Ice rinks taking shape in Naperville

You don’t need a calendar to know winter is almost here when ice-skating and hockey rinks start popping up in parks around the area.

Naperville is no exception. On Tuesday, park district crews started the two- to three-day process of setting up rinks at Centennial Park.

Once the work is done, there will be two walled hockey rinks and one open free-skate rink at the 22-acre park at 500 W. Jackson Ave.

Naperville’s skating season runs from Dec. 15 to Feb. 15, weather permitting.

That last part is key, of course, because Naperville’s rinks depend on Mother Nature and not artificial support to remain frozen. Officials say the district needs constant temperatures of 15 degrees or colder for a minimum of 72 hours to make ice.

In addition to the lighted Centennial Park rinks, Naperville Park District will offer other lighted rinks that also remain open until 10 p.m., weather permitting, at Commissioners Park, 3704 111th St. and the Nike Sports Complex, 288 W. Diehl Road.

The district also has rinks that will close at dusk once the skating season begins at Meadow Glens, 1303 Muirhead Ave., and Gartner Park, 524 W. Gartner Road. The Meadow Glens rink is new this year.