Disco skate nights on Whitefish Lake bring community together
People skate on a community rink at City Beach on Feb. 18, 2024. (Matt Baldwin/Whitefish Pilot)
Casey Kreider
People skate on a community rink at City Beach on Feb. 18, 2024. (Matt Baldwin/Whitefish Pilot)
Casey Kreider
People skate on a community rink at City Beach on Feb. 18, 2024. (Matt Baldwin/Whitefish Pilot)
Casey Kreider
Gabriel Layton on the community ice rink he created at City Beach in Whitefish on Feb. 18, 2024. (Matt Baldwin/Whitefish Pilot)
Gabriel Layton skates on an ice trail he created at City Beach in Whitefish on Feb. 18, 2024. (Matt Baldwin/Whitefish Pilot)
Casey Kreider
When Gabriel Layton looks out across the ice at Whitefish’s City Beach, he sees the realization of his vision to bring a little slice of joy to the community.
Layton has spent dozens of hours this winter clearing snow from Whitefish Lake’s frozen surface, and smoothing the ice with a homemade Zamboni he crafted from plastic tubs and PVC. The meandering skate trails and rink he has cleared are illuminated with colored lights, while a sound system playing mellow pop tracks provides a dash of disco vibes to the scene.
By the time dusk enveloped the lake on a recent Sunday, dozens of families and couples had gathered to lace up their skates. Teenagers with hockey sticks chased each other across the rink, while younger kids learning to balance on blades carefully navigated the ice paths. One couple with particularly impressive skills twirled and glided their way from end to end as a rainbow of colors refracted off a flurry of snowfall.
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