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The Village of Bourbonnais is set to unveil its mobile ice rink, "The Rink," on Friday, November 29. The synthetic outdoor rink will be located at The Grove at Goselin Park, 700 Main St. NW. It will offer an "open skate" from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Thursday through Sunday, weather permitting.
Residents without skates can purchase $5 tickets for an hour on the ice, which includes skate rental. Rental hours are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Bourbonnais Mayor Paul Schore expressed enthusiasm about the rink's debut at The Grove this holiday season, stating, “We look forward to The Rink’s debut at The Grove this holiday season and welcome all to enjoy the unique outdoor amenity.”
Additionally, those attending the village’s fourth annual "Rockin’ Around the Tree Lighting" event on December 5 will have free access to The Rink during the event.
The development of The Rink was supported by a $50,000 grant from the Kankakee County Convention & Visitors Bureau (KCCVB) as part of its Community Tourism Action Plan grants awarded in April 2023. Its pilot season took place in winter 2023 before the grand opening of The Grove in summer 2024.
Marketing & Public Engagement Manager Lindy Casey explained that the new synthetic rink offers a reliable alternative to traditional ice rinks that require consistent freezing temperatures. “The past several winters we’ve not had enough consecutive below freezing temperatures to maintain our outdoor rink," she said. "The new mobile synthetic rink is a consistent solution."
In September 2022, Bourbonnais received $3 million in grant funding with assistance from State Senator Patrick Joyce and House Representative Jackie Haas through the Rebuild Illinois Downtowns & Main Streets grant program. These funds were invested in a state-of-the-art Community Campus project involving over 3,000 residents.
