Credit: Submitted Photo
Credit: Submitted Photo
The arena, located in the Kettering Recreation Complex on Glengarry Drive, offers open skates for all ages, adult skates, stick time, freestyle skates, lessons and much more.
Next month, the arena will be home to a full-service pro shop where people can buy figure skates, hockey skates, equipment, gloves and much more.
“There’s nowhere else around here where you can buy skates and get fitted properly,” Habart said. “You would have to drive to Cincinnati or Columbus to get fitted. Now this can be their one-stop shop.”
Habart said he wanted to bring a pro shop to the arena ever since he became the manager in 2019. For 18 years he worked at the Ohio State University Ice Rink and ran a pro shop. He recalls people from the Dayton area coming to Columbus to get fitted and wanted to bring that here.
The ice arena opened in late August after crews spent two weeks building the ice up. Habart said the process involved crews getting the floor cold enough to be able to freeze several layers of water on top. After the ice is thick enough to support the weight of the Zamboni, the arena is ready to open its doors.
Habart said the arena is typically open through the first week of May. Daily admission is $4 for residents and $8 for non-residents. Skate rental is $3.
The arena also offers season passes that Habart said typically ends up paying for itself pretty quickly.
As the arena season is in full swing, Habart said he is looking forward to bringing more people to the arena this season.
“Everybody has to start somewhere at skating, so just getting them in the building to experience one of our open skates or even if it’s just signing up for lessons, just to get someone actively involved in this sport,” Habart said.
The arena will feature a Halloween-themed skate on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 1:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Habart said people can dress up and skate while listening to spooky music. They will have candy and other fun activities for children and families.
For more information on the Kettering Ice Arena, visit www.playkettering.org/ice-skating-facilities/.
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