Ice rink open at the Garfield County Fairgrounds

Youth programs are available in Rifle through Colorado Extreme Hockey

PRESS RELEASE
January 16, 2024

The new Colorado Extreme Hockey ice rink is now open at the Garfield County Fairgrounds in Rifle. The rink opened on Jan. 8, at the north end of the outdoor arena, and operations are underway.

“They have made ice and are skating in Rifle,” said Garfield County Deputy Manager Bentley Henderson to the Board of County Commissioners. “I saw a photo of a whole bunch of kids skating around and that program is moving forward. It’s very exciting.”

Garfield County Fairgrounds and Events Manager Chris Floyd noted that the outdoor arena isn’t utilized in winter, providing Colorado Extreme an ideal location to operate the rink. The organization contracted with the county for use of the space and Colorado Extreme covers the county’s costs for operations, in terms of utility usage and staff assistance. Precautions have been taken to protect the integrity of the arena’s dirt footing.

“Colorado Extreme Hockey provides a benefit to the community,” Floyd said. “Nobody uses the outdoor arena this time of year, so it presented an opportunity for an outside organization to make innovative use of the space.”

According to the Colorado Extreme website, the facility is available seven days a week, from 4 to 8:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 9 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 8:30 p.m. on weekends.

Contact Maybelline Beiring, manager of hockey operations, at 906-369-1705, or go online to coloradoextreme.org/ for more information.

“It’s a very flexible program, in terms of times you can skate, and the kids are loving it,” added Commissioner Mike Samson.