Beat the heat with programs at Alice Noble Ice Arena
Children in the Learn to Skate summer program at Alice Noble Ice Arena in Wooster don't have to forget about the cold completely during the hotter months, thanks to a number of special events offered to school-age students during summer break.
Although the snow isn’t flying and the last thing on any Wayne Countian’s mind is playing in that icy cold stuff that seems to stick around for the better part of the year, there’s one place in Wooster where a frozen sheet of ice provides the perfect opportunity for fun and games, even when the weather outside reaches 80 F.
Since 2002 the Alice Noble Ice Arena, located at 851 Oldman Road in Wooster, has been providing indoor skating opportunities to Wooster residents and those in the surrounding area, as well as many families who come from miles and miles away, to enjoy that sound of the blades hitting the ice year round. Not only does the facility offer open skating opportunities just about every day of the week, but in the summertime, school-age children have a plethora of programs to choose from to keep them entertained while free from their studies.
Arena general manager Seth Greenberg, who has worked at the facility for 12 years, ensures the ice is in tip-top shape at the arena, as well as sets out to keep the facility running smoothly for each one of its many guests who visit each day.
“Over the summer months, we offer a variety of public programming for both kids and adults,” Greenberg said. “We have our Woo Summer Camp for kids ages 5-12, which runs through Aug. 5. Our Learn to Skate classes for toddlers through adults and all ages and abilities in between begins July 6. We offer public skating sessions six days a week throughout the summer.
"The Alice Noble Ice Arena offers something for everyone. From the beginning recreation level skater to seasoned figure skaters and hockey players, there is opportunity at the arena. When the summer temps are in the 80s through 90s, people can beat the heat and get on the ice.”
The arena came to fruition thanks to a donation from the Donald and Alice Noble Foundation to the citizens of Wooster. In addition to its summer offerings, the facility also gives an opportunity for skaters of all ages and abilities to participate in school-year activities, which include public skating, birthday parties, adult hockey leagues, an after-school program, and various sessions for hockey and figure skating. The arena also is the home rink of the Wooster Hockey Club, the Wooster High School club hockey team, the Wooster Figure Skating Club and Wooster Oilers junior team.
With the summer months tending to be a slower time for the ice arena, programs such as the Woo Summer Camp and the school break Learn to Skate program help to remind local residents the ice arena is open all year long and that it’s a great place to have fun, especially when kids start getting the summertime blues.
“Our summer camp rebounded nicely from COVID-19, and we are seeing record numbers of kids in attendance,” Greenberg said. "The public skating sessions are much smaller than they are during the fall and winter months, so people who attend will have far more room to skate around in the summer. Understandably, people want to take advantage of the summer weather and be outside. But when people need a break or a change of pace from the heat, nothing beats the ice."
Public skating is offered Monday through Thursday from noon to 1:30 p.m., Friday from noon to 1:30 p.m. and 7-8:30 p.m., and Sunday from 3:45-5:15 p.m. The cost is $9, and skate rental is $3. Children age 4 and under are admitted free.
For information on Learn to Skate, Woo Summer Camp and any of the other programs offered at Alice Noble Ice Arena, visit www.nobleice.com or call 330-345-8686.