The Fiddlesticks Community Centre is hoping cold weather is around the corner as it prepares to build its outdoor skating rink at Can Amera Park.
Aside from favourable temperatures, it's also in need of volunteers.
"We're looking for volunteers who don't mind the cold," Kim Fowler, executive director of Fiddlesticks, said.
"We ask for a commitment of once a week. There's always two people out on the rink when they're flooding."
Interested residents are required to fill out an application form, sit in on a Zoom meeting with the volunteer coordinator and perform a background check. No previous experience is required as thorough training is provided.
Getting the rink up and operational has been a challenge over recent seasons. Not because of a lack of manpower, but due to rising and falling temperatures that make the process more difficult.
Last year, it was up for one week.
In the 15 years Fowler has assisted with it, she's seen an array of conditions.
"I was just advised they are reconsidering if this is something that will go forward," Fowler said about the future of the rink given the struggle of making ice.
"It fluctuates. There was a winter where we had it up before Christmas and went until March Break. It really has been a roller coaster."
As an organization that centres itself around community development, Fowler believes the rink is critical in helping achieve that goal.
More than just a place to exercise and get fresh air, it allows residents in the neighbourhood to connect and get to know each other.
Fowler, who volunteers herself, points to the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of the impact recreation can have. During that time, the rink was so busy the City of Cambridge had to staff it and times slots were set up to ensure there weren't too many people on it at once.
"When you build a community, everybody is safer," she said.
"If I'm meeting a kid at a rink, I'm also generally meeting their parent. It's hard to find ways to communicate with teenagers sometimes, so this is a great opportunity to talk to them."
Volunteers must be at least 14 years old and the work takes place between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Anyone interested can contact Fiddlesticks Community Centre at 519-621-4040.
