The Amelia Park facilities are located in Westfield, Massachusetts

Westfield, Massachusetts

Westfield is a city in Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 41,094 at the 2010 census. The ZIP Code is 01085 for homes and businesses, 01086 for Westfield State...

. The Amelia Park Ice Rink is the only ice rink in Westfield. The main building is a 47000 square feet (4,366.4 m²) facility, a figure skating lounge, three party rooms, a skate rental and sharpening area, four locker rooms and a food concession area. A 65' x 170' outside inline skating rink is located next to the main building. The $6 million facility was created by Albert Ferst in memory and honor of his late wife, Amelia. The facility houses a multitude of activities and special events, such as open skating times, hockey games for Westfield State College

Westfield State College

Westfield State University is a comprehensive, coeducational, four-year public university in Westfield, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1838 by noted educator and social reformer Horace Mann as the first public co-educational college in America without barrier to race, gender and economic class...

, St. Mary’s High School, Westfield High School, and Sled Hockey Games. The Memorial Gardens were created by Albert Ferst in memory of his wife Amelia as well. The gorgeous gardens span approximately 3.1 acres (12,545.3 m²) and are located directly across from the main entrance of the arena.

History

Albert and Amelia Ferst, residents of Westfield, MA, were very involved community members. They bought Camfour Inc., a successful fishing equipment, Chris-Craft boat distributorship, and police firearms sales company, in 1952 from Adam Cameron and Bill Fournier. Ferst owned the company until 1998 when he sold it to the Picknelly family. With the millions earned in revenue from the business, the Ferst’s helped fund The Albert and Amelia Ferst Interfaith Center at Westfield State College, and renovated the Westfield Boy’s and Girl’s Club. Amelia, nicknamed Millie by her husband, had a dream to build an ice rink for the children of the community. After Amelia died, Albert spent six million dollars to create an ice rink in her honor. He also created a garden in her memory, which is right outside of the ice rink. There is a children’s museum being built right around the corner from the arena, which Ferst recently donated one million dollars to, also in Amelia’s name. The portrait of the happy couple (shown above) is what captures visitor’s attention when they walk in the main door of the arena. Albert’s mantra regarding the ice rink is- “It is more than an Ice Arena…it’s a destination”.

Ice Rink

The Amelia Park Ice Rink is an NHL standard sized arena with seating for 600 fans. In the main building, along with the ice rink, the facility contains a pro shop, four locker rooms, and areas for food concession. The Westfield State College hockey teams use the ice rink for practice sessions and their home games. The school runs shuttles to and from the college so that many fans are able to attend the games. Westfield high schools also use the facilities for their hockey games as do many adult leagues and independent teams. There is also an inline skating rink outdoors where many leagues and teams play deck hockey. The ice arena offers an open skate to the public several days a week along with skating classes for all ages. Hockey lessons and camps are also available.

Memorial Garden

Amelia’s Garden spans over an acre and contains a wide variety of plant species. It also boasts a fountain, gazebo and waterfall. The garden hosts a number of public events, the most popular of which are the concerts on Tuesday nights in the summer. The area is also available to be rented for weddings, photographs, and social functions. During the winter, the gardens are decorated in Christmas lights, and there is an area designated for Santa’s house where families can visit Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

Children's Museum

The Amelia Park Children’s Museum is located at 29 South Broad Street in Westfield, Massachusetts. The museum offers membership opportunities for its patrons, that include free admission for one year and discounts on parties.. Events and exhibits in the museum occur seasonally and there are many organized playgroups for all ages. The museum hosts birthday parties with a number of different themes along with field trips for schools in the area. There are also several conference rooms that are available for rent. The Amelia Park Museum and Arena both offer a number of community service and work study jobs for students attending area schools. Currently the museum is undergoing construction and visitors have the opportunity to buy a brick with a personal message that will become a part of the new entrance to the building.

External links

• Westfield State University
• Amelia Park Ice Rink and Memorial Garden
• Amelia Park Children's Museum