First of all, I want to start out by saying "thanks" to Volume 1 and the Eau Claire Parks and Rec for starting the Winter After Hours on Thursday nights at Boyd Park. I hope this is something they plan to continue in the future.

We attended the first Thursday night and were very pleasantly surprised by the number of people who turned out.  It was nearly a perfect winter night, not too cold with no wind.  Really, the weather couldn't have been better.  We arrived at 6:30 to find a good mixture of young and old, families, singles and dogs.  There was a kind of festive atmosphere with the music and the bonfire.  We spent about an hour on the ice, happy to note we were not the oldest ones out there.  After skating we spent some time by the fire enjoying a cup of tea from Infinitea (which, by the way is great) and checking out the ice sculpture.  It was a totally enjoyable night and decided we would definitely do it again.

They do have skates and snowshoes available for rental.  There is a nicely lit trail for those who would like to give the snowshoes a try.  If you don't skate or snowshoe just stop by and sit by the fire.  Its just another fun way to get through the winter months.