Not Quite Ice but still Nice! Skating in Sayville

It was a beautiful morning. Crisp and clear with bright, warm sunlight. Perfect to be outside. Perfect to check out the Town Of Islip's traveling skating rink that is making a brief stay in beautiful, downtown Sayville.



When I arrived, I was worried that it may be just a trifle too warm for ice, but then I watched as Vinny was out on the rink with a stick and a puck and.... sneakers.



"Hey!!! What is this???" I thought to myself. I wandered closer with my camera to get a good luck.



"Did you bring your skates?" He called over to me as he watched me approach. "Yep! But I wanted to take a look first."


It's pretty amazing stuff. It fits together like 3 foot puzzle pieces and is made of all non-toxic materials. They only have to spray a coating on it once a day that is something akin to vegetable oil. And it's PORTABLE and doesn't need any energy!


This skating rink was used at the Town Of Islip's Winter by the Bay in Bay Shore where over 10,000 people came for the free festivities. I was told that over 3500 skated on this little synthetic rink. All for free and all had a great time.




The free family fun winter ideas came from Town of Islip Supervisor Phil Nolan who understands the economic problems families on Long Island are having and wanted to give them something to do that wouldn't put a strain on their wallets.


I met Dan, the president of the Sayville COC, who stopped by to make sure everything was in order. And Pam from the Sayville Inn (one of my pesonal favorite restaurants) stopped by on her scooter to tell Vinny about who would be helping out during the week. Even our favorite beat cop Joel stopped by to take a gander at the makeshift rink with it's pic nic tables and rubber mats from Canada set up in the middle of town.




The rink which TOI owns, will be making the rounds. But this week it's appearance is scheduled and run by the Sayville Chamber of Commerce and has been placed in the Carvel parking lot on Montauk Highway.


The hours are 10 am - 4 pm daily until Feb. 22nd. Bring your own skates. On Saturday the Islanders mascot Sparky was there to entertain the kids. You never know what the Chamber will be able to come up with to entertain the residents.


After your skating session, take a walk down Main Street and enjoy some leisurely shopping at our unique little shops and restaurants. It's small town USA right here on Long Island.