Winter Skate at Patriot Place Presented by Harvard Pilgrim Opens November 22

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Winter Skate presented by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, the popular outdoor ice skating venue at Patriot Place, returns for a fifth season on Friday, Nov. 22. The publicly-accessible ice skating surface brings one of New England’s time-honored traditions of winter skating to Foxborough to provide ideal outdoor entertainment for all ages.

The 60-by-140-foot, professionally-maintained ice surface is specifically designed for recreational skating and features an observation deck for non-skaters. The surface is large enough to accommodate beginners and experts alike, hockey and private events.

To celebrate the fifth season of Winter Skate, Patriot Place and partners Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Cradles to Crayons will offer FREE skating from Friday, Nov. 22 through Sunday, Nov. 24, from 4 to 9 p.m. for anyone who brings a new or gently used coat donation for Cradles to Crayons. After Nov. 24, Winter Skate will continue to collect coat donations as part of the Cradles to Crayons Coat Drive at Patriot Place until Feb. 28, and patrons who donate will receive $2 off admission.

“Ice skating is a great way to mix fun and fitness, all while celebrating the season,” said Eric Schultz, Harvard Pilgrim’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Harvard Pilgrim is proud to sponsor this annual winter tradition for the third year in a row.”

“Over the past five years, Winter Skate has become a wonderful tradition at Patriot Place and we are very excited to continue our partnership with Harvard Pilgrim and Cradles to Crayons to offer such a unique and enjoyable outdoor family friendly activity to so many surrounding communities,” said Patriot Place General Manager Brian Earley.

Adding to this year’s opening day fun will be appearances by the New England Patriots Cheerleaders and Junior Cheerleaders, Pat Patriot, the MIX 104.1 FM and 103.3 AMP Radio street teams and DJ Head Honcho, who will be spinning music for guests from 6 to 10 p.m. Free hot chocolate will also be provided, courtesy of Dunkin’ Donuts, to kick off the Winter Skate season.

Winter Skate offers public skating from 4 to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 4 to 11 p.m. on Fridays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays and all school holidays, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. Winter Skate will be open until late February. Concessions presented by Dunkin’ Donuts and bathrooms are available. Parking is free.

Standard skating price is $8 for adults and $6 for children 12 and under and seniors 65 and over. Harvard Pilgrim members receive $2 off admission by showing their membership card. On-site skate rentals are $4. Full season passes for families are $100.

Individual season passes are $75 for adults and $60 for children and seniors. Individual admission and season passes do not include skate rentals. Group rates, private events and hockey rentals are available by calling 508-203-2100 or by e-mail at WinterSkate@Patriot-Place.com.

Winter Skate is located at Patriot Place, adjacent to Route 1, near the Renaissance Hotel & Spa. It is steps from Patriot Place’s north marketplace, which offers a wide variety of shopping and dining options, a 14-screen movie theatre and one-of-a-kind attractions like The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon.

For more information, visit http://www.patriot-place.com/WinterSkate.

Winter Skate Schedule of Events
(Friday, Nov. 22)

• (4 p.m. to 6 p.m.) – Appearance by MIX 104.1 FM’s Street Team
• (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.) – Appearance by the New England Patriots Cheerleaders
• (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.) - Pat Patriot skating on the ice
• (6 p.m. to 7 p.m.) – Appearance by New England Patriots Junior Cheerleaders
• (6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) – Appearance by 103.3 AMP Radio Street Team
• (6 p.m. to 10 p.m.) -  DJ Head Honcho will be spinning music for skaters

ABOUT PATRIOT PLACE

Patriot Place is a shopping, dining and entertainment destination located adjacent to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Patriot Place features large and boutique retailers, 17 casual to high-end restaurants and other nightlife venues. Among the highlights of Patriot Place are New England’s first Bass Pro Shops, a state-of-the-art, 14-screen Showcase Cinema De Lux, the 16,000-square-foot CBS Scene Restaurant & Bar, the award-winning Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon and the four-star Renaissance Hotel & Spa at Patriot Place. For more information, visit www.patriot-place.com, follow Patriot Place on Twitter (twitter.com/patriotplace) or like Patriot Place on Facebook (facebook.com/patriotplace).

ABOUT HARVARD PILGRIM HEALTH CARE

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care is a not-for-profit health plan that provides a variety of insurance options and self-funding arrangements to more than one million members in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. Harvard Pilgrim provides innovative approaches to health improvement and disease management, unique online tools that speed and simplify key transactions for employers and providers and personalized health support. For more information, please visit www.harvardpilgrim.org. Harvard Pilgrim is the #1 private health plan in America again according to an annual ranking of the nation’s best health plans by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Harvard Pilgrim is the only private health plan in the nation to be named #1 for member satisfaction and quality of care for nine consecutive years.*

* NCQA’s Private Health Insurance Plan Rankings, 2011-13, HMO/POS. NCQA’s Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2010-11 – Private. U.SNews/NCQA America’s Best Health Insurance Plans 2005-2009 (annual). America’s Best Health Insurance Plans is a trademark of U.SNews & World Report. NCQA The State of Health Care Quality 2004. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care of New England, Harvard Pilgrim’s New Hampshire affiliate, is the top-ranked plan in New Hampshire and the seventh highest-ranked private health plan in America.

ABOUT CRADLES TO CRAYONS

Cradles to Crayons was founded in 2002, with the mission of providing to children ages 0 to 12 some of the most important basics of life—free of charge. These basics include clothing, school supplies, toys, and much more. In other words, we provide all the physical goods that children need to be safe, protected from the elements, and ready to learn. And by supplying them with high-quality used or new goods, we make children feel valued.