When the cold weather strikes, it’s always nice to see many generations of Hilltoppers enjoying the Lions Club skating rink located on West High Street. Before the Lions Club rink was created, there was another popular skating rink in the city.
This week I want to take you back to 1954. That was in the days when the St. Hilaire brothers, Armand, Paul and Bill, would transform an area which was located on Green Street adjacent to the Coca Cola bottling plant, The idea when the brothers created the small rink was to have a place where the entire family and friends could skate safety when the weather permitted.
Word of the skating rink spread like wildfire, as it so often did back then, and soon the rink was one of the most popular spots in the city any winter’s evening. As more and more Hilltoppers came to make use of the rink, the three brothers decided to build an open rink for the use of the community.
In late 1955 and before the frost set in, the brothers began work on creating the rink. A tractor was brought in to till the land along with a jeep equipped with a plow to level the land. Next a mound of dirt about 15 inches high would be built around the four sides of the rink. In late November when the temperatures dropped to freezing, a garden hose would be run from the bottling plant which would be used to place water incrementally into the rink. This process would continue until there was about a 10-inch layer of ice in the rink, and a smooth and even finish had been obtained.
Once the rink was completed and ready for use, area residents of all ages could be found skating and enjoying the rink each evening. Night skating was made possible by the city lightpole that could be found at one end of the rink. According to reports, while there were no posted hours the lot would be vacated by 10 p.m. This was when the St. Hilaire brothers would scrape the surface of the ice and apply a fresh coat of water, until a silky smooth finish was once again obtained.Get the News Alerts newsletter in your inbox.
According to reports when a snow storm occurred during working hours, the workers at the Coca Cola plant would periodically stop work, go out and clear the rink.
In 1958, the addition of music as well as an expansion of the size of the rink took place. Many a Hilltopper could be found skating the night away to the sounds of the big bands of the 1940s or the rock and roll of the 1950s.
Alas, like all good things, the days of the community rink would cease sometime between 1962 and 1964 when the St. Hilaire family announced that they would no longer be able to care for the rink due in part to it being so time-consuming.
Nowadays the job of maintaining the community rink that also doubles as a fishing pond falls to the Lions Club of Somersworth and what a wonderful job they do. To find out when the rink is open for public skating, check the Lions club Facebook page: www.facebook.com/SomersworthLions.
Another winter tradition that has been enjoyed by many Hilltopper youngsters will take place on Saturday, Feb. 12 at the Somersworth Middle School. Once it was known as Breakfast with Frosty but like so many things has been modified by the Somersworth Festival Association and will again this year be a drive-by event, thanks to COVID-19.
The kids can wave to Frosty the snowman from the safety of a car, while Frosty’s helpers will be handing out make and take bags. The fun will run between 12 and 2 p.m.
While you might not be able to enjoy breakfast with Frosty this year, St. Ignatius Parish will be holding its monthly breakfast buffet the following day, Feb. 13 from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at St Martin’s Church basement on Maple Street. The all-you-can-eat buffet costs just $9 per adult and all are welcome.
Just a quick reminder that Feb. 14 is Valentine’s Day and we have several downtown merchants that are offering some unique gifts for your loved ones. Poppy Seed Studio, Cozy Nest and of course William Poole Confectioners are always top of my list when it comes to unique gifts. If you don’t have a special someone, I promise not to tell if you buy a little something for yourself.
Congratulations are in order this week to Gravy who celebrated two years in the city this past weekend. Located in the old train station, they are well worth a visit and I wish them all the cheese curds, love and happiness as the gravy train continues to serve the Hilltopper community. Discover what they have to offer at: gravynh.com.
Another local business that deserves congratulations is Tease. This weekend they moved into their new custom salon space and can now be found at 8 Government Way next to the Post Office. Mandy and Kayla are looking forward to welcoming you to the new space and being able to expand services.
Well, that’s all I have this week. This column going forward will appear bi-weekly at Foster’s request so I’ll be back in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, please be kind to one another as you never truly know what someone else is going through.