Bar To Open Inside Crystal Ice House

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — The Crystal Lake City Council has approved a liquor license for a skating rink in Crystal Lake, which will the allow the business to sell alcohol out of its former pro shop.

In a 6-0 vote earlier this month, the city council OK'd the Class 18 liquor license for Time Out Tap.

The Time Out Tap will set up shop inside a vacant 900 square foot space in the Crystal Ice House, 320 Prairie Street, which was formerly occupied by a pro shop.

Alcohol will be allowed to be consumed in the lobby area of the skating rink but not inside any of the three rinks, according to city documents.

In addition, alcohol bought at the Time Out Tap will not be allowed outside of the Crystal Ice House, and alcohol also can not be brought into the facility from outside, according to the city council packet.

The Crystal Ice House has three rinks and is home to the Yellow Jackets Hockey Club, Wagon Wheel Figure Skating Club, Crystal Lake Stingers Hockey Club and four high school hockey teams. The facility hosts numerous hockey tournaments and skating exhibitions throughout the year.

A variety of programs are also offered, including Learn to Skate classes for all ages, public skating, rat hockey, stick and puck, Adult League Hockey and curling.

The Time Out Tap will be able to serve alcohol from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 .m. on Saturday and Sunday and from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. on tournament weekends, according to city documents.

A Class 18 liquor license allows for the retail sale of alcoholic liquor for consumption at a sports facility. There is one other business in town, The MAC Athletic Complex, 1310 Ridgefield Road, that carries a Class 18 license.

In a letter to the city council, Bryan Bell and Chad Boyd, co-owners of the Crystal Ice House, said the Crystal Lake skating rink is one of the last skating facilities in the area that does not have a bar.

In 2022, Jerry's pro shop, which had been renting the space where the bar will now go, moved to a free-standing retail space on Randall Road "due to the changing buying habits of the skating consumer," according to the letter.

"The skating consumer is and has been looking for a full entertainment experience," Bell and Boyd wrote in the letter. "We feel that the addition of a bar to the facility will help consumers have a better experience."

Time Out Tap plans to follow local, state and federal laws regarding the sale consumption of alcohol, and the bar will provide security, which will monitor the area where alcohol is consumed, according to city documents.