WESTFIELD — Amelia Park Arena has become a landmark for sports and entertainment in the city, so it is hard to believe it is just about to turn 25 years-old.
In 2025, the arena will celebrate its birthday with a variety of events, which started with a merchandise sale that ended on Nov. 17.
“In the past we have only sold merchandise for special events,” said General Manager Billy Fellows. “We typically order items like hats and T-shirts for our Spring Classic and New England Sled Hockey Tournament. This is the first time we’ve opened up a temporary online store and offered 20-plus items for the public. We had been brainstorming new unique ways to fundraise for our 25th anniversary in 2025 and thought this was the perfect start.”
Fellows said the sale kicks-off fundraising efforts in celebration of the anniversary, but anyone who wants to mark the event with this special merchandise needs to act fast.
“This store is only open until Nov. 17, we definitely plan on doing another one early spring with more warm weather clothing,” said Fellows. “We will see how successful the two temporary stores are and will definitely consider offering year-round merchandise. Regardless of the fundraising outcome, it will be cool to see people representing Amelia Park out and about in the community.”
Fellows said while he is excited about the milestone anniversary, it’s a time to revamp the arena.
“As much as our 25th anniversary is set to be a celebration, it is also going to be a critical fundraiser for the arena,” Fellows said. “To look at Amelia Park, one would see an absolutely beautiful complex, undoubtedly one of the nicest rinks in the area. The reality is, we have a plethora of 25-year-old pieces of equipment that are original to the building, making it extremely difficult to keep up financially. In the past five years alone we have invested over $700,000 back into the complex.”
Fellows said there is more to do to maintain the facility.
“As we look forward, another $600,000 in improvements are in our near future. As a single sheet ice rink, it is not easy to keep up with our financial journey, it has been really taxing on our reserve accounts,” he said. “Because of this, we are putting a special emphasis on fundraising for the 25th anniversary. Our goal for this year is to raise $250,000 through events, sponsorships and our gracious donors. All the money we raise will be going right back into the arena, ensuring we continue to keep Amelia Park a top tier resource for our community.”
Fellows became general manager in June 2022, but has been skating at the arena since the building opened in 2000. Over the years, the mission has stayed the same but there have been changes along the way.
“I think one of the biggest changes I’ve seen is the community support Amelia Park is getting in the last few years,” Fellows said. “This year we hit 50 total businesses for our season long sponsorship program, on top of that we have about another 25 businesses who sponsor our annual events. We have been working hard to get our message across that we are a nonprofit, our local businesses have definitely gotten that message and have stepped up for our facility and our community, it’s just awesome to see.”
Fellows said the popularity of the rink has risen as well.
“Mid-winter, our Saturday Night Public Skates see over 200 skaters on a regular basis,” he said. “Over the last few years, we’ve looked to build off that momentum as we add in special public skates and events throughout the year like Skate with Santa and our Halloween Costume Contest Skate. This year, we also did a Free Public Skating Day as part of our 2024 Community Give Back Initiative, a small way to say thank you to all of our loyal supporters.”
The new Outdoor Youth Floor Hockey League that started in 2023 is also growing, with 85 participants the first year and 100 in year two.
“We definitely hope to continue the growth for that league, we saw it as a great opportunity for the youth of our community, and it’s going great so far,” Fellows said.
In 2025, Amelia Park Arena will host a variety of events.
“We have a very busy year planned for the 25th anniversary,” said Fellows. “First off we have our returning marquee events, including the 25th Annual New England Sled Hockey Tournament April 4-6, 4th Annual Spring Classic April 12-14, and our 4th Annual Cornhole Tournament April 26. In addition, we have added two new major events to celebrate our 25th, a celebrity bartender at Westfield Applebee’s March 7 and a golf tournament at East Mountain Country Club Aug. 16. We are so excited to celebrate the anniversary all year long with all of the people who have helped make Amelia Park great for so many years.”
While celebrating a quarter-century is a milestone, Fellows and the board and staff at the arena continue to look forward.
“Looking beyond 2025, our main focus is pretty simple … growth,” said Fellows. “Whether it be our ice leagues, youth floor hockey league, sponsorship revenue, events, we just want to continue growing in all of these areas that are helping our nonprofit organization, and our community thrive.”
