The Metro: Clark Park Coalition keeping ice hockey alive in southwest Detroit
Coalition Director Anthony Benavides has been integral to saving the rink at Clark Park and helping it thrive.
The Clark Park Coalition hosted joint practices and scrimmages with youth hockey players from Hockey in Harlem, an outdoor youth hockey program in New York, over Martin Luther King Jr. Day-weekend.
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There’s a hidden gem in Southwest Detroit that’s keeping hockey, ice skating and the wintertime spirit alive — and it needs support.
Back in 1991, the ice rink at Clark Park — like several others throughout the city — was in disrepair, leading the city to shut down several parks it could no longer maintain due to financial constraints. By 1992, the rink at Clark Park was the only outdoor rink left in the city, and community members created a coalition to restore the rink and the rest of the park.
Anthony Benavides, director of the Clark Park Coalition, has been integral to saving the rink and making it part of the thriving neighborhood meeting place that Clark Park is today. He joined The Metro on Monday to discuss the coalition’s efforts and what park events are on the horizon.
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