11/21-ongoing: Outdoor Skating Rinks

When I was a kid, my favorite Christmas cards were those that showed a frozen pond teeming with skaters — the little girls sporting hand muffs and matching fur hats implied a romantic era far from the rutted patches at our local city park where the hockey boys tried to knock down the girls practicing their spins. Not too many girls own muffs these days, but the popularity of outdoor winter skating is on the rise. University Circle Inc. is bringing back its all-weather polymer skating rink to Wade Oval for the second year, starting today. It’ll be open from noon-7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and noon-5 p.m. Sundays through March 21, with longer hours over the holidays. It’s free; skate rental is $3, and hot beverages are available onsite. Go to universitycircle.org or call 216.707.5033 for info. Also today, Akron’s downtown Lock 3 Live (200 S. Main St.) reopens its popular rink, Ohio’s largest — 10,000 square feet — outdoor ice rink. It’ll be attended Thursdays through Sundays, through January 31, although skaters may use it during daylight hours any day at their own risk. It’s free; skate rental is $2. — Anastasia Pantsios