Inner Harbor Ice Rink Set to Return, Thanks to Family Funds

July 25, 2022 Staff Report

The Pearlstone Family Fund and the Joseph & Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds each committed $150,000 over the next three years to allow Waterfront Partnership to continue operating the Inner Harbor Ice Rink.

A pair of Jewish Baltimore’s most philanthropic family funds are coming to the aid of the Inner Harbor Ice Rink.

On July 25, the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore announced that the Pearlstone Family Fund and the Joseph & Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds made a special “Christmas in July” gift to support operations of the Inner Harbor Ice Rink for the next three winter seasons.

“The Inner Harbor Ice Rink has become a tradition for families as a destination during the holiday season, and the support of the Pearlstones and Meyerhoffs — who themselves are family — makes this commitment particularly special,” said Laurie Schwartz, president of the Waterfront Partnership, a nonprofit committed to the maintenance, beautification and visitor services of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and waterfront.

“We are incredibly thankful to both families for their continued support of the ice rink and for making these opportunities possible,” Schwartz said.

The Pearlstone Family Fund and the Joseph & Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds each committed $150,000 over the next three years to allow Waterfront Partnership to continue operating the rink.

Previously, both family funds provided critical support for the rink’s operations. In 2019, the Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds provided a $115,000 grant to the rink to return for that season.

“We are pleased to support the community in maintaining its shared spaces and to provide opportunities for families to enjoy the Inner Harbor,” Richard Pearlstone of the Pearlstone Family Fund and Elizabeth R. “Buffy” Minkin of the Joseph & Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds said in a joint statement. “Our continued support of the Inner Harbor Ice Rink over the next three years is our way to give back to a community that has given so much to our families.”

Starting on Nov. 11, the rink will return to the top of the Amphitheater, at 201 E. Pratt Street, between the two Harborplace pavilions at the Inner Harbor. The rink will remain open until Jan. 16, 2023, complementing the myriad seasonal and holiday activities along the waterfront.

Details on the rink’s official grand opening, programming and pricing for the 2022 season will be announced this fall and found online at InnerHarborIceRink.org.