By

Terry Fleurie


January 9, 2024

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Golden Lake – The Golden Lake Property Owners’ Association (GLPOA) plans to open their public skating rinks and skating loop with a very special event next Tuesday, January 16th.

“There’s a very popular home renovation show that is going to be coming and doing a shoot there Tuesday from 9 to 11 a.m.,” explained Theresa Rasp, who co-chairs the GLPOA recreation committee with Nathalie Corbin. “And we’re inviting the community to come out if they can.

“We’re going to have everything set to go and hope the ice conditions and weather are good,” she added. “Hopefully, we’ll get a good turnout and maybe get the chance to be on TV. It will be a fun little thing to promote the loop and the lake as well.”

She said the show reached out to the association knowing they were coming to the area, and the GLPOA was obviously thrilled at the opportunity.

“This will be part of the activity part of the show,” she explained. “And there’s an extremely well-known Canadian who heads it up.”

She said they have invited the portable BeaverTails trailer to be part of the event and were awaiting a response. She also noted there are porta-potties available on site.   

Ms. Rasp said this is the second year the GLPOA will be operating the rinks located at Island View Park in North Algona Wilberforce Township.

“It’s basically a huge rink and a games area, and a separate hockey rink and we have plowed a loop that we are hoping to keep open this year,” she explained.

She said they were unable to keep the loop open last year with the changing weather and slush. The loop stretches over one kilometre from the park down the lake to near the Don Bishop property and then returns back to the park.

“However, we have the whole skating area there with the bonfire pit and we’ll have music on the weekends,” she said. “We have lighting as well, so it’s really nice.”

The loop was launched in 2023 thanks to a tourism grant the association was successful in obtaining.

“It allowed us to buy the picnic tables, the bonfire pit, and all of the infrastructure that we can now use each year,” Ms. Rasp noted. “And then we just depend on volunteers to come out and shovel all the snow and keep the place neat.”

The association is always looking for more volunteers and anyone interested can contact them through Facebook or their website.

Ms. Rasp said they just started to prepare the loop on the weekend, noting last year they were a month later in getting it operational as the grant had not been confirmed and the weather was not cooperating.

“There was early ice and lots of snow, so it took a while to get it going. This year, the ice is actually very good in the bay where the rinks are.

“It’s very shallow and in many cases it’s ice and then dirt. There’s no water underneath,” she added. “There is a good six inches now at least and we were able to go out and plow it.”

Hopefully after Wednesday, which is scheduled to be quite warm with rain and snow, they can get the snow off and it will freeze up for them, she said.

“So, it should actually be nice conditions. The forecast going forward is for cold, so we should be in good shape.”

The loop is free of charge and people can use it anytime up to 9 p.m. It is not officially open yet, but the GLPOA will keep the public posted on the Facebook page and website.

“We’ve got rules and best practices as far as being safe posted,” she said.

Ms. Rasp said the GLPOA will have events on Family Day weekend and leading up to the actual day on February 19.

“Last year, that’s when we actually kicked off and we had hot dogs and marshmallows. There were games going and music.”

She said the loop is very self-sufficient, explaining there is wood available to make a bonfire and picnic tables so families can do their own thing.

“We want people to come out and have some family fun in the winter,” she noted.

Ms. Rasp expressed her gratitude to NAW Township for their assistance with the insurance as well as providing a grant to the GLPOA.