LIKE A FROZEN RIVER OF DREAMS. Boyd Park’s new ice loop will be the site for a weekly, nighttime winter event.

As we’ve said in recent issues, the Chippewa Valley’s got a lot going for it in winter. All the raw material is there: fantastic ice rinks in parks, internationally renowned snow sculptors, a Swedish lawn game booming in popularity, phenomenal snowshoeing trails, and so much more. So maybe it was just a matter of connecting the dots, something Volume One and several local partners are hoping to do with a new weekly winter event.

Winter After Hours is a social get-together that offers ice skating, kubb, snowshoeing, snow sculpting, hot beverages, a fire pit, and wintry music under the pristine and festively lit Boyd Park.

Eau Claire’s Parks and Rec already decided to do something different with the Boyd Rink this year, turning the typical frozen circle into a meandering ice path with a snow island in the middle. This inspired V1 to get the (snow)ball rolling, and to partner with the department for the purpose of encouraging people to get outside and enjoy winter.

“We’re excited because by changing the rink in Boyd Park we wanted to drum up some interest in skating. It’s an activity that has been in decline over the past 20 years,” said Phil Fieber, director of the city’s parks, recreation, and forestry department.

At their peaks, the cities of Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, and Menomonie prepared nearly 30 outdoor ice skating rinks for their residents. Last year that number was down to a mere dozen (nine of them in Eau Claire), and this year a mere nine (four in Eau Claire).

“So what Volume One is adding to the park is awesome,” Fieber continued. “It’s great, and we’re excited. … It gives people a place to get outside and enjoy winter, because it’s not going away.”

With city budgets continuing to experience strain, Winter After Hours is the perfect time to get outside and prove to the city that its residents still care about the winter community. With only four rinks left in town, who knows how many will be around in five years?

    If you don’t have skates, no worries. There are some you can rent.

Can’t handle the cold for very long? No biggie. There’s a fire pit, warming house, and hot beverages.

Can’t skate, or don’t particularly want to? That’s cool. This multi-faceted weekly event is guaranteed to have something for you. Give snowshoeing a try, with shoes for rent and a beautiful torch-lit path to try it on. Kubb, the outdoor game that originated on Sweden’s snowy turf, will occur on the snow island. Sit back and take in the festive lights and music, while award-winning local snow-sculptors create mind-boggling works of art.

And there’s no stopping you from making snowmen or igloos, starting a snowball fight, screwing around in the playground or basketball court, or tossing around a football or Frisbee. The park has tons of room, and the event encourages any and all of it.

Winter After Hours is an event presented by Volume One and Eau Claire Parks and Rec, with on-site partners Infinitea Teahouse, Beaver Creek Reserve, and Wisconsin Kubb, and sponsors Metropolis Resort, Hillside Dental, Play It Again Sports, Quality Management Services, and That’s Adorable.

SNOWY FEATURES:

• • Ice skating around Boyd Park’s new curvy ice loop (w/ on-site skate rentals)

  • A torch-lit snowshoeing path (w/ on-site snowshoe rentals)
 
  • Snow sculptures by local, award-winning snow carvers
 
  • Hot wintertime beverages (tea, coffee, hot chocolate)
  • Kubb, the Swedish lawn game
  • Wintry music
& festive lights
  • A large, blazing fire pit

  • Warming house & bathrooms

    Winter After Hours • Thursdays from Jan. 14 to Feb. 25 • Eau Claire’s Boyd Park, on Main Street • 6-8pm • FREE • all ages • www.VolumeOne.org/winter