The Red Wings and Labatt Blue teamed up to help renovate Detroit’s Clark Park today, as noted by DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji:
Many people aren’t aware of it, but there has been outdoor ice skating in the city of Detroit since the late 1800s. Clark Park is not just one of those places, it’s the last one standing.
“It’s always been known for their ice skating programs here. We have photographs of people skating in 1890,” said Anthony Benavides, the director of the Clark Park Coalition. “The ice rink’s been here, this is the third ice rink that’s been put up in this place. They keep putting new ones up but I remember coming here as a child and ice skating here and that was the ’60s. This is where I learned to skate. Learned on Detroit ice rinks.
“Detroit, at one point, had probably about 10 outdoor ice rinks. We’re the last surviving one. So that’s why it’s so special to keep this one alive and keep investing in it with people hours and funds. It’s a very expensive piece of equipment to maintain and keep going. But we love it.”
That is where the Detroit Red Wings and their partner, Labatt Blue, along with Fabiano Brothers Inc., have stepped in to lend a hand with a $15,000 investment and dozens of volunteers.
As part of the Hockeytown Cares platform, volunteers from all three of those companies and from the Detroit Tigers, spent most of the day Friday at Clark Park.
“Days like this are what Hockeytown Cares is all about, bringing together the Detroit Red Wings with our great partners like Labatt to impact our community in such a way that will truly live on throughout the entire hockey season for the kids and the families who play hockey here at Clark Park,” said Kevin Brown, director of community relations and Detroit Red Wings Foundation.
Update: Fox 2 Detroit posted a video from today’s event:
