SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Clinton Square has hosted festivals, farmers markets and winter ice skaters for decades. This summer, it’s swapping ice blades for wheels.
Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens and Parks and Recreation Commissioner Syiesha Byrd unveiled a pop-up roller skating rink at Clinton Square Tuesday, a splash of old-school fun the mayor said the city has been missing.
The idea was Owens’ own. Byrd recalled the moment she first heard it.
“She said, ‘If I become the mayor, I want one thing,'” Byrd said. “‘I want to turn Clinton Square into a roller skating rink.’ And I looked at her and I said, ‘I got you.'”
It took months of planning and a day and a half of installation through rain that fell from sunup to sundown. An intern designed the “SYR SKATE” logo in the center.
“The weather would not give them a break,” Byrd said. “But we were laughing the whole time — not one frown was shed.”
Owens said she has been working to find her footing on skates again.
“I’m still a little shaky, but I’m practicing every day to get my skate rhythm back together,” Owens said.
Byrd said Syracuse has no outdoor roller skating venue. A few indoor options exist, but nothing like this.
“It gives you exercise, it gives you movement, it gives you an opportunity to skate outside and have a good time,” Byrd said. “We don’t have that here in our city. We’re bringing fun back to downtown.”
The rink is open to roller skaters, rollerbladers and skateboarders. The surface is portable, so the city can move it to other locations across Syracuse throughout the summer.
Skate rentals will be available later in the week. The rink is free and open to anyone who brings their own skates.