Last week and the week before were really, really cold. Cold enough to freeze Lake Roland’s shallow waters to more than a 5” thickness: perfect conditions for ice skating! Which is just what some area residents did – groups of kids took to the ice with hockey sticks and rosy cheeks, and some adults put edge to ice, as well. It was a joy to behold. Good, clean fun on a freezing winter day when it was otherwise hard to appreciate the single-digit weather.
Sadly, the skaters were interrupted by admonitions from the police to get off the ice – someone had called 911. The reason? They were told that Baltimore County Recreation and Parks prohibits skating on its park waters.
The park rules are posted on signs at the main entrances:
Park Open Sunrise to Sunset
Alcoholic Beverages Prohibited without Written Permit
Park Permits Required for Groups
Dogs Must Be Leashed
Unauthorized Motor Vehicles and Horses Prohibited
Open Fires and Weapons Prohibited
Swimming Prohibited
Violators Will Be Prosecuted. Help Keep Your Park Clean.
(Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks.)
On the sign, there is no prohibition nor permission to ice skate, but concerned citizens — including my neighbors and me — who gathered with the Baltimore County Director of Recreation and Parks this week were told that it is, in fact, a county policy.