Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "ice rink"

Christmas celebrations, Sacramento-style

2011-12-22T00:43:49Z

As always, Sacramento steps up to the plate with holiday events of all sorts. At Sacramento365.com, we see a lot of events come through the site every day. Though there are myriad options in our Holiday Event section, we've narrowed down the list to 10 to get help you pick your Christmas Eve & Christmas Day festivities.

Christmas Eve Events:
Sure, the night before Christmas should be spent snuggled in bed waiting for Santa Claus, but why not get out and about during the day. Here are some options to keep you entertained around town:

1. Free Admission at Fairytale Town & Sacramento Zoo:
FTT 10am-2pm; Zoo 10am-1:30pm
Treat the kiddies to a day out while both Fairytale Town & the Sacramento Zoo offer free admission to all guests. The Zoo encourages participating in their pajama party, so you needn’t even change

2. Downtown Holiday Ice Rink:
St. Rose of Lima Park, 10am-6pm
Located outdoors near Westfield Downtown Plaza, the Downtown Holiday Ice Rink is the perfect holiday experience for the young and young at heart.

3. It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play:
Capital Stage, 11am
Inspired by the classic American film of the same title, It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play is performed as a 1940s live radio broadcast in front of a studio audience.

4. Holiday Film Screenings: It’s a Wonderful Life:
Crest Theatre, 1:30pm, 4:30pm, & 7:30pm
If you can’t make it to Cap Stage’s live performance (see above), you can still catch the original film rendition live on the big screen at the historic Crest Theatre.

5. Theatre of Lights:
Old Sacramento, 6pm & 7:30pm
A symphony of lights, sounds, and visual effects will take the audience back to a time when the beloved poem "The Night Before Christmas" was first introduced in Sacramento in 1857.

Christmas Day Events:
Looking to entertain friends & family in town after your regular traditions are over? Or just looking to get out of the house after so much family time? Sacramento doesn’t disappoint. Here are a few options for

1. Christmas Brunch:
Hyatt Regency, 10am-3pm
Enjoy this holiday season with all of the trimmings. Join for a bountiful buffet brunch featuring breakfast items and traditional holiday favorites.

2. Christmas Day Supper Cruise:
Empress Hornblower, 3:30pm-6:30pm
Join Hornblower for Christmas Day with your family and celebrate the season with a delicious meal, relax and enjoy the holiday. The Cruise includes traditional holiday dishes, festive music, and beautiful views of the Sacramento River.

3. Bah Humbug!:
MiX Downtown, 8:30pm-2am
Get out from under your tree and continue the holiday partying at this special Sunday Circus night. Spend the evening with your "other" family at Mix Downtown!

4. Christmas with Arden Park Roots:
Harlow’s, 9pm
Join reggae/rock/punk band Arden Park Roots for a festive Christmas show.

5. Asylum:
Barcode Nightclub, 9pm-1:30am
Featuring resident DJ Bryan Hawk, Asylum is a night of the best cutting edge goth, industrial, nu-darkwave, EBM dance music.

Find more detail on these events along with many more at Sacramento365.com, the year-round source for Sacramento events.

Disclosure: Rachael Lankford is the Managing Calendar Editor for Sacramento365.com, the year-round source for Sacramento events.

Iceland celebrates North Sacramento's 21st tree lighting with free skating

2011-12-09T06:59:44Z

The North Sacramento Chamber of Commerce may have thrown its annual holiday tree lighting a 21st birthday party Dec. 8, but even the adults who donned skates, munched cookies and quaffed hot chocolate eschewed the slightest trace of yuletide cynicism in favor of youthful Christmas-morning smiles.

Hosted by Iceland, the men and women, boys and girls who laced up courtesy of the venerable Del Paso Boulevard ice rink, barely noticed when the switch was thrown, and pumped current through the strings of multicolored lights that formed the "tree."

Those who didn't hit the ice themselves, found plenty of pre-Christmas cheer in picking out rinkside vantage points to watch singles, couples and entire families merrily go 'round and 'round covered by nothing but a starry, starry night.

There's an ice rink in Rancho Cordova?

