November brought summer-like weather and the thought of outdoor winter activities was far from anyone’s to-do list. But, like always, there is no avoiding winter, and when it does finally come, that means the community’s local rink opens. This year we haven’t changed much of the schedule from last year’s, but there are a couple of changes.

The first change is that we aren’t opening early on Thursdays. We did this because the Catholic schools got out at noon every Thursday, but the number of kids who showed up to skate on that day wasn’t high, so we decided to open at the same time as we do for the rest of the week.

The other change involves the weekends. We are going to open at 2 p.m. and close at 8 p.m. All we did was move up an hour when opening and closing from last year.

The City of Edmonton will be running a free, drop-in, learn-to-skate program for all ages. This program will be starting on January 18 and will run for six weeks.

There will be three major events at the rink, starting with the 8th Annual McCauley Cup. This is where the downtown beat police invite the community out to play a fun game of shinny hockey. This year’s event will take place on Tuesday, December 27 at 1 p.m. Everyone is invited to come out and play, or stop by and say hello and cheer on the players. Free hotdogs, marshmallows, and hot chocolate will be served.

The second event is the third annual New Year’s Eve Skating Party on December 31 from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. Come out and enjoy a bonfire and spend New Year’s Eve skating. Free hotdogs, marshmallows, and hot chocolate will be available.

The final event is the Family Day Skating Party which will be held on Monday, February 20 from 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. There will be free hayrides, hotdogs, and other goodies. This is a fun-filled day and everyone is invited to spend this special holiday with our community.

There are always free skates, helmets, and sticks for anyone who needs to borrow any of these. We would like to thank Sports Central for supplying us with these much-needed items.

All programming and events are in partnership with the KIDS organization, McCauley Community League, and the City of Edmonton. The Community League would also like to thank the Edmonton Police Service for all their work in organizing the McCauley Cup.

For further information on times for skating, please check the McCauley website at www.mccauleycl.com, or the McCauley Community League’s Facebook page. If you have a comment or suggestion please feel free to send an email to mccauleycommunityleague2014@gmail.com.

Rink Hours for 2016/2017

Weekday Hours
Rink Opens Monday-Friday at 4 p.m. and closes at 8:30 p.m.

Mondays: 4-6 p.m. Open Ice
6-7:30 p.m. Family & Public Skate
7:30-8:30 p.m. Open Ice Shinny Hockey

Tuesdays: 4-6 p.m. Open Ice
6-7:30 p.m. Family & Public Skate
7:30-8:30 p.m. Open Ice Shinny Hockey

Wednesdays: 4-6 p.m. Open Ice
6-7:30 p.m. Family & Public Skate
7:30-8:30 p.m. Open Ice Shinny Hockey

Thursdays: 4-6 p.m. Open Ice
6-7:30 p.m. Family & Public Skate
7:30-8:30 p.m. Open Ice Shinny Hockey

Fridays: 4-6 p.m. Open Ice
6-7:30 p.m. Family & Public Skate
7:30-8:30 p.m. Open Ice Shinny Hockey

Weekend Hours
Rink opens at 2 p.m. and closes at 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Saturdays: 2-6 p.m. Family & Public Skate
6-8 p.m. Adult Shinny Hockey

Sundays: 2-6 p.m. Family & Public Skate
6-8 p.m. Adult Shinny Hockey

The City of Edmonton will be running a free, drop-in, learn-to-skate program for all ages. This program will be starting on January 18 and will run for six weeks.

The rink will close if the temperature drops below -20 Celcius with the windchill or if there is a snowstorm

Special events for 2015/16 season:

McCauley Cup Downtown Beat Cops hockey game: December 27, 1 p.m.

Third annual MCL New Year’s Eve family skating party will be on December 31 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Family Day Skating Party will be on Monday, February 20, 12-5 p.m.

The rink will not be opening on the following holidays: Christmas (December 24, & 25), and January 1.