'Free Little Sled Library' finds home in Adelaide Park, and there may be more to come
FOND DU LAC – With fresh snow blanketing Fond du Lac, city parks have you covered for winter recreation, thanks to sled donations.
Last year, Buttermilk Creek Park welcomed a "Free Little Sled Library" shortly after organizer Maureen Weddle and the Fond du Lac Noon Optimists helped fund button-activated lights in the park to allow for night sledding.
Community support for the sled library encouraged a second library, this time in Adelaide Park, to open this month, Weddle said in a Facebook post.
"Last winter, we asked you to show up for the community, and you showed up big time," she said.
National Exchange Bank & Trust donated sleds to the library, and Papenheim Signcrafters contributed to the sign, alongside the support of Park & Forestry Superintendent John Redmond. Community donations are still welcome, Weddle said.
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With two successes under Fond du Lac's belt, Weddle wants to add sledding libraries to hills beyond city limits, including Kiekhafer Park.
Anyone interested in getting involved with starting a new library or maintaining the current ones can contact Weddle at modweddle@gmail.com or by calling or texting 920-602-4333.
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Buttermillk Creek Park has one of the city's most popular slopes and is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. The light pole at the park is equipped with a button to push that shines on the hill for 30-minute intervals, beginning at 3:30 p.m.
The hills at Adelaide Park are open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The city maintains both parks, and visitors are not allowed to make jumps on the slopes.
Kiekhaefer Park's location on the Niagara Escarpment makes ideal conditions for not only sledding, but also cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter.
Though not a park, the hill at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Fond du Lac Campus, 400 University Drive, is a steep slope on county land that overlooks the Gottfried Prairie Arboretum.
As of Jan. 19, the McDermott Park Outdoor Skating Rink is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, and will remain open as weather permits through the middle of March, according to an update on the City of Fond du Lac - Municipal Government Facebook page.
The warming shelter and restrooms will be open from noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, while just the restrooms will be open 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays.
The rink will be lighted for the evening open skates from 5 to 10 p.m. daily.
Contact Daphne Lemke at dlemke@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @daphlemke.
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This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Fond du Lac's Adelaide Park now has a sled library, with more to come