2011-12-08T01:41:26Z

Just off Highway 50, in a city far, far away, skaters are strapping on the blades and cutting wide circles around Sacramento's newest outdoor holiday rink.

Maybe not so far away. It's in Rancho Cordova. It's beautiful. And they won it.

Last summer, Rancho Cordovans surprised everybody by racking up more than 2.5 million votes in a nationwide contest sponsored by the venerable Reader's Digest. After weeks of online voting, and outpacing cities much larger -- and much smaller -- Rancho Cordova ended up in first place -- and holding a $40,000 check.

Along the way, citizens of this city of 65,000 expressed what they would do with the money if they were lucky enough to win it. In post after post, they said something like this: "Provide something for kids to do."

Several months later, that's just what they have done: a glistening outdoor ice rink, and all comers are welcome.

Located just south of Highway 50 at the Zinfandel Drive exit, a towering three-story high Ferris wheel marks the spot. It spins and flashes brightly colored lights, telling you the ice rink is nearby.

Allstate Insurance is the big corporate sponsor of the Rancho Cordova Holiday Ice Rink, and besides the Reader's Digest winnings, both the non-profit Cordova Community Council and City of Rancho Cordova are major backers. Nearly 30 more Rancho Cordova businesses, churches and community groups are also supporting the rink, which was opened with substantial fanfare on Nov. 17.

Since then, the community's 30-foot Christmas tree has been lit during a spectacular tree lighting festival, figure skaters have performed dazzling holiday routines and skaters are showing up for everything from preschool field trips to birthday parties.

"We don't have the only holiday ice rink in the region, but we certainly have the most beautiful," said Lee Frechette, who is the chairman of the ice rink efforts of the Cordova Community Council. "The Ferris wheel is an amazing landmark and offers the best view in the region -- especially if you come at sunset."

A miniature train ride, concessions and hot buttery kettle corn popping away rinkside make it a party.

The Rancho Cordova Holiday Ice Rink is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily through Jan. 16. Located at 3151 Zinfandel Drive, take the Zinfandel exit and head south. Turn left on Data Drive and you are there.

Tickets and information are available online at www.RanchoCordovaIceRink.com or at the ticket office onsite. Tickets are $5.50 for children 12 and under, and adults 62 and older. Adults are $8.50. Skate rental will cost you another $2. Special rates apply for groups of 10 or more, who score free skate rental. Ferris wheel, train rides and snacks are extra, but worth the price for a great family-friendly outing.

For more information, call the Cordova Community Council at (916) 273-5704.

Editor's Note: The Cordova Community Council is 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Disclosure: Shelly Blanchard is executive director of the Cordova Community Council , a sponsor and proud supporter of the Rancho Cordova Holiday Ice Rink.

Downtown Ice Rink Opens

2011-11-05T05:14:24Z

Kids were lined up and ready to skate on opening day of the downtown outdoor ice rink. A chill was in the air, adding to the feel of the upcoming holidays.

"There's nothing that says 'holidays' better than ice skating," Michael Ault, Executive Director of the Downtown Partnership said right before the rink opened.

And this is its 20th season. Skating was free today until 10 p.m.

Located at 7th & K Streets in downtown Sacramento it is open annually seven days a week from early November to mid-January.

The 7,000 sq. ft rink, across from the Westfield Plaza, is produced by the Downtown Partnership with numerous sponsors.

Here's photos from opening day;

Generally, hours are 2 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays.

Open daily November 4, 2011 – January 16, 2012
Monday – Thursday: 2 pm – 8 pm
Friday – Saturday: 10 am – 10 pm
Sunday – 10 am – 8 pm

For more info, CLICK HERE>>>>

Downtown Plaza Ice Rink returns on Nov. 4

2011-10-11T03:29:26Z

On Nov. 4, a festive Sacramento tradition will continue with the opening of the Downtown Plaza Ice Rink. 2011 marks the rink’s 20th anniversary of bringing locals together to celebrate the holidays on ice.

“The rink will bring that New York City ice-skating feel (to) the heart of downtown Sacramento,” said Downtown Sacramento Partnership Marketing Director Lisa Martinez. The rink, located at 7th and K streets, provides locals with the feel of a big city winter.

Martinez said that there is a painstaking process to turn St. Rose of Lima Park into a functional ice-skating rink.

“It takes about three weeks, as long as the weather permits,” she said.

The first step is to lay out a layer of plastic and level the park with sand, Martinez said. After that, the park’s huge air-conditioning unit cools what will be the actual skating rink.

Martinez explained that once cool enough, workers will take a hose and gently spray the surface of the rink until it builds up a layer of frost that turns into ice. This is the ice that people will eventually skate on.

She also said that Sacramento’s relatively warm winter climate can make the task of sustaining the ice a little difficult.

“Once we have an inch or two of ice, we will paint the ice with a white layer … to give it that frosty coating and a nice surface for people to skate on,” she said.

People in the Sacramento area are excited about the rink. Adam Sereno, a resident of Rancho Cordova, said that he has never been ice skating and is looking forward to learning how to do it this year.

“To be honest, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said. “It’s great that the city puts so much effort into maintaining things like this.”

Martinez said that in the rink’s 20 years, the DSP has had plenty of time to perfect the event.

Every Tuesday, a family skate night will be held, and Martinez said it will create a festive and family-friendly environment.

“We’ve made a commitment to the community to produce a quality holiday event for families,” she added. “We have a 20-year tradition, and we hope to continue it for another 20 years.”

The rink will be open seven days a week from Nov. 4 through Jan. 16. The rink will be open on Monday through Thursday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. It will be open on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Hours will be extended during December for Christmas break. General admission is $8 for a two hour session, and skates cost $2 to rent.

Video of workers creating ice rink below courtesy of Downtown Sacramento Partnership

Hearing Thursday for Iceland's outdoor rink

2010-11-16T01:37:44Z

Dozens of skaters are expected to turn out Thursday night when the Sacramento Planning Commission holds a public hearing on Iceland Skating Rink's request to build a temporary outdoor rink.

About 70 skaters have promised to show up to support a rink being built at the site of Iceland, which was burned by an arsonist last spring, said Midtown Business Association Executive Director Rob Kerth, whose family owned the indoor ice rink on Del Paso Boulevard for nearly 70 years.

"It's kind of heart-warming to know that so many folks would like to see the rink open again," said Kerth, a former city councilman.

The family is asking for a special events permit so a 13,500-square-foot, non-profit ice-skating rink can be operated at the historic site for the next two winters, until a permanent replacement can be built. Outdoor recreation facilities must have a special use permit in the North Sacramento area planning district.

The Sacramento City Council doesn't have to approve the permit.

A non-profit called Sacramento Iceland has been fundraising and coordinating volunteer work sessions. So far, about 800 volunteer days have been worked at the rink at 1430 Del Paso Blvd.

The Kerth family initially had hoped to get the outdoor rink open by the facility's 70th anniversary on Nov. 4, and then by this Friday. The opening has been delayed until Nov. 30 to allow time to get the permit and entertain possible appeals.

The family expects to be able to rebuild and reopen Iceland within two years, Kerth said.

"I'm pretty sure," he said. "It depends on a lot of things, but that's sure our goal."

Photo of 2009 Midtown ice-skating rink.

The Westfield Downtown Ice Rink Grand Opening Features Free Skating All Day

2010-11-05T03:02:55Z

Today marks the official Grand Opening of the Westfield Downtown Ice Rink! Cue the trumpets, cut the ribbon, lace up those skates, because the Ice Rink is back.

The best part is the folks at the Westfield Downtown Ice Rink really like to celebrate the Grand Opening with everyone in the Sacramento area. So from the minute the ribbon Mayor Johnson cuts the ribbon at noon to the moment the gates close at 10 pm, skating is 100% absolutely free of charge. Free to get in, free to rent skates, and free to bring all your friends.

The little ice rink that you remember has some surprises in store this year, because the fact of the matter is, it is all grown up. This year the rink is turning 19 years old. It’s shaking off that adolescent awkwardness and coming into its own as an adult. Your kids will marvel at the oversized lollypops and sparkling tree lights. Your date will fall head over heels, in a good way, as you swirl across the ice under the strings of market lighting twinkling above. The gingerbread inspired office and tents will give you nostalgia for holidays past, and our pretty white benches will give you a place to snuggle up when you get too cold, too tired, or both.

If you and your friends and family can’t make it to the Grand Opening free skate festivities, you’ll have plenty of chances to stop by. The rink will be open for the next 10 weeks. It will only cost you $8 to get in, and if you need skates, that is no problem. You can borrow a pair for $2. Even better, every Tuesday is Family Night. So bring the kiddos and they will get in free when you pay to skate with them.

Fun Facts about the Downtown Ice Rink:

• Did you know they make training wheels for ice skates? Well, they kind of do. There are double bladed skates for toddlers to make it easier for them to learn. Ask for them at the rental tent; there’s no extra charge.

• Speaking of skating rookies, ice skating lessons are available this year too. If you want a professional to show you how its done, its no problem. Lessons are offered Saturday mornings at 9 am and 9:30 am before the rink opens to the public. Call ahead to make a reservation.

• The rink is open daily through January 17th as weather permits, every day but Christmas, even Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Years Eve and New Years Day.

• Hours are Sunday - Thursday: Noon to 8pm; Friday - Saturday: 10am to 10pm.

• Parking is validated! Park at the Downtown Plaza Garage at 5th & J or 4th & L. Don’t forget to bring your parking ticket to the rink.

• Plan a birthday party, soccer party, or other group event. Special rates are available for parties of 10 or more with advance reservations.

• Harry Potter Theme Night will be on November 18th before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows premieres at midnight at the Esquire IMAX Theatre. Wear your best Harry Potter gear and get free skate rental.

Weekly events for this season include:

• Family Skate Night Tuesdays: Purchase an adult admission and your kid skates free
• Westfield Wednesday Deals: Downtown Employees receive free skate rentals all day
• Theme Night Thursdays: DJ's and music & costume themes (I love the 90's and the ultimate ugly sweater party to name a few)
• Ice Skating Lessons every Saturday morning

There are all kinds of activities planned for this year’s Westfield Downtown Ice Rink. For up to the minute information on the Westfield Downtown Plaza Ice Rink, follow us on Twitter (@DowntownIceRink), find us on Facebook, and visit us at the Downtown Ice Rink Website.

Disclosure: Megan Emmerling is the Marketing Manager for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership

Rebuilding Iceland, rebuilding memories

2010-06-07T03:35:15Z

Stories flowed Sunday as people got down and dirty to help restore the Iceland ice skating rink. People shared memories of old times as they carried debris from the ice floor and helped to remove the wooden flooring around the rink.

Sunday was the fourth day the owners of the rink have asked volunteers to help them clean. Terrie Kerth, granddaughter of the late Bill Kerth, who built the ice rink in 1940, said the response has been unbelievable. When the project began, she said, the debris on the rink was more than a foot tall. Now, it's almost cleared, and the old rink will survive with some leveling. The wooden floors are being torn out and replaced with concrete.

More than 100 volunteers have worked on the project, with about 40 coming Sunday to help finish the job. “When we had our first day, we just had a steady stream of people going with their wheelbarrows,” Kerth said. “It was just phenomenal, and we just kept doing it and it’s amazing the people who come time after time.”

The family plans to reopen Iceland on Nov. 4 for its 70th anniversary. The rink will be open air for a while, but there are plans to install a roof in the coming years. “We’re starting a nonprofit called Sacramento Iceland and we’ll be raising money to put the roof on and rebuild the inside and we hope that by November 2011 to have it back pretty much like it was before,” Kerth said.

Former City Council member Rob Kerth was there when the fire broke out. “I was stuck out back and there was a six-alarm fire,” he said. “I couldn’t get around to the front, flames were shooting 100 feet out of the roof.” Kerth said he thought it was the end of the road for the rink, until he finally made it to the front and saw the bystanders. “It had been burning for about two hours and the sun was just coming up,” he recalled. “There were mothers there in their bathrobes and little kids crying and, this doesn’t happen very often, but there were hockey players hugging each other. People came from nowhere to see the rink and they were very upset.”

“I knew right then that there were enough people who cared about the old gal that we could somehow get it going again. So here we are.”

He also recalled when the U.S. Olympic team and its coaches died in a plane crash in 1973. A benefit show was put on for the families of the team, with former Olympic champion David Jenkins doing triple axles on the small rink. “It was really one of the first nationally televised sports events,” Kerth said.

And there are more stories. The rink is rumored to be haunted by Bill Kerth. Kerth said that his grandfather used to give keys to the place to the early-morning figure skaters. They’d let themselves in and skate for a while before he’d come in and talk to them. In the morning, there would be a fog bank that had built up over the ice, making it hard to see. “Every morning, he would come in the back door and he’d walk along the side of the rink and you could see this swirl in the fog behind him because he’d come in and lean over the rail to talk to the skaters and ask them how they were doing,” Kerth said. Now, every once in a while, early-morning skaters say they see that swirl in the fog and see someone leaning over the railing out of the corner of their eyes.

Bill Kerth and his son were innovators and came up with the idea for the first ice resurfacer a year and a half before Frank Zamboni, who visited the rink and claimed that the family had violated the patent on his machine. “So they got to talking and Zamboni realized that my dad beat him to it,” Kerth said. “Later in life, they became really good friends.”

Bob Hubbard, a competitive skating coach, said he has been skating at Iceland since 1952. “I skated here for many years as a competitor and went on to skate for Ice Capades for six years and started coaching and been doing it ever since,” he said. “I have a lot of memories in this place.” Hubbard said he was at a competition in Santa Rosa when he got the call that the place had been burned. “It’s just taking away from the community, the children, and all the memories and all the stuff with the place because it’s a landmark, it’s been here forever.”

When the new Iceland rink opens in November, there will be a sculpture that includes the blades and skates that were caught in the fire. Gina Rossi, a metal artist working in the area, is excited about her new project. She plans to have the children’s skates bronzed and make metal sculptures of children, each with a bronze skate. In the middle of the sculpture will be a fire bird made out of the blades of old skates. Rossi said the idea of the fire bird is fitting for rink that was burned down and is being rebuilt. “The philosophy of the fire bird is that it eventually just kind of burns up in flames, but with the flames of all that, it leaves a little egg behind,” she said. “And all of a sudden it becomes rebirth.”

Rossi plans to have some of the volunteers who helped to restore Iceland help build her sculpture. “I’m going to have the kids and various people just be a part and I want them to have a little bit of their name on it, so they can always be a part and know that they were involved in the rebuilding of this.”

The artist sees value in the rink's past. “Just being able to walk into something and look around and know that things happened here, as opposed to something that’s brand new,” she said, “It’s got a story. Some children, their parents see them skate here for the first time, and people propose to each other on the ice. Wonderful things happen in life and it just needs to be kept alive.”

5 Alarm Fire Destroys North Sacramento Landmark

2010-03-30T17:11:18Z

A 5 Alarm Fire destroyed a Sacramento Landmark early Sunday morning. At 3:30 A.M. in the morning, the Sacramento Fire Department responded to a report of a vehicle fire endangering a building on Del Paso Blvd. Sacramento Firefighters arrived in about 3 ½ minutes and found heavy fire to the rear of the Iceland Ice Rink at 1430 Del Paso Blvd.

Firefighters initially went inside the building and attempted an Offensive Attack, but quickly backed out when they determined the large volume of fire already burning overhead and the truss roof overhead which is a danger for collapse. The fire attack went to a Defensive one.

The two adjacent buildings were spared due to the quick thinking and hard work of Firefighters who were able to deploy fire hoses between the buildings. Four Aerial Ladders were put up and water was sprayed onto the building from above.

Sacramento Fire Investigators are and have been on scene. The ATF has been requested to assist with the investigation due to the size and dollar loss of the fire. The investigation may take a few days to complete.

There has been much speculation as to the cause of the fire, but right now it’s all just speculation. Our Fire Investigators have a big job ahead of them, and hopefully they will be able to pinpoint a cause.

The Iceland Ice Rink was built in 1940 and was still in business. Spending the last two days at the fire scene, I was amazed to see so many people stopping by to see the remains of this Sacramento Landmark.

Having grown up in Sacramento and working here my entire life, I was familiar with the building, driving by it my entire life. I am sorry to say I have never been in the building or ever even have ice skated! But I do know a lot of people that have consider this Ice Rink a huge part of their life. It is sad to see it burned to the ground.

I apologize for not publishing any pictures of this fire. However there are many photos on line if you have the time to search for them!

Midtown Ice Rink Closing

2010-01-15T07:12:21Z

As the holidays come to a close, so does the Midtown Ice Skating Rink. Having opened on Nov. 20, Its last day will be Jan. 18.

The placement of the ice skating rink was new this year, having moved from St. Rose of Lima Park at Seventh and K streets because of the park's recent renovations.

This new location had some businesses worried about how it would affect them since the rink's placement closed down 20th Street between J and K and added strain on parking. Though the new location added a little more traffic congestion, the location has proven to be an overall success.

Aja Uranga-Foster from the Midtown Business Association reports that the popularity of the rink has exceeded their expectations, although the MBA will not have accurate numbers on how many people came to ice skate until after the rink is closed, she did say.

“The rink has been able to pay for itself, and by its closing on Monday it will overshoot its original targeted revenue by about 10 percent," she said.

The MBA calculated that at the end of December a little over 18,000 people came out to skate, and with a few days left they should continue to have good results if the weather holds.

Uranga-Foster was excited to report that most of the community has found it to be a positive attraction as well. She states that The MBA received a huge response from local residents who claim that the rink has “helped reinforce good feelings of the neighborhood," she said. Though not every resident is pleased with the rink's placement, the overall feeling has been a happy one.

Andrew Ekstrom, the development project manager for the MARRS building, said he feels that the rink has been “overall a very positive amenity for Midtown.” He believes that the rink alone has attracted between 20,000 and 30,000 more people to the area.

The surrounding businesses echo his enthusiasm for the ice rink. Joseph Jay, a manager at Pete’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, has seen an increase in families dining at the restaurant.

“The ice rink has caused some problems with parking, but it has brought in a lot of business on the weekends," he said.

Denim Spot owner Pete Hayes said he didn’t mind the congestion since he would rather have a parking issue than an empty street. In a way Hayes said he felt like having the ice skating rink placed in Midtown has allowed Sacramento to create their own version of Union Square.

"With the ice skating rink I have gotten a lot of walking traffic and curious shoppers," he said.

Hayes actually opened his store around the same time the ice skating rink went up.

“It is things like this that made me want to move my store to Midtown,” he said. “I wish they wouldn’t take it down.”

A few doors down at Luigi’s Slice, owner Linda Fuentes-Brida conveyed the same feeling.

“This is a very diverse community, and this was the key to bringing more families in, not just from Midtown, but from the surrounding areas,” she said.

The rink has even been fun for her employees since they have enjoyed going out and ice skating after work.

The next task will be the removal of the rink. Though it should only take about two weeks, the deadline for it to be cleared and the street reopened is Feb. 1.

The last day to enjoy the ice skating rink is Jan. 18. The rink will be open, rain or shine, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for children and $2 for skate rental.

Keg Curling on Ice

2010-01-14T21:44:42Z

Good Day Sacramento featured Keg Curling at the Midtown Ice Rink Thursday morning. Teams from Harvs Car Wash, Golden Bear, Yogurtagogo, Comedy Spot and L Wine Lounge braved the cold and the antics of one Mark S. Allen live on Good Day for some fun, Midtown style!

The Midtown Ice Rink is open through Monday, January 18th 10am - 10pm.

Photo Credit: Tyler Waaler - www.Tylerwaaler.com

Harlem Globetrotters Getting Silly at Midtown Ice Rink

2010-01-06T19:47:48Z

Harlem Globetrotter Legend Curly Neal and Buckets Blakes will be appearing at the Midtown Ice Rink at 20th & J Streets Thursday, January 7th from 4:00-5:30 pm.

Curly and Buckets will host a bowling tournament "on ice" where participants can enter to win tickets to the upcoming Globetrotter game at the ARCO Arena on Jan. 18.

Now in their 84th consecutive season of touring the world, the Globetrotters will perform their 2010 “Magical Memories” Tour in nearly 270 shows in over 200 cities in 44 states, the District of Columbia, five Canadian provinces and Puerto Rico through the first week of May 2010.

The Harlem Globetrotters are bringing their spectacular 2010 “Magical Memories” World Tour to the Stockton Arena on Thursday, Jan. 14 at 7:00 p.m. and to the ARCO Arena on Monday, Jan. 18 at 2:00 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Harlem Globetrotters.

Editor's Note: Christa Trinchera is affiliated with the Harlem Globetrotters for this event

Photo Essay: Midtown Ice Rink

2009-12-31T07:43:30Z

Sacramentans enjoy the final days of 2009 at the midtown ice rink on 20th Street next to J Street. The rink, which was previously located in downtown on 7th Street next to K Street, will operate until Jan. 18.

Hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m Monday through Friday. Cost is $5 for children, $8 for adults and $2 for skate rentals.

Skate with Santa Wednesday 6-8pm

2009-12-23T04:25:50Z

Join Santa at the Midtown Holiday Ice Rink for some Holiday memories on ICE!

Santa's official photographer will be there to snap that last minute photo for Grandma's fridge of Santa and your little ones on the ice at the Midtown Holiday Ice Rink.

Skate with Santa is from 6-8pm

The Midtown Holiday Ice Rink is located at 20th & J streets in Midtown.

For parking and additional information, log on to www.ExploreMidtown.org

The Midtown Holiday Ice RInk

2009-12-20T04:17:03Z

The Midtown Holiday Ice Rink is the place to be! School is out, Santa is near, the weather is great and the ice rink is HERE!

Don't miss out on some festive Holiday fun for the whole family!

The Midtown Holiday Ice Rink is open daily from 10am-10pm. Don't miss a special Skate with Santa on December 23rd from 6-8pm!

Photo courtesy of Tyler Waaler www.TylerWaaler.com

Skaters hit ice in Midtown

2009-11-28T06:44:12Z

A crowd is slowly growing at the holiday ice-skating rink set up in Midtown this year.

The number of people skating at the rink's temporary new location was initially small after the rink opened a week ago on a half-block of 20th Street next to J Street. Numbers began growing the closer it got to the start of the holiday season, said Rob Kerth, executive director of the Midtown Business Association.

MBA found a new location and sponsors for the rink to replace the rink usually set up at St. Rose of Lima Park at 7th and K streets, in front of Westfield Downtown Plaza. The park was renovated and a Carnival of Lights is being held there this year.

The Midtown rink is hoped to bring in $200,000 toward the $250,000 cost to run the operation. Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Cohn provided $5,000 from his discretionary funding. MBA raised $50,000 in sponsorships and ad revenue to make up the difference, Kerth said.

People can rent figure skates for $2. Those who need to sharpen their own skates can call the rink's manager to arrange sharpening with a mobile skate sharpener. They can also get their skates sharpened at Iceland Skating Rink.

All-day parking is available for a holiday rate of $5 at a two-story garage at 1161 20th St. During the day, 120 spaces are available and 200 spaces are available at night. Parking also is available for $6 at a lot at 2220 J St. The rink expects to offer $6 valet parking soon if the city approves bagging two parking meters on J Street, outside Peet's Coffee and Tea, according to the MBA.

The rink will operate from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The rink will close at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and Christmas, and open at noon on Christmas day.

Two to three hours of skating costs $5 for kids and $8 for adults. To get skates sharpened or for more information, call the rink at 752-4644.

Photo by Suzanne Hurt, a staff writer for The Sacramento Press.

Businesses divided over Midtown ice rink

2009-09-18T03:23:28Z

Sacramento's holiday ice-skating rink is coming to Midtown this year, thanks to the Midtown Business Association.

Members of its board voted Wednesday night to keep the palm-tree-studded capital's winter skating rink tradition alive by having an outdoor rink installed on the street of one the hottest blocks in town — 20th Street from J Street to the alley, between the Marrs Building's new businesses at 1050 20th St. and the Sacramento News & Review (SN&R) across the street.

"The ice rink is going ahead," said Rob Kerth, executive director of the Midtown Business Association (MBA) .

The vote — nine in favor and eight opposed — illustrated that business owners are not in agreement on the rink's merits.

