NORTHERN DOOR’S CHANGING
Sister Bay and the surrounding communities have done an amazing job over the last 15 years in attracting new residents and young families. The village population grew 31% from 2010 – 2020, including a stunning growth in youth and families.
The number of children in the village under the age of 5 grew from 22 to 106 in that time period, a whopping increase of nearly 380%. The percent of the population under the age of 18 grew from 10% to nearly 18% from 2010 – 2020, adding 111 children under 18 to the village.
Yet over that time northern Door has seen a decrease in winter activity offerings.
Be a Part of Something Transformative
By joining the effort to make the Sister Bay Community Ice Rink vision a reality, you have a unique opportunity to be a part of something truly transformative for our community.
- Makes the hardest time of year to live here much better
- Changes winter for local kids and teens
- Brings generations together
- Provides healthy outdoor recreation for all ages
- Makes the area more attractive to young families and workers
I can barely skate, but I love this rink and what it can be for this community. I grew up here and I know how few spaces there are for kids of any age to hang out, play and meet their friends. It’s been a gap in our community my entire life and now that I have my own kids, I can’t keep waiting for someone else to fix it. Few things feel better than those few days when there’s good ice at the rink and hundreds of people from my community gather on a winter night. You see grandparents with grandkids, moms and daughters, buddies from work and folks from all over the peninsula. Many skate, some play hockey or broomball, but a lot of them just come to be outside and around their friends, warming up by the fire or watching a broomball game. There are very few activities that create a scene like that.
Those nights are like walking into a Norman Rockwell painting, and when we build this rink, we can have that possibility every night of the winter. It’s not about hockey, or broomball or filling rooms – it’s about community, and bringing ours together.
Myles Dannhausen Jr. is the President of the Friends of the Sister Bay Ice Rink. He lives across the orchard in Liberty Grove with his wife Anne and children Connor, Grady and Maren.