Fire and Ice Winter Celebration at Crandall Park Pond To Resume After COVID Hiatus
(January 27, 2022, Glens Falls, NY) The Fire & Ice Winter Celebration at the Crandall Park ice skating pond will resume this February after a one year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Glens Falls Tourism and Recreation Director Amy Collins announced on Thursday. Area residents are invited to bring family and meet friends at this high energy fun community event.
The Fire & Ice Celebration will run from 6pm to 9pm every Friday in February. The ice will be specially lighted for ice skating, with six bonfires tended by volunteers situated around the pond for celebrants to warm themselves between skating and other events. Music will be provided by area DJ Peter Wilhelm for skating to the music and dancing. Wilhelm will also host the event. Hot chocolate will be served. In order to promote sustainability, participants are asked to bring their own mugs, as well as their own ice skates and chairs.
The event was started in 2020 by Third Ward Councilmember Diana Palmer, who saw an opportunity to get people into Crandall Park and meet friends and neighbors. Palmer donated twenty-two gallons of hot chocolate for the first year’s event, which was attended by over 200 people.
Palmer said of this year’s celebration, “We had an overwhelmingly positive response to our 1st annual Fire and Ice, and we’re so happy to be able to bring the event back and expand it throughout February. In Glens Falls we are fortunate to have beautiful outdoor venues like Crandall Pond, and we can’t wait to see our community out on the ice again! “
Councilwoman Palmer and Director Collins want to thank volunteers for staffing the celebration and the City’s DPW for setting up for this year’s event. City crews finished grooming and clearing the ice for the pond’s opening on January 20tth.
The Fire & Ice Celebration is free. Limited parking is available in the park- volunteers will be directing cars- and on Glen Street. The City is asking that small children be accompanied by adults and that all skaters practice reasonable COVID-19 social distancing and masking.