PORTLAND, Maine — Thursday's snowstorm was proof, winter ain't over yet.
Even though it's school vacation week and kids are already out of the classroom, fourth graders in Portland were very excited to enjoy some fresh snow on the sledding hill.
"This is probably the first time [we're] actually sledding," Portland student Will Ball said.
Will, his friend Ben Hawkins-Davala, and a number of other kids went up and down the snow park at Payson Hill in Portland Thursday afternoon.
The fun wasn't limited to the kids, however.
Thomas Moretz is a 25-year-old living in Portland. During the day, he works a full-time job, fulfilling his adult responsibilities. But after clocking out for the day Thursday, he and a friend grabbed their sleds and went to Portland's Eastern Prom.
“It’s awesome, it’s what I live for," he said.
The North Carolina native is still getting used to Maine's winters, but is an avid skier and frequents Sunday River on the weekends. Moretz said they had a few snowstorms in his home state every year, "but not like this."
Down the road in Cape Elizabeth, it was a near-perfect night for hockey.
Volunteers at the Cape Elizabeth Community Arena work hard every day to clear the ice and provide a top-tier environment for skaters of all ages.
"An hour or two after the sun goes down, boy it really freezes up and we’ve had some beautiful ice, especially at nighttime," Rink supervisor and zamboni driver Chris Carey said Thursday night.
The rink has open skates for the public and even hosts practices for youth and high school teams.
Cape Elizabeth freshmen Nathanael Drake and Callum Mitchell stuck around after their junior varsity team's practice to get some more time on the ice.
"It’s awesome just being able to play outside, having all the trees around us, just very cool," Drake said.
Cary said volunteers put a lot of hard work into taking care of the rink every day and it's rewarding when the ice is full of kids and adults taking advantage.
The rink is planning on hosting a few more events before winter officially comes to a close.