I'M AN ORIGINAL CATCHPHRASE
%20(600%20x%20300%20px).jpg)
News
11/7/2025 — On behalf of the Saranac Lake Civic Center Board of Directors, I am excited to share with you our vision for the future and the pillars of the strategic plan that will guide us there. From the earliest days in 1972 when local parents first flooded a field to create an ice surface, dedicated in memory of the Meineker brothers, the Civic Center has always been built on a foundation of community spirit. Over the decades, with the roof erected in late 1970s, the installation of artificial ice in 1984, and the remarkable transformation completed in 2023, our Civic Center has grown into a modern, welcoming facility. For more than 50 years, tens of thousands of skaters, families, and volunteers have created memories within our walls. Today, as we honor that proud legacy, we also look forward with ambition. Our vision is to see the Civic Center evolve into a premier, fully utilized, year-round facility that delivers on our mission of providing a fun, safe, and healthy environment on and off the ice. Read more...
11/1/2025 — SARANAC LAKE, NY – The Saranac Lake Civic Center is pleased to announce the election of its new officers and the addition of two new members to its Board of Directors. The Board now comprises 11 dedicated individuals committed to guiding the future of the Civic Center.​ The Civic Center also bids farewell to three long-serving board members:
- Mark Gilligan and Brian Goetz, both of whom have contributed countless hours and expertise to the board, step down to pursue other endeavors.
- Mike Ritchie, a central, beloved figure in the Civic Center’s history, retires after four decades of service. Read more...
10/16/2025 — SARANAC LAKE, NY – Adirondack Health will again sponsor ten public skating sessions for adults 50 and over at the Saranac Lake Civic Center during the 2025-26 ice season. ​“As a supplement to the general skating sessions offered to all ages by the Civic Center, this sponsorship helps promote a local, differentiated winter activity exclusively for adults,” said Matt Scollin, Director of Communications at Adirondack Health. “We’re proud to partner with the Civic Center to make this experience accessible to more members of our community.”​ Skating is one way to support healthy aging and encourage movement in a fun, low-impact way. Ice skating offers cardiovascular benefits, improves balance, and creates opportunities for social connection—all of which are essential for maintaining overall health during the aging process. Read more...
10/9/2025 — Saranac Lake, NY – The Saranac Lake Civic Center is proud to announce the return of its free community skating series, made possible by the generous sponsorship of Hudson Headwaters Health Network. This season, Hudson Headwaters will sponsor 30 public skating sessions, including 10 sessions dedicated to young children and caregivers through the popular Tykes on Ice program.
​
The Tykes on Ice series begins Tuesday, October 14, and offers one-hour skating sessions for children ages 5 and under with a caregiver, providing a relaxed, beginner-friendly environment. These sessions allow young skaters to explore the ice with more space and less crowding, encouraging early confidence and family bonding. Read more...
9/25/2025 — Saranac Lake, NY – The Saranac Lake Civic Center is set to reopen for the 2025-26 ice season on Sunday, September 28, with a safety and infrastructure upgrade in place: a replacement of its nearly 25-year-old dasher board facing.​ Dasher boards—also known as hockey boards—form the lower perimeter of an ice rink and play a crucial role in both safety and game play. Over the summer, the Civic Center undertook a significant renovation, replacing aging and deteriorated components with new ½-inch HDPE (high-density polyethylene) panels. This durable material is renowned for its high impact resistance, smooth finish, moisture resistance, and low maintenance requirements.​ Read more...
9/16/2025 — The bells, whistles, honks and lights were on full display at the Saranac Lake Civic Center midday Sunday as the community venue hosted its third annual Touch a Truck. The event drew around 1,000 participants — everyone from kids too young yet to walk to great-grandparents. Smiles were abundant as children were able to climb up a wide variety of heavy equipment and emergency vehicles. Read more...
9/4/2025 — Grab your poodle skirts, leather jackets and dancing shoes as the Saranac Lake Civic Center presents a nostalgic “Sock Hop: Dinner, Dancing & Live Music with Frankie & the Moonlighters” Friday from 5:30 to 10 p.m. “There’s nothing quite like a sock hop to get people smiling, dancing and reliving the good old days,” said Frank “Frankie” Whitelaw, lead singer of Frankie & the Moonlighters. “We can’t wait to light up the stage in Saranac Lake and help create a night full of fun, laughter and timeless tunes. If you’re not dancing by the end of the first song, check your pulse!” Read more...
8/15/25 - Kids of all ages will get to explore big trucks and emergency vehicles, learn how they work and sit in the driver’s seat at the 3rd Annual Touch a Truck event hosted by the Saranac Lake Civic Center on Sunday, September 14, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.A special noise-free hour will run from 10 to 11 a.m. to accommodate children with noise sensitivities, making the event inclusive for all. This family-friendly event will feature a wide variety of big trucks, emergency vehicles, heavy equipment, and more—brought in by police and fire departments, local municipalities, contractors, and businesses. Attendees can explore the vehicles up close, sit in the driver's seat, and enjoy a day packed with hands-on fun, educational demonstrations, food vendors and other activities. Read more...
