Minneapolis' beloved Lake of the Isles ice rink may not reopen for 2025-26 season
MINNEAPOLIS — Officials with Minneapolis Parks and Recreation said the rink at Lake of the Isles may close for the unforeseeable future, beginning next winter.
On a frigid February afternoon, with temps barely above zero, Janet Hallaway laces up her skates and hits the ice, for what she hopes isn't one of the last times, at Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis.
"It's such a great activity in such a beautiful spot," said Hallaway, from Minneapolis. "I would say this is the best rink in the entire city. It's beautiful, there's no setting like it."
Hallaway is so passionate about keeping the lake's rink open that she started a petition. In just a few days, it has garnered more than 600 others to also sign on in support.
"It also speaks to how much people really treasure this very special place," Hallaway said. "They have memories that go back generations."
The frozen lake has meant countless life-long memories for people like Mary Trogen.
"When I was real young and we were watching the Olympics on TV, I dreamed and hoped that I would be in the Olympics someday so I came here to practice," Trogen said.
Lake of the Isles may be one of five rinks set to be closed next winter. Two of those rinks — Powderhorn and Webber Park — have already closed this year. That's thanks to climate change and a $1.5 million dollar budget gap, Minneapolis Parks and Recreation officials say.
Rinks built on bodies of water, like Lake of the Isles, are more difficult to maintain, and moving the warming house to and from the lake each year is costly, officials say.
Hallaway would argue Lake of the Isles is too costly to lose.
"To say that it's expensive to operate this ignores the value that it brings to the community and to the city as a whole," Hallaway said.
Once the rink season is over, officials said staff will begin engaging with the community to get input on rink closures. The decision will be made before the 2025-26 rink season.
