Barbara Lawlor, Nederland. The elves arrived around 7:30 p.m. all last week, turning on the lights at the Ned Rink, shoveling any new or stuck-at-the-edges snow, hauling out the hoses and then beginning the arduous process of flooding the rink.

Rink officials and loyal volunteers Herb Pugmire and Marie Allen were on the rink Saturday night, using a fire hose to spray water over the layer of ice that formed the previous night. Layer after layer, inch after inch, but applied in such a way that the rink was level, making up for the tennis drainage angle.

It is a late ice season due to the warmer-than-usual December temperatures, but now that the cold air has settled in, the rink crew is on it, planning to be open by Christmas and perhaps even sooner.

Much effort goes into the tennis-to-ice transformation. The nets come down, the huge rolls of liners are spread over the courts, walls are put in place, the rubber mats are spread around the warming houses, the plastic is put up over the cyclone fences to keep the pucks from flying out of the rink. Only then can the flooding begin.

Pugmire, the NedRink Facilities Manager, says that flooding begins when the daytime temps are in the 20s and nighttime temps are in the teens. Two to three volunteers spray anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 gallons of water to make a layer and it takes about 60,000 gallons of water to build up the ice to the level needed to open the rink.

After that, a maintenance flood is added once or twice a week to keep the surface level.

"Weather conditions, wind, sun, and evaporation constantly take their toll on the ice," says Pugmire. "Over the course of a season, from December to February, about 100,000 total gallons of water are needed to keep a slick surface."

A huge Zamboni and a crew of eight drivers take turns daily, resurfacing the ice, preparing it for figure skating, curling, broom ball, hockey, learn-to-skate sessions, birthday parties, and other community-building events.

Pugmire says the rink is only able to operate if enough community volunteers help run the facility. He is also seeking a paid snow removal contractor and rink attendants for guest services on weekday evenings and all day and evenings on the weekends.

For snow removal information, contact herb.pugmire@msn.com. For volunteer information, contact Marie Allen at 720-326-2227. For information on opening, go to nedrink.org