Jill Schramm/MDN Doug Fredrich casts a stone during a Crokicurl game in downtown Minot Jan. 3. The new rink located behind Prairie Sky Breads and High Third is available to the public at no cost.

There’s a new ice rink in downtown Minot that isn’t quite like any other rink in town.

The Crokicurl rink is located behind Prairie Sky Breads and High Third, just off Central Avenue. Ryan and Jessica Ackerman with Aksal Group, which owns the property, brought the cross between curling and the board game Crokinole to Minot just before Christmas.

“We’re always on the lookout for things that are working well in other places, and so we stumbled across this idea that was started at The Forks in Winnipeg about five years ago. We kind of thought about how that might work here to get people downtown and create some social interaction,” Jessica Ackerman said. “When we stumbled across this before last winter began, we were pretty excited about it. We actually ended up ordering a Crokinole board and we played all winter with our kids.”

This winter, Ackermans built the low-maintenance outdoor rink.

The downtown rink and equipment are free to members of the public who want to play. The rink opens at 10 a.m. and remains open throughout the day. Assistance is available at High Third if the cabinet containing the equipment is locked.

Game instructions and rules are posted. Ackerman said people also can find information and videos online.

“It’s been a fun experience to put this together, and it’s been really fun to just hear people’s excitement about trying something new and embracing winter. We’re always looking for ways to find a reason to get outside all four seasons, and this was something that seemed new and fun,” Ackerman said.

Doug Fredrich of Minot, who had curled and played Crokinole before trying Crokicurl for the first time on Jan. 3, said experience with the game helps but isn’t necessary.

“It’s very welcoming to individuals of all levels. You don’t really have to understand the game to come out and give it a shot,” he said. “I think it’s fun. It’s great. It’s another activity that the community can do in the winter, which sometimes is difficult to find. So it’s another outlet for people to come and entertain themselves.”

Stephanie Schoenrock, executive director at Visit Minot, said the convention and visitors bureau will be promoting the Crokicurl rink in encouraging people to come to Minot, especially Canadian visitors.

The opportunity to play the Canadian game in Minot strengthens the ties between the city and its neighbors to the north, she said.

“It makes Canadians feel warm and fuzzy about Minot,” she said. “Minot is already super important to them anyway, and so this just kind of deepens that relationship that much farther. They’ll appreciate it, for sure.”

Ackerman said rink use is expected to pick up whenever winter temperatures moderate. However, even on frigid days, players can always come inside the nearby businesses for a warm drink or food to bolster themselves for another round of Crokicurl, she said.