Ice skating is now an available activity in downtown Chillicothe. Chillicothe’s Mighty Children’s Museum & Herrnstein Kia conducted the ribbon cutting for their new ice skating rink in the city’s downtown on Wednesday.
.
Representatives from the museum, along with staff from Herrnstein Kia were on hand for the event. They were joined by a group of about fifteen local community supporters for the rink and personnel from the Chillicothe-Ross Chamber of Commerce.
Mighty Children’s Museum Director, Kelcie Pierce, says Herrnstein Kia was the lead sponsor of the endeavor, contributing $65,000 to the establishment of the rink.
.
“This was a very high-cost project, and we were really worried that this would never be able to be off the ground quickly because of the funding,” said Kelcie. “Herrnstein Kia stepped up wholeheartedly to be the full sponsor of the ice skating rink, and with their donation we were able to get it off the ground much quicker than expected. The whole Herrnstein family, and the Kia team, we are very fortunate to have them in our community.”
.
The new ice rink is located across from the Mighty Children’s Museum, at the corner of Paint and Fourth streets. It will be open from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays.
.
“We have ice skate rental for $5.00 for all ages, even for the younger kids, they can put them on over-top their shoes,” said Kelcie. “We also have skating aids to help guide you on the ice, so if you’re not an experienced skater, no problem, you can still come down to have a great evening.”
.
Kelcie said skaters are allowed to bring their own skates but added that they'd encourage the use of the rink’s rental skates due to the synthetic ice surface and as a safety precaution. There are also a few special events scheduled to take place at the rink all throughout the month of December.
.
“We have tons of great events coming up,” said Kelcie. “We have a big Polar Express evening with reindeer and Santa. We’ve also rented a train to provide train rides through the downtown. We have something every weekend. Every Sunday we have live Carolers coming to do live singing, we have Elsa and the Chillicothe Civic Theatre cast of Frozen coming for visit, and of course Santa will be here.”
.
You can find the full schedule by visiting the Mighty Children’s Museum facebook page
.
“Most events are free; however the Polar Express event is a ticketed event," said Kelcie. "So those interested in taking part are encouraged to grab tickets because they are selling out super quickly."