With the cold, actually frigid temperatures lately it’s been perfect conditions for the outdoor rinks at the Castleton Sports Club in Cramahe Township.
On Saturday, February 1, 2025 both outdoor rinks were in use and volunteers had just painted the rings for crokincurl.
The rinks are located on the 15-acre parcel of land owned by the Castleton Sports Club which is next to Northumberland Hills Public School.
Crokincurl is the only one in Northumberland County and is essentially a hybrid of curling and crokinole.
The area of the Sports Club is a hidden gem in Cramahe Township with something to do for everyone who enjoys the outdoors.
There are even walking trails and tobogganing hills.
There are a host of people that volunteer their time for the enjoyment of others in the community.
Some drive for kilometres each day to make sure everything is set for anyone who enjoys the rink including youths who come out right after school.
Jeff Turney has been volunteering for 20-years and said there is a lot of work, but it’s worth it to see the people enjoying the ice.
This year, like any winter there have been fluctuating temperatures which creates havoc, but with the steady temperatures below freezing there is a nice surface of ice for skating.
This year, with the help of Cramahe Fire Department, they’ve used approximately 225,000 gallons on the ice surfaces.
At -15 Celsius on Saturday, volunteers were flooding the ice surfaces.
It was a cold evening, but The Percy Bulldogs U14 team held a outdoor practice under the lights at the facility.
Turney said because of the cold weather they haven’t had ice this good in approximately three years.
“Last year we only had three days of skating.”
With places like Cobourg which has a refrigeration system for their rink it makes a world of difference.
‘Out here, we’re running purely with Mother Nature.”
Creating the rinks starting two decades ago, the volunteers used a garden hose and over the years through donations and personal contributions they’ve managed to speed the process up with better equipment.
Along with Turney, the core group of volunteers include Stacy King, Bruce Bond, Tom Odell, and Bill Rutherford.
“I think for all of us, we would rather put in this type of ice surface for the community and all the kids,” rather than having a backyard rink for just a few.
“All this effort goes to the community, the families, adults, kids – all hours of the night.”
Turney said it’s a very special feeling turning into the facility and seeing so much outdoor activity taking place with families.
“It’s a good feeling. This is as Canadian as it gets.”
The ice makers have rescheduled the Annual Pond Hockey tournament to Sat. Feb. 15. Additional information will be available this week.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
