By Kerry J Newstead
FISHERVILLE—What a difference one week makes!
While the Fisherville Lions had planned a free skate at their outdoor rink for January 18, 2025, the warm weather at the time meant the ice wasn’t ready for the family fun as the rink found itself under an inch of water. With a cold spell helping to freeze up the rink in the following days, the event was rescheduled to January 25, 2025.
“The outdoor rink, or the multi-purpose surface as Haldimand County calls it, was built in 2015,” explained Lion Walt Schaeffer, Chair. “Since then, we realized that when the sun shines no matter how cold it is our ice would keep melting, so we wanted some kind of a shade.”
FISHERVILLE—Jaiden Flemming of Fisherville, 5, skated circles around many others. 
FISHERVILLE—David Butson and Kayla Harrop with their 2-year-old daughter Oaklynn getting ready for Oaklynn’s first skate. 
FISHERVILLE—MPP Bobbi Ann Brady and Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley with local celebrity and volunteer Lion Floyd Moerschelder. 
FISHERVILLE—Dave Hunsinger of Fisherville stealing a bite of his daughter’s hot dog. —Haldimand Press photos by Kerry J Newstead.
With the goal of keeping the ice cold, a roof and lean-to on the side were added. Schaeffer continued, “We decided while we were doing that, why not do so some green energy? So we installed some solar panels. Our hope is that those solar panels offset the cost of the electricity in our community centre.”
The solar panels were to be turned on Tuesday, January 28.
The free skate offered residents a chance to get on the ice and to check out those newest additions at the rink. The day saw both young and old come out, including some first-time skaters like 2-year-old Oaklynn Butson from Fisherville and speed demons like 5-year-old Jaiden Flemming, also from Fisherville. Some of the local politicians also came out for a whirl around the rink, including Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley and MPP Bobbi Ann Brady, while local celebrity and volunteer extraordinaire Lion Floyd Moerschfelder was among those cheering the skaters along.
Anyone that needed to warm up was welcomed into the community centre for a hot dog and hot refreshment.
Throughout the two hours that the rink was open, there was a continuous flow of people lacing up their skates, with plenty of frozen smiles as they left.
