Chicago’s lacking its freezing cold temperatures and mounds of snow on the ground, so it might not feel like winter.
But there is one sign winter’s sneaking up on us (besides all the stores decorating for Christmas, of course): The opening of ice skating rinks.
The McCormick Tribune Ice Rink at Millennium Park opens Friday with a ceremony at 11 a.m. with expected guest (drumroll, please) Blackhawks mascot Tommy Hawk. The public can access the ice at 11:35 a.m., said a spokeswoman for the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
Friday’s forecast calls for windy conditions through most of day with gusts up to 40 mph. Temperatures are predicted to be in the lower 40s during the day and in the upper 20s at night, said National Weather Service meteorologist Stephen Rodriguez.
The ice rink on Michigan Avenue will stay open through March 6, depending on the weather. Admission is free but skate rentals cost $12. You’ll find the same pricing structure at Maggie Daley Park, which opened for the first time last December.
The ice rink at Millennium Park gets more than 100,000 skaters annually while Maggie Daley Park ice ribbon saw nearly 70,000 during its inaugural season.
A Chicago Park District website and a newsletter emailed last week said the Maggie Daley Park ice skating ribbon was supposed to open for the season this Saturday, weather permitting, while the rest of the park district’s outdoor rinks open Nov. 27 through Feb. 28.
The forecast for Saturday is sunny with highs in the lower 50s and lows around 40 degrees, Rodriguez said.
However it’s unclear if the ice ribbon will open as planned since it appears the park district only began making the ice on Thursday.
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