Kingston, Ont. residents enjoying mild winter day

On a snowy Saturday in Kingston, Ont., where the temperature hovered around 1 degree Celsius, many people were out and about enjoying the winter weather.

The skating rink at Springer Market Square is as much a staple of the winter in Kingston as hot chocolate and hockey.

On Saturday, the rink was well populated by people out for an afternoon skate on a mild winter day in the city, and 11-year-old Param Prasad and his family were among them.

“It’s not too cold and not too warm, it’s just perfect weather,” said Prasad.

While Prasad and his family enjoyed the festivities downtown, in the east end at Fort Henry Hill, people were enjoying one of Kingston’s most famed tobogganing hills.

“It’s really fun because you can go really fast,” said seven-year-old Carter.

And go fast, he did.

Back near the downtown core, at the skating rink at Victoria Park, one of the numerous outdoor rinks maintained by the City of Kingston for public use, the ice was surprisingly desolate.

The rink, which can typically be found being used for hockey games or just a light skate, only held a lone snowplow operator, who was preparing it for whoever may come.

However, just a short ways away in the same park, a pair of Queen’s University students were out getting some exercise for their favourite four-legged companion, Gunner.

While she may be beyond their best sledding days, Isabelle Bulut was happy to reminisce on her favourite winter activities from when she was a kid.

“We used to build snow forts, we used to roll the biggest snowball possible and put them all together around a baseball diamond,” she said.

So, whether you’re old, young, or somewhere in the middle, you’re never too far from finding a way to enjoy a snow day.