Ahmeek's community gathers to celebrate the reopening of the outdoor ice rink.
Many years ago Ahmeek’s residents created an outdoor ice rink. Eventually improving the space it made a full rink, with a warming shack, and equipment for kids to learn how to skate. Last year the community developed a fundraising campaign to replace the Emil Aho Memorial Ice Rink’s old boards. That previously came from the Calumet Colosseum.
And we had heard that they were dangerous and kids could get hurt, which was concerning and this is a central place for the community to come out year-round. And so we really didn’t want to lose such a great opportunity for this community and so we jumped in and said, hey, how can we help? And we were very successful in our fundraising efforts thanks to such a generous community and we were able to raise the money in about six months, which was phenomenal. – Robin Meneguzzo, Executive Director, Keweenaw Community Foundation
The fundraising campaign included donations from about 100 individual and professional donors and took about six months to raise 100,000 dollars. Rink Manager Ace Laurie has a dedicated crew who maintain the warming shack and keep the ice clean. He says he and his two volunteers, Roger Perro, and Shaun Lempia, are very happy to see the neighborhood return to the rink.
Put it this way, I grew up four houses down. We’ve painted on outdoor rings all our life. My children grew up at this ice rink. And now to see it, my grandchildren are here, it just kind of warms your heart. Because there’s some place for them to go then. I hate to say it, but playing on a phone. – Ace Laurie, Rink manager, Emil Aho Memorial Ice Rink
The board installation was completed recently, and kids like Mason Erkkila and his friends have already taken to the ice.
A lot with my friends and stuff, hockey and just to have fun with people and stuff. – Mason Erkkila, Resident
Keweenaw Community Foundation executive director Robin Meneguzzo says the fundraiser was truly a community effort.
Honestly kind of the epitome of what you would call a community effort. And it was just because people wanted to see this be available for the whole community to enjoy. This is here available to the community at no charge. And so to keep vital resources like this we have to come together. And so I would say it brings me just a lot of joy to see it but also I was so excited to see how well the community pulled together to do it in such a quick time. I mean it was amazing. – Robin Meneguzzo, Executive Director, Keweenaw Community Foundation
Some of the Ahmeek Ice Rink’s largest donors included Demarios Logging, Lori Hamlin, Pat’s Foods, Phillip Ruppe, and the James Ruppe Foundation. Donors to the board replacement project will be honored for as long as the rink remains a center for community activity, etched into plaques inside the warming shack. The Emil Aho Memorial ice rink is located on School Street, near 2nd Street in Ahmeek.
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