2/19/25 - The Saranac Lake Civic Center announced today that it is in the final stages of fundraising for its roller skating program, a new offering that will leverage the facility in the summer. This will supplement summer events at the facility like the popular antique show. Funding is needed to support the offering, such as the purchase of 300 pairs of skates to offer for rent. The Civic Center has raised nearly half of what it needs to offer the program through various grant programs through The Cloudsplitter Foundation, Franklin County Destination Development, Town of North Elba and the Uihlein-Ironman Sports Fund by Adirondack Foundation. Read more...
1/5/25 - Lake Placid Curling Club and the Saranac Lake Civic Center Support Invictus Athlete Training with the Gary Sinise Foundation - In proud collaboration with the Saranac Lake Civic Center, the Lake Placid Curling Club (LPCC) is honored to announce its volunteer support for the brave men and women of Team United States. These wounded warriors, who have served our nation with valor, will be participating in a training camp hosted by the Gary Sinise Foundation as they prepare for the upcoming 2025 Invictus Games in Whistler, set for February. Read more...
11/26/24 - The Saranac Lake Civic Center announced today that it will play host to the alumni games again this year — continuing the tradition for SLHS alums to hit the ice again on the day after Christmas. The women's game will be at 2 p.m., followed by the men's game at 3:30 p.m. Read more...
10/11/24 - Matt Raymond has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Saranac Lake Civic Center, returning to the facility where he once worked and more recently helped revitalize as a contractor. He becomes the 12th member of the Board. Read more...
9/27/24 - The Saranac Lake Civic Center announces Hudson Headwaters Health Network will repeat its sponsorship of 30-public-skating sessions, provided free of charge. Ten of those sessions will again be reserved for children ages 5 & under with their caregiver. The children’s series, “Tykes on Ice”, begins again Tuesday, October 1 at the Civic Center. In addition to the Tykes on Ice Program, Hudson Headwaters will sponsor 20 additional skating sessions throughout the season,10 reserved for holidays and 10 for general skating; its general skating series started Sunday, September 24. Read more...
9/21/24 - The Saranac Lake Civic Center announces the election of its officers. The current number of board members is 11. Three new officers have been named -- President Victoria Sturgeon, Vice President Josh Dann and Secretary Patti Ploof. Treasurer Nancy Heath has been re-elected. Victoria Sturgeon, board member for 8 years, transitions to the role of President after being the Vice President for the last year - she replaces former president, Ollie Burgess, who will remain on the board. Read more....
8/8/24 - Kids of all ages will get to explore big trucks and emergency vehicles, learn how they
work and sit in the driver’s seat as the Saranac Lake Civic Center hosts Touch a Truck from 10 a.m. to 2
p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15. Police, fire departments, municipalities, contractors and businesses will bring an assortment of trucks, safety/rescue vehicles, and heavy equipment to the civic center for this family-friendly event. Read more...
4/10/24 - ​SARANAC LAKE, N.Y. -- If you walked through the doors of our reopened, reimagined Saranac Lake Civic Center in the last few months, thank you. If you skated on our world-class ice this season, thank you. If you volunteered at any of our events, thank you. If you felt compelled to donate and keep us going, thank you.
Our skating season ended April 9. The ice is gone. The memories are not. And please know that we are already hard at work thinking about next season. Read more...
3/19/24 - The Saranac Lake Civic Center will stay open until April 9 — later than usual this year — as part of the celebration surrounding the total solar eclipse that will occur on April 8. The Civic Center has made this decision to help support activities for locals and visitors to the area who want to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse. The Civic Center will host 10 total skating sessions the day of, the day after and just prior to the eclipse.
3/11/24 - The Saranac Lake Civic Center announces it will host a youth skating series starting on Monday, March 18 provided free of charge. The children’s series, “March Madness”, begins Monday, March 18 at the newly remodeled facility and will be reserved for children ages 5-17 with consent from their caregiver.
11/21/23 - Tykes on Ice Starts Monday, December 4 - hour-long skating sessions for ages 5 and under. The Saranac Lake Civic Center announces Hudson Headwaters Health Network will sponsor a total of 30-public-skating sessions, provided free of charge. Ten of those sessions will be reserved for children ages 5 & under with their caregiver. The children’s series, “Tykes on Ice”, begins Monday, Dec. 4 at the newly remodeled facility. In addition to the Tykes on Ice Program, Hudson Headwaters will sponsor 20 skating sessions throughout the season; its holiday skating series starts this Friday, November 24th.
10/16/23 - Winter Carnival Queen, Patti Ploof, Joins the Board. The Saranac Lake Civic Center announces the appointment of a new board member after successfully working with her as a volunteer earlier this year. The new board member, Patti Ploof, is a lifelong resident of Saranac Lake and enjoys volunteering with organizations providing local services, especially with children. She retired from New York State 10 years ago after 37 years of service and has a longstanding commitment to the Saranac Lake community.
9/18/23 - New members and retiring members also announced. The Saranac Lake Civic Center announced today the election of its officers, appointment of three new board members and retirement of two board members. This brings the number of board members to 12.
9/2/23 - Kids of all ages will get to explore big trucks and emergency vehicles, learn how they work and sit in the driver’s seat as the Saranac Lake Civic Center hosts Touch a Truck from 10 a.m. to 2p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17.