Some communities offer a skating ribbon, while others have built recreational rinks. A few have built full–size competition rinks, but usually indoors.
The Sister Bay Ice Rink will combine the best of all of these, creating a truly unique skating venue under the stars in Sister Bay.
Northern Door has always lacked a place for kids and families to gather, play and have fun in the winter.
With the new Sister Bay Ice Rink, that changes.
The complex will include a full–size competition hockey rink with boards where competitive players can play hockey and broomball games. Meanwhile, the adjacent recreational rink will allow room for youth and open skating unencumbered by the competition rink. The rink will be one of the only ice rink facilities in the Midwest to offer two full–size hockey rink surfaces beneath the stars. Mom or Dad can compete while their children learn to skate as they watch them (or vice versa!), creating a place for true family experiences.
Toddlers can climb the snowbanks created by the freshly cleared rinks, and non–skating friends can stay warm by the fire and stay part of the scene, or play ping pong or pool inside the warming house overlooking the rink. A new multigenerational hub of winter activity for kids, teens, families and seniors.
And all of the action takes place outside, under the stars, surrounded by cedar trees and cherry orchards.
This rink is an investment in Northern Door for the people of Northern Door. Competition, recreation and community all in one venue under the open sky.
My two boys, Tucker and Callum, love to skate and love hockey. They’d love to play competitively, but we don’t have that up here, and living in Egg Harbor we have to drive 90 minutes to Green Bay if we want to find a rink and hope there’s open skate time. A rink just 20 minutes away in Sister Bay would be a gamechanger for the boys and my family in winter.
If we could know there was going to be ice every day, my boys would love it. They’d be there all the time. But it’s not just for them. I grew up skating and playing hockey in Ashwaubenon and love to skate with my boys and help other kids, and even adults, learn to skate.
Winters are tough in northern Door County, especially with kids. There aren’t a lot of places for them to hang out. When we have ice the rink helps my sanity, and it’s something we can all do together. While I play pickup or in a league with the guys, they can skate on the rec rink or hang with friends in the warming house. It’s a great place for any age.
I love this project for everything it can do for kids and families – in the time of year when we need a place the most.
Ryan Harrison lives in Egg Harbor with his wife, Regan, and sons Tucker and Callum.