Are you looking for a new and interesting way to spend quality time with your family and friends this winter? Why not head over to OBM Arena in Strongsville to skate on one of their two full-sized sheets of ice for a fun and active way to hang out with the whole gang?
OBM Arena is the most popular public indoor ice-skating rink, party and event center and ice hockey arena in Northeast Ohio. They offer open-skate sessions, learn-to-skate programs for both children and adults, party rooms, adult "drop-in" hockey games and host a variety of hockey leagues in their building. Their public open-skate is offered year-round every Friday, Saturday and Sunday with expanded hours during the holiday break as well. The cost is $11 online or $12 at the door. And if you don't have your own skates, don't worry, you can rent a pair for $3.
Northeast Ohio has been a very popular region for amateur and professional hockey for decades now and OBM Arena has been right in the middle of the action since 2002. OBM hosts and organizes adult and youth hockey leagues and are the home ice of the Walsh, Padua, Strongsville, Brecksville and Medina high schools hockey teams and clubs. The Cleveland Monsters of the AHL call OBM home to their administrative offices and practice facilities as well.
Sure, OBM Arena is a great ice-skating and hockey arena for locals but it is also an extremely popular and busy event center that hosts large regional and national figure-skating and hockey events throughout the year. The arena typically sees anywhere from 500,000 to 600,000 guests walk through their doors every year!
"The location of our rink is really what makes us stand out from most of the others in the area," Mike Shockley, owner of Out Of The Box Enterprises – who manage and operate OBM Arena – says. "We are just down the road from the Cleveland airport. The Ohio Turnpike (east and west) and I-71 (north and south) run right through Strongsville. And we literally share parking lots with two different hotels on the property."
With a large kitchen and ample space available for groups as big as 250 people, OBM can easily accommodate parties and conferences with full catering services and menus. Operations Manager, Brandon Gallaway says, "We host parties and events all the time. You can go on our website to see all the food items we offer on our menu for whatever occasion you would need us for." OBM Arena even has a private room with a small studio rink that you could utilize for your special function as well.
Mike and his wife, Lauren, not only oversee 100% of the daily operations at OBM, but they also run five other outdoor rinks in the area. "My wife and I are constantly looking for sites in the area where we can open a (seasonal) outdoor rink and we'd love to put one in Medina. It's a beautiful setting down there and I think with all the things going on in the downtown area and around the square, it would do very well," Mike says. "Ice skating is good, clean fun and it's something that you can do with your entire family. We have people who are in their 80's who come out and skate with us and we have children who are learning to skate as young as three or four years old as well. It's an activity that people can do throughout their whole lives!"
To purchase advance discounted, tickets for OBM's open-skate sessions you can visit their website at OBMArena.com. You can also find out more about their services and special events on both their Facebook page and website. This year, the arena will once again be hosting their Skate with Santa event on Sat., Dec. 11, from 1-2:30 p.m. Santa will be visiting children in the lobby and will also be showing off his skating skills on the ice during this time, so be sure to come out and join him and Mrs. Claus!
