Dust off your ice skates or add a pair to your Christmas list because Talleyrand Park is getting an ice rink this winter. In a true showing of community partnership, a group of local businesses are purchasing the rink and donating it to Bellefonte Borough. While the borough will handle set-up, tear-down and storage, a local landscape company is donating services for snow removal, landscaping and clean up to restore the space for spring.
“The business owners involved in this project share a vision for bringing something new and special to our community and are making generous investments to make it a reality,” said Mark Dello Stritto of Bellefonte.com who secured the business support and pitched the concept to borough council. “From the start, this group of businesses has been fully on-board and enthusiastic about adding a little extra charm to Downtown Bellefonte during the winter.”
According to Mark, there are two main goals for the rink: first, to offer the community a fun-for-all-ages, family-friendly, outdoor activity during the winter months in beautiful local space; and second, to give people a reason to enjoy Downtown Bellefonte and visit its local businesses. The rink will not offer concessions since nearby businesses offer food and drinks.
“Talleyrand is the jewel of our beautiful and walkable downtown and we believe the community will love experiencing it during the winter,” Mark said. “We hope the rink will become part of what makes Bellefonte such a unique and wonderful small town.”
Mark added that the non-refrigerated 40-by-80-foot temporary rink will rely on freezing temperatures, so the community can help by praying for a nice cold winter.
