GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A party with a purpose — the Grand Rapids Griffins' Great Skate Winterfest returns this weekend.
The event took a couple of years off because of the pandemic, but it's back for the first time since 2020.
"I think the uniqueness of this event is really special," said Randy Cleves, Senior Director of Public and Community Relations for the Griffins. "I mean, you can't go and play catch with Miguel Cabrera or Jared Goff, but here, you can come and skate with a future Red Wings player, or in some cases, former Red Wings players. So that uniqueness, not only can you do that, and get up close and personal, and you talk to a guy for an hour while you're skating on the ice, but you can do it at 4 a.m. And when you get the chance to do that?”
Yes, you heard that right — you can skate alongside players on the Grand Rapids Griffins at 4 a.m.
Great Skate runs from Saturday at noon through Sunday at 10 p.m. — 34 straight hours of excitement and activities, with plenty more to do than just carve up the ice.
"We've got all the local museums here with activities for kids throughout the afternoon," said Cleves. "Then on the ice surface, every hour, top of the hour, we'll have a different winter sports demonstration. So, we've got sled hockey, speed skating, curling, synchronized skating, figure skating — you know, a lot of the local clubs and athletes are going to be out here, showing us what they can do. There's a little bit of something for everybody."
Plus, this is all for a good cause.
Great Skate is the second-largest fundraiser for the Griffins Youth Foundation, which started before the Griffins did back in 1995, according to Cleves.
"What started out as street hockey for sixth graders has grown over the years into a program that supports more than 400 kids playing hockey from first grade through 12th grade," Cleves said. "We've got co-ed hockey. We've also got learning to skate and learn to play programs. We've got a high school division that's girls only. Then we also support the Grand Rapids sled hockey team for kids and teenagers with physical disabilities. So, all these kids get to participate or in the great sport of hockey at absolutely no cost. The equipment, the ice time, the coaching is all provided by the foundation.”
Typical skating fees at Rosa Parks Circle apply ($4 for adults, $2 for kids, free skate rental), but it's free to enter the event.
The foundation raises money through two main avenues — a pledge program and an online auction.
For the pledge program, you can go to the event page on the Griffins website. When you're there, just scroll down and click the name of your favorite Griffins player or coach, and make a pledge toward their participation in the event.
For the online auction, just follow this link.
Again, the event runs from Sat., January 21 at noon through Sun., January 22 at 10 p.m.