Last Saturday’s Clark Park Winter Carnival & Charity Hockey Classic started off in the pouring rain at 9:30am in the morning when 24 men led by Free Press columnist M.L. Elrick took to the ice to help raise money for the organization’s youth programming.
“They would have been able to avoid the rain altogether, if it hadn’t been for the last-minute scheduling of the Detroit Lions playoff game which interfered with their regularly scheduled game time of 7:30pm,” said Clark Park’s event organizer Kate Brennan. “But we made it work!”
Following the morning game, a dedicated team of volunteers worked diligently to get the park ready for the Carnival’s 12 noon starting time, and the rain began to slow down. By 1pm it had turned to snow, and the Carnival was saved!
Despite the cloudy weather, hundreds of children and their families joined us for a day of free fun with ice skating, marshmallow roasting, a petting zoo, and horse-drawn carriage rides through the streets of Southwest Detroit. The sun even came out in the afternoon, giving us a great ending to the afternoon’s activities.
The women’s charity game began at 5:30pm sharp, while their fans enjoyed cups of steaming hot chocolate and feasted on “sliders” donated by Green Dot Stables.
A big thank you goes out to the many hard-working volunteers who stayed through the rain and snow and made sure everyone had a great time.
Many thanks to the generous sponsors and the men and women hockey players who helped us raise nearly $40,000 for the park. Sponsors included Huntington Bank; Ideal Shield; Metropolitan United Women in Faith; Credit Union One; DTE Energy; Ottava Via; Dan Wood Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, and Electrical; Henry Ford Health; the Brennan Group; Inkwell Partners; and the Soul of Detroit.
You too can support the park by donating to Clark Park’s Patronicity fundraising campaign which continues through this month. Help the Clark Park Coalition reach its $7,000 goal by going to patronicity/clarkpark2025! No amount is too small – or too big!
