By: Leanne Avery, Community Center Assistant and Sarah Waddle, Community Center Director & Extension Educator

The Cook County Community Center is wrapping up a wonderful year of hosting gatherings of all kinds. Our mission is to offer social, recreational, and community-focused programming and partnerships that create a culture of belonging, active living, and lifelong learning for all. Winter is a vibrant time at the Community Center; we look forward to sharing it with you.

From October to March, the Community Center is home to the Cook County Curling Club. Along with the various league nights and open curling, the Club hosts several Bonspiels throughout the season that draw Curlers from all over the State and region. The two remaining Bonspiels will be held January 13-15 and March 8-10. Open curling takes place on Tuesday nights and Wednesday afternoons, and there is always a Club member at these events to show a newcomer how to play. Your first couple of visits are free, and after that you can decide if you’d like to become a member.   

The Community Center campus also includes the Grand Marais outdoor ice rinks and warming house. The warm weather this December has presented ice making difficulties as daytime temperatures have frequently been above 40 degrees. It is our hope that the temperatures will begin to drop, and we can begin making ice in the next couple of weeks. Keep an eye on our website for announcements of the opening day for skating, and for the calendar of rink events. From youth hockey, to broomball, to pick-up hockey, and open skating, there is something for everyone.  We are excited to announce new, extended warming house hours for the season; we will be open 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. daily this year. Skate rental is $2, and we will once again offer annual skate rental passes for just $20. Skate sharpening is also available for $5. We also have a variety of concessions available. Bring your family or friends to the rink for an afternoon of skating and hot chocolate.

Due to the wildly successful Grand Marais Farmers Market season, we have scheduled a pop-up winter market at the Community Center for February 17.  Many of our favorite vendors from the summer market will be on hand with locally produced food items including breads, eggs, baked goods and more. If you would like to sell at the Winter Market, information can be found online at tinyurl.com/gmwintermarket.

Beginning February 6 and continuing every Tuesday from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. through April 16, the Community Center will again be the host site of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program in Grand Marais. Income-qualified households and all seniors are eligible to get help preparing their income taxes from trained local volunteers. The program is drop-in style with no appointments needed.

As always, the Community Center continues to be a popular place for meetings, birthday parties, meetings and game nights. Other activities this winter include dance and fitness classes held in partnership with the YMCA, square dancing, jam sessions, Girl Scouts, Magic Cards, yoga classes and family social events for families with young children. To stay informed about these programs as well as many others, please sign up for the Cook County Community Center monthly email newsletter. The newsletter shares public events, facility information, and opportunities to engage in the social, recreational, and educational programming offered at the Cook County Community Center. You can sign up to receive the newsletter here: tinyurl.com/CCCCnewsletter

County Connections is a column on timely topics and service information from your Cook County government. Cook County – Supporting Community Through Quality Public Service.