Ice skating is back at Hempstead Lake State Park for first time in over 30 years
ROCKVILLE CENTRE (WABC) -- Hempstead State Park is offering something new for the first time in over three decades.
The outdoor ice skating lake is back at McDonald Pond.
"I used to come here as a kid," Peter Rainis said.
NYPD Lt. Chris Schmidt felt the nostalgia too.
"Free like young like I'm 15 no mortgage no responsibilities, no nothing just glorious," Chris Schmidt said.
Anyone can come out and skate. It's completely free; you just have to bring your own ice skates.
As far as safety is concerned, State Parks drill at least 6 inches every day to make sure you're safe.
"We test for a minimum of six as water doesn't come up, we know we're at six inches," Park Director Kate Gross said.
Crews made the call to allow the public to skate on the pond on Sunday.
Peter Rainis of Rockville Centre remembers skating back in the 1980s when the village owned the pond.
"Back when I was a kid, they used to have a 50-gallon drum here with a fire in it in the evenings. The lights would be on. The fire department would come down and spray it with water so that the ice would smooth the next day," he said.
Police are on standby in case of an emergency.
"They have rescue equipment in their vehicle. God forbid someone goes into the ice. They'll be able to respond right away," George Gorman, the regional director of New York State Parks, said.
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