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Fruitvale outdoor rink a popular spot

The Village of Fruitvale is excited to see skaters and hockey players using the outdoor rink at the Fruitvale Elementary School.

The Village of Fruitvale is excited to see skaters and hockey players using the outdoor rink at the Fruitvale Elementary School.

With some help from Mother Nature, and a lot of time shoveling and flooding by two local volunteers, Lawrence Brown and Rick Johnston, the outdoor rink has been widely used since the beginning of December.  In fact, it was so busy over the holidays that kids were waiting for their chance to get on the ice.

In 2010, the Village of Fruitvale received a School Community Connections Round 2 grant for $25,000 to refurbish the old tennis courts at the Fruitvale Elementary School.

A multi-purpose sport court was installed in 2011 and the village is very happy to see it being used again this winter.

The first winter for the rink, 2011/2012, also went quite well, with the weather on our side and the Fruitvale Volunteer Fire Department helping out.

Unfortunately last year, the village had poor luck weather-wise and was unable to get volunteers to help.  That’s what makes the success so far this year even more appreciated.

Thanks goes out to all the volunteers who helped install the new surface back in 2011, School District #20 for supporting the funding application,as well as several provincial bodies and the Beaver Valley Youth Council for its donation towards the outdoor rink earlier this year.