THE GREAT SKATE WINTERFEST COMETH!

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Griffins players, sled dogs, ice sculptors, horse-drawn carriages, winter sport athletes, museums, other community partners and local celebrities will all be part of the 2015 Great Skate Winterfest, which will run for 34 consecutive hours this Saturday, Feb. 7 and Sunday, Feb. 8 at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids.

Everyone is invited to join this celebration of winter in our city and help the Griffins Youth Foundation provide opportunities for more than 350 deserving kids – many of whom are underprivileged, underserved, at-risk or have other special needs – to participate in the great sport of hockey at no cost.

The fun begins at noon on Saturday with the seventh annual Winterfest, a day full of winter-inspired events, sports demonstrations and family activities, and concludes with the 13th annual Great Skate, a 24-hour skating marathon with Griffins players that runs from 10 p.m. on Saturday until 10 p.m. on Sunday. Admission to the Great Skate Winterfest is free, although donations are encouraged and nominal fees apply to skating ($2 adult, $1 kids) and certain other activities.

Highlights of the Winterfest include public ice skating; on-ice demonstrations by fat bike racers, the Grand Valley State University Synchronized Skating Club, and the Greater Grand Rapids Figure Skating Club; a heated family activity tent featuring caricaturist David Wodarek, the Grand Rapids Art Museum, the Grand Rapids Children's Museum, the Grand Rapids Public Library, Safe Kids Greater Grand Rapids and the Meijer State Games of Michigan; sled dogs from Shemhadar Kennels; ice sculptures by the Ice Gurus; animal biofacts from the John Ball Zoo; and horse-drawn carriage rides by Classic Carriage. All events are subject to change and times vary. Please visit griffinshockey.com/greatskate for complete details.

The Great Skate will commence at 10 p.m. Saturday, after the Griffins’ home game against the Rochester Americans has wrapped up a few blocks away at Van Andel Arena. Assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler and mascots Griff and Finn will take the event’s opening shift, and every Griffins player and coach will follow for an hour each, skating with fans and local media personalities around the clock until 10 p.m. Sunday. Sunday afternoon will also feature a 3 p.m. performance by the Ice Gurus, along with kids’ activities from the Grand Rapids Art Museum, the Grand Rapids Public Museum, and John Ball Zoo. The lineup of Griffins skaters can be found at griffinshockey.com/greatskate.

Through that web site, fans can help raise money for the Griffins Youth Foundation by sponsoring their favorite Griffin or collecting pledges for their own participation in the Great Skate. Attendees will also have the chance to participate in an on-site silent auction featuring an array of unique items, and those who choose to make a donation to provide ice time for a foundation player (10 minutes for every dollar donated) will have the opportunity to write their names on skate-themed placards that will be displayed on the walls of the Rosa Parks Circle warming shelter during the event.

In addition, fans are encouraged to post their photos from the Great Skate Winterfest to either Twitter or Instagram, using the hashtag #greatskate, for a chance to win either an autographed uncut sheet of Griffins 2013-14 trading cards or a Griffins superhero lunch box autographed by captain Jeff Hoggan.

The Great Skate Winterfest is presented by the Griffins and the Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation. Other sponsors include Auto-Owners Insurance, Centennial Securities, Connoisseur Design + Marketing, Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., Executive Coach Service, FASTSigns, Founders Bank & Trust, the Gilmore Collection, and Lighthouse Insurance, with additional support from Cintas and the Meijer State Games of Michigan.

Established in 1995, the Griffins Youth Foundation promotes academic excellence, community involvement and healthy lifestyles among the youth of West Michigan, enhancing their lives through hockey and ice-related sports. The foundation’s programs currently include hockey for first through 12th graders and a girls-only division, as well as the Grand Rapids Sled Wings sled hockey team for children and adults with physical disabilities.

For more information about the foundation, visit griffinskids.org.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Griffins players, sled dogs, ice sculptors, horse-drawn carriages, winter sport athletes, museums, other community partners and local celebrities will all be part of the 2015 Great Skate Winterfest, which will run for 34 consecutive hours this Saturday, Feb. 7 and Sunday, Feb. 8 at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids.

Everyone is invited to join this celebration of winter in our city and help the Griffins Youth Foundation provide opportunities for more than 350 deserving kids – many of whom are underprivileged, underserved, at-risk or have other special needs – to participate in the great sport of hockey at no cost.

The fun begins at noon on Saturday with the seventh annual Winterfest, a day full of winter-inspired events, sports demonstrations and family activities, and concludes with the 13th annual Great Skate, a 24-hour skating marathon with Griffins players that runs from 10 p.m. on Saturday until 10 p.m. on Sunday. Admission to the Great Skate Winterfest is free, although donations are encouraged and nominal fees apply to skating ($2 adult, $1 kids) and certain other activities.

Highlights of the Winterfest include public ice skating; on-ice demonstrations by fat bike racers, the Grand Valley State University Synchronized Skating Club, and the Greater Grand Rapids Figure Skating Club; a heated family activity tent featuring caricaturist David Wodarek, the Grand Rapids Art Museum, the Grand Rapids Children's Museum, the Grand Rapids Public Library, Safe Kids Greater Grand Rapids and the Meijer State Games of Michigan; sled dogs from Shemhadar Kennels; ice sculptures by the Ice Gurus; animal biofacts from the John Ball Zoo; and horse-drawn carriage rides by Classic Carriage. All events are subject to change and times vary. Please visit griffinshockey.com/greatskate for complete details.

The Great Skate will commence at 10 p.m. Saturday, after the Griffins’ home game against the Rochester Americans has wrapped up a few blocks away at Van Andel Arena. Assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler and mascots Griff and Finn will take the event’s opening shift, and every Griffins player and coach will follow for an hour each, skating with fans and local media personalities around the clock until 10 p.m. Sunday. Sunday afternoon will also feature a 3 p.m. performance by the Ice Gurus, along with kids’ activities from the Grand Rapids Art Museum, the Grand Rapids Public Museum, and John Ball Zoo. The lineup of Griffins skaters can be found at griffinshockey.com/greatskate.

Through that web site, fans can help raise money for the Griffins Youth Foundation by sponsoring their favorite Griffin or collecting pledges for their own participation in the Great Skate. Attendees will also have the chance to participate in an on-site silent auction featuring an array of unique items, and those who choose to make a donation to provide ice time for a foundation player (10 minutes for every dollar donated) will have the opportunity to write their names on skate-themed placards that will be displayed on the walls of the Rosa Parks Circle warming shelter during the event.

In addition, fans are encouraged to post their photos from the Great Skate Winterfest to either Twitter or Instagram, using the hashtag #greatskate, for a chance to win either an autographed uncut sheet of Griffins 2013-14 trading cards or a Griffins superhero lunch box autographed by captain Jeff Hoggan.

The Great Skate Winterfest is presented by the Griffins and the Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation. Other sponsors include Auto-Owners Insurance, Centennial Securities, Connoisseur Design + Marketing, Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., Executive Coach Service, FASTSigns, Founders Bank & Trust, the Gilmore Collection, and Lighthouse Insurance, with additional support from Cintas and the Meijer State Games of Michigan.

Established in 1995, the Griffins Youth Foundation promotes academic excellence, community involvement and healthy lifestyles among the youth of West Michigan, enhancing their lives through hockey and ice-related sports. The foundation’s programs currently include hockey for first through 12th graders and a girls-only division, as well as the Grand Rapids Sled Wings sled hockey team for children and adults with physical disabilities.

For more information about the foundation, visit griffinskids.org.