By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
The Downtown Hays Development Corp. is working to bring an ice skating rink to downtown Hays this winter, but in order to make it happen, the group is asking the public for help.
"We have a GoFundMe page right now that we want to let everyone know about," said Sara Bloom, DHDC executive director. "Downtown Hays Development Corporation is trying to raise money to turn the downtown pavilion into an ice skating rink this winter.
"The premise behind this is we want to ensure that even if COVID is still a thing this winter — which we anticipate it being — that we have a family-friendly outdoor activity for people to enjoy all winter long where we can also regulate the crowd," Bloom said.
But that idea comes with a price tag.
"It's around $35,000 to bring that in, so we are trying to raise $17,000 to $18,000 prior to committing to bringing that," Bloom said.
Ideally, that money would be raised in the next couple of weeks, she said.
"We started fundraising for it during our auction and now we have set up a GoFundMe page and we also have some business sponsorships available," Bloom said.
She said if everyone helps out a little, the project will come to fruition.
"If everybody that has shared the (Facebook) post gives just $5, we've got an ice skating rink," Bloom said.
Bloom said they anticipate an entry fee, but the amount will depend on the amount raised beforehand.
They also hope the rink can help raise funds for Ellis County organizations.
"We will charge something because we want it to be a fundraiser for not only downtown Hays, but for other nonprofits that we are going to be partnering with," Bloom said.