Great Skate #34: Love Crescent Parkette

On Saturday, March 7, I enjoyed a solitary skate at a natural ice rink in Love Crescent parkette.*

That was probably my last Great Skate of the season. Since then, the weather has shifted from wintery to spring-like. The sun is warm, the air is soft and you can hear water dripping everywhere. There may be a few die-hard skaters and shinny players out there, but I think most of us are ready to switch to cycling, ball hockey and other warm-weather activities.

The Love Crescent rink was first built in 2013 by a group of community-minded skating enthusiasts. The street is tucked away in a neighbourhood just north of Kingston Road in east Toronto. It's not a place you pass through on your way somewhere else; you have to know where you're going to find it.

The rink builders were clever. They designed the rink in the shape of an oblong donut. In the centre is a space for shinny players. Around the centre, separated by a wide snowbank, is a track for pleasure skating. There are picnic tables and benches nearby, and lights strung in the trees. I was there during the daytime, but I could imagine how inviting it would look on a cold winter night.

A group of keen shinny players were at the rink, as well as some parents with very young skaters. I stayed for about half an hour. I had things on my mind, and I find skating is a great activity when you need to mull things over. (Did I come up with any brilliant solutions or encounter any flashes of inspiration? Unfortunately, no.)

The natural-ice rink at Love Crescent Parkette














* What is the difference between a parkette and a park? I have no idea.

Other Natural Ice Skating Rinks

Glen Stewart Park Rink in Toronto (Great Skate #31)

Orchard Park in Toronto (Great Skate #17)

Murray Street Park in Orillia (Great Skate #9)

First Baptist Church in Orillia (Great Skate #10)

Couchiching Beach Park in Orillia (Great Skate #24)

Washago Rink, Simcoe County (Great Skate #25)

Arrowhead Provincial Park near Huntsville (Great Skate #30)

Rideau Canal Skateway, Ottawa (Great Skate #45)


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