The Minnesota Wild and U.S. Bank have teamed up with EZ Ice to donate two outdoor ice rinks to Minnesota communities in order to help grow the game of hockey and to make hockey more accessible for everyone.
Park Rapids is one of eight finalists to receive a new rink. The other Minnesota communities in the running for the two rinks are Marshall, East Grand Forks, Duluth, Hermantown, Hallock, Golden Valley and New Prague. As of Feb. 3, Park Rapids was in fifth place with 1,648 votes. Marshall (5,636), East Grand Forks (4,667), Duluth (4,292) and Hermantown (2,212) were ahead of Park Rapids.
Following is a description by the Park Rapids Hockey Association for why Park Rapids needs a new outdoor rink.
“If we were to win this opportunity, the new rink would replace our current outdoor rink, which is in desperate need of repair or replacement. In our town of Park Rapids, there are no other outdoor rinks for the public to use, and with busy hockey and figure skating schedules, there isn’t much time available for members of the community to skate. Our building and rink are proudly owned by our hockey association (instead of the city), so the priority for fixing our outdoor rink falls short of the small budget available for building maintenance. This opportunity would breathe life back into our outdoor rink, providing entertainment and exercise for everyone in our community.”
To vote for Park Rapids, go to the Minnesota Wild website or go to the link below.
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