HUDSONVILLE, Mich. — Winter has arrived in Hudsonville, and families are flocking to a unique community resource that's making sledding accessible to everyone – a free sled library.
Located at the city's water tower, this isn't your typical library filled with books. Instead, it's stocked with about 20 sleds in various shapes, sizes, colors and speeds that families can borrow for free winter fun.
"I'm born and raised in Hudsonville. And we have used this sled hill for many, many years, and I just wanted sledding to be accessible to everyone in the community," Hudsonville's Community Engagement Director Lindsay Hicks said.
Hicks created the concept three years ago. With help from the city's facilities team, they built a shelf and stocked it with sleds. The community has been helping maintain the inventory ever since.
Safety remains a top priority with so many families using the hill. The city's Department of Public Works team ensures hay bales protect children, while the facilities crew regularly inspects sleds for cracks or damage.
Families looking to give back can easily donate sleds to keep the library stocked.
"If families would like to drop off their sleds… we're happy to take them and drop them off to the sled library. Otherwise they can just donate them here and families can use them right away," Hicks said.
Hudsonville native Evie Toering has made the hill part of her family's winter routine, frequently bringing her granddaughter for sledding adventures.
" We come here quite often to go sledding with my little granddaughter. This is a nice area to go sledding in," Toering said.
For Toering, the appeal is straightforward – it's about creating memories with her granddaughter.
"This is a nice area to go sledding in… it's just a fun hill to come," Toering said.
The free library is open now until February.
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