About Us

1977 – A group of people initiated what is now known as McFarland Youth Hockey Association (MYHA). Lewis Park was their outdoor home ice for many years. With no zamboni, the rink had to be shoveled before every practice or game. After a few years, they had 140 skaters ranging in ages from 4 to high school.

1982 – MYHA decided it was time to build their own indoor ice arena and began planning. The fundraising started and some thought the odds were insurmountable.

1983 – MYHA began to host weekly bingo at the Park Ponderosa Ballroom. $150,000.00 was raised in the first five years.

1985 – The Village of McFarland was asked to help with the land and zoning for the ice arena, but was declined at first. Later that year, the Village was looking for land to build soccer fields. Harvey Peterson’s farm on the north edge of the Village was the perfect location; however, Harvey would not sell the property to the Village. He offered 20 acres at $2,800/acre to MYHA. MYHA, in turn, would sell a portion of the property to the Village for their soccer fields to help with the zoning and paying off their land debt. So, the deal was made…the Village got their soccer fields and the zoning for the ice arena happened in 1989. This became a sports complex with the soccer fields and indoor ice arena.

1986 – McFarland Hockey, Inc. (MHI) was formed and created by Dave Bruce, Bob Babcock and Bill Tesnow to do business as the McFarland Community Ice Arena (MCIA).

1990 – MHI members Dave Kruger, Steve Clausen and Roy Neuenschwander began working on funds for the ice arena and accumulating equipment with the help of Greg Mergen and Bob Babcock.

1992 – With the help of Doris Hanson, president of the Village of McFarland, and an intensive door-to-door canvassing of McFarland, a non-binding referendum was passed during the fall election. The Village Board then approved the backing for the bond to build the MCIA.

1994 (April) – The ground breaking ceremony was held. Those in attendance were MHI’s three members, Doris Hanson, UW Hockey Coach Jeff Sauer, along with other village and hockey persons. With the help of MYHA, McFarland High School Hockey and many volunteers giving endless hours of work, MCIA was completed that fall.

1994 (mid-September) – Grand opening with open skate for the public took place during the McFarland Family Festival weekend.