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 As the brilliant winter sun began to slip below the bare branches of the trees, they came. At first by ones and twos, but soon in larger groups, skaters gathered at the frozen Schuylkill Canal by Fitzwater Station in Port Providence for some old-fashioned fun.
The ice skating party was organized by the Schuylkill Canal Association and sponsored by SCA and the Fitzwater Station Restaurant. According to SCA executive director Betsy Daley, about 60 people joined in the party that was held Saturday, Feb. 10.
Daley noted that people of the neighborhood have always gone out skating when the ice is safe, but this was the first time the SCA organized a party.
“Everyone had a good time and enjoyed the bonfire that got lit about 5:30 p.m.,” Daley said. In addition to the bonfire in the Fitzwater meadow, the restaurant provided complimentary hot chocolate inside its new game room. Pretzels and baked goods were available as well.
The party also featured an exhibition of canal curling. This new canal sport is a mix of Olympic curling, horseshoes, bowling and bocce, Daley said.
Players slide a gallon-size frozen water jug along the ice. The closest jug to the target wins. The team event is played like horseshoes with teammates on opposite ends. In the individual event, each player slides their jug in a mass start resulting in NASCAR style crashes as the frozen water jugs slide toward the same target, Daley explained.
Todd Welsh, a resident of Royersford and regular user of the canal and park area during warmer weather, said he thoroughly enjoyed skating along the canal. It reminded him of when as a boy he would skate along the Perkiomen Creek, he said.
“I heard from many that they happily enjoyed the skating and thought it was a great idea,” Daley remarked. “They definitely would be coming back over the next few weeks while still frozen.”
Several factors worked together to set the scene for the party.
Before the cold spell the canal was lowered so workmen could replace a deteriorated sluice gate onto the twin lock culvert at Lock 60, Daley noted. Due to the lower water level, the canal waterway at Lock 60 is empty and not suitable for skating, while the Port Providence section of the canal offers a large area for great skating.
Daley explained that with the lower water levels, there is little flow of the water even at the Port Providence end. The water is basically stagnant, so the week of frigid weather caused it to freeze thoroughly.
The canal can be skated from the Route 29 bridge to the lower end. Round-trip, that’s about three miles, Daley noted.
“The event was a huge success and we will certainly consider sponsoring another skate party, weather depending,” Daley said. She added that the blockage preventing the water flow to the canal will be removed over the next few days but it will take even a few more weeks to get the water level back to what it was before the project began in January.
“So as long as the cold winter weather persists, the canal at the Port Providence end will be safe to skate upon, free-of-charge,” she commented.
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