.
Anytime Ice Skating offers special skates for the surface, but people can use their own skates if they have them, Johnston said.
The rink will open at Youngs Creek Park on Thursdays through Sundays Nov. 16 to Dec. 9. For $5, people can take part in open skating on evenings Thursdays and Fridays, then during the days and evenings on Saturdays and Sundays.
During off times, the parks department plans to offer use of the rink to schools for field trips, Johnston said.
“We’re going to leave Monday through Wednesday, and during the day Thursday and Friday, in case schools want to bring a field trip or something like that for kids to get to do here in town,” she said.
With this initial venture, Festival Country has an opportunity to see how an ice rink is received, how much revenue it generates, and how it drives traffic to downtown Franklin businesses.
If successful, the organization is interested in helping to fund a permanent real ice rink, most likely Greenwood, Franklin, or perhaps both, Kosky said.
”Other communities have had the most success with a covered, but open-air rink that can be used for skating in the winter and other activities in other months,” he said. “Communities that locate their rinks downtown see the greatest economic benefit to surrounding businesses.”
AT A GLANCE
Franklin temporary ice rink
What: Anytime Ice Skating will supply a 2,000-square-foot synthetic ice skating rink with rental skates.
When: Thursdays through Sundays Nov. 16 to Dec. 9
Where: Youngs Creek Park, 161 W. Monroe St.
Cost: Total rental costs would be $51,575, entry fees will be $5
