Get ready for a day of free family fun at Clark Park on Saturday, Jan. 21 when the Clark Park Coalition hosts its 11th Annual Winter Carnival and outdoor charity classic hockey games.
Everyone is welcome to stop by from noon to 4 p.m. for ice skating, a petting zoo, horse-drawn carriage rides through the streets of southwest Detroit, roasting marshmallows, savoring s’mores, exploring the nature van from Huron Metro Parks, outdoor games, and much more. Hockey fans should plan to be there at 6 p.m. when the action moves to the finest outdoor hockey rink in metro Detroit with a women’s charity hockey game. A men’s charity hockey game follows at 7:30 p.m.
“We expect 1,000 people to come out and enjoy the day,” said event director and Clark Park business manager Kate Brennan. She also wants everyone to know that the day’s activities and attendance at the hockey games are free of charge.
“This is the ninth year we’ve included the Winter Classic hockey games with the Carnival,” said Brennan. Free Press columnist and former Fox 2 investigative reporter M.L. Elrick and attorney Mike Rataj established the charity hockey games in 2015.
Players raise funds and donate money to participate in the charity hockey games. The Winter Carnival and Charity Hockey Classics are the major fundraisers for Clark Park. The event are also supported by Patronicity, which hosts an online fundraiser at www.patronicity.com/ClarkPark2023 . “No donation is too big or too small,” Brennan said, “And it all helps us provide activities for kids year round.”
Winter Carnival sponsors include DTE, Huntington Bank, the Brinker Group, Henry Ford Health, East Side Youth Sports Foundation, Detroit Legal Group, Matt Riley, Blake Pollock, Watchmen Ink, Thomas Magee’s Sporting House and Whiskey Bar and the Brennan Group.
Call 313 841 8534 or visit www.clarkparkdetroit.com for further information.
About Clark Park Coalition –
In 1991 concerned parents and other local residents succeeded in forming the Clark Park Coalition after the park was closed due to the City’s financial crisis. Celebrating 31 years in partnership with the City of Detroit Recreation Department, the Coalition has kept the park open to provide year-round programming for thousands of youth, including outdoor ice hockey and skating in the winter, baseball and softball in the summer and arts programs with free lunches to more than 100 youth daily throughout the summer. It serves as the “town square” to a thriving area in southwest Detroit, while being utilized as a popular meeting place for family picnics and gatherings.
