Family Day fun with the Great Skate

Times Contributor   

 

Family Day is upon us and once again the Healthy Eating Active Living Coalition or HEAL Our Future is hosting the Great Skate of Strathmore. HEAL Our Future is a community development coalition which is trying to create a community environment that supports and encourages healthy eating and active living. 

The Town of Strathmore approached the HEAL to organize the 2011 Family Day event and it was a complete success. 

With a minuscule budget they created an event that was talked about for weeks. But it couldn’t have been pulled off just anywhere; much of the event was volunteer-based and items were donated by the community members of Strathmore to help make it the success it was.

HEAL has been planning the Family Day events ever since. 

“All in all, it was a fantastic event, and brought the community together as one big family on Family Day,” said Lisa Sader in an email interview.

“What could be better than family and friends being active outside on a crisp winter day?” 

As the story goes, do something three times in a row, it becomes a tradition, so the HEAL Great Skate is now an annual tradition for many people in the area.

“We take the grandkids every year. It’s always a fun time,” said Ruby Musselman. 

“Even if it’s cold out you just have to warm up by the fire and there’s always lots of hot chocolate.”

This year parents can expect some of the tried and true basics of the Great Skate: hot dogs and hot chocolate, fire pits, and free horse drawn sleigh rides. There will be music filling the air in the park, pick-up hockey games, snowman building, prizes and (of course) skating. 

“The enthusiasm was built up two years ago, and we are continuing that each year with the Great Skate,” said Robert Breitwieser, the Chair of HEAL Our Future. 

“We had around 1,500 people last year and are anticipating about the same or more this year, so long as the weather is nice.” 

The Great Skate takes place at Kinsmen Park on Monday, Feb. 18. The fun and festivities start at 12 Noon and go until 4 p.m. 

HEAL Our Future asks that if you have any gently used hockey equipment or skates of any kind that you either drop them off at the Home Hardware in Strathmore, or bring them to the Great Skate where they have a Skate Swap booth. If you need skates or hockey equipment, be sure to check the Home Hardware before Family Day or check out the Skate Swap booth at the Great Skate.

So pack up the kids, the skates and your smiles and head down to the Kinsmen Park pond for some active living and fun times.