Kerth proposed that the rink temporarily replace a seasonal rink that's been in operation for 18 years at Christmastime at St. Rose of Lima Park at 7th and K Sstreets. That rink, which was his father's idea, won't be built this year because of park and streetscape renovations. A Carnival of Lights will be held at the park instead.

Kerth acknowledged that the MBA and its members are is taking a risk by hosting the rink from Nov. 20 to Jan. 18. It will cost about $250,000.

He and a majority of board members say the rink will advertise Midtown's small businesses. The rink will attract people for holiday fun and provide an opportunity for businesses to encourage visitors to shop locally, Kerth said.

"The holidays are flooded with advertising, and it's very difficult to remind people of what you're offering," he said. "Any national chain in the Sacramento market is going to spend more on advertising than our entire ice rink budget. That's just not something that individual businesses can compete against."

The owners of Newsbeat, which moved to the Marrs Building about 18 months ago, have a "mixed" reaction to the rink, which will take up half a block, from J Street to the alley.

Terence Lott, who owns Newsbeat with his wife, Janis, said they expect crowds on the front deck would impact their business the most out of all the building's tenants because customers can access the newsstand from the front door only. The other businesses also have side entrances. The couple also worries about parking, which won't be available in front and may be a problem in the area for two months.

Yet they are "intrigued" at the possibility of being in the center of a "great community and civic function," Lott said.

"It's tantalizing, in the sense that it would bring people around," he said. "We don't anticipate that it would be disastrous — but there's an element of wait and see."

Other Midtown merchants are opposed to the rink and other events planned by the MBA.

Corey DeRoo said none of the events this year have increased the profits at French Cuff Consignment, which she owns at 2419 1/2 J St. with her mother, Darcy McNie.

"As we've understood it, the goal has been to bring folks to Midtown so they stay and shop and dine and play but instead people come to these events and many go home afterwards," she said in an e-mail.

DeRoo said she and other members of the MBA would prefer the association's money be spent on activities they believe would accomplish those goals, such as a marketing campaign to brand Midtown as a great destination and a beautification effort that would increase cleaning services and add trash cans, benches and flag markers.

"Unfortunately, with the passing of this terribly expensive and highly unpredictable ice skating rink, the money to accomplish any of these goals are gone," DeRoo wrote.

Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Cohn held a meeting with the city's decision makers, who agreed to close half a block of 20th Street and the sidewalk in front of SN&R, Kerth said.

There's still a possibility the 40-by-120 foot ice rink would be built at 18th and L streets if an adequate electrical supply isn't available in an electrical vault in the alley behind SN&R. Construction is expected to start begin Nov. 1.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Ice rink decision expected Wednesday

2009-09-15T04:52:55Z

The Midtown Business Association is expected to decide Wednesday whether to take on the financial risk to keep Sacramento's holiday ice-skating rink tradition alive this year.

The association is considering building an outdoor rink in Midtown this year to temporarily replace the seasonal rink at St. Rose of Lima Park at 7th and K Streets. That rink won't be built this year due to conflicts with a park renovation.

Neighborhood input is welcome as the MBA board is expected to vote on the matter during its Monthly Board and Community Meeting, which is always open to the public, said Rob Kerth, executive director of the Midtown Business Association. The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Sacramento Regional Transit District headquarters, 1400 29th St.

Four Midtown businesses have committed $10,000 total for the rink, which would cost about $250,000 to build, operate and promote from Thanksgiving through Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday.

"That's a lot of money," he said. "Times are tough. But we don't want the tradition to die, and we want to have fun in Midtown."

The MBA is contributing $30,000 and needs at least $20,000 more to make the rink viable. Several large corporations, including some in Midtown, are considering donating another $60,000. But that sponsorship may depend on where the rink is located, which would also be decided at the meeting, Kerth said.

The business association board is considering whether to take the risk on such an expensive event, whose success depends on factors including weather, attendance, ice quality and more. The board must decide whether to hire a contractor and agree to pay $191,000 to build and run the rink.

The rink must have 24,000 paying skaters to take in $190,000 in gate proceeds. Last year, the St. Rose of Lima park rink had only 18,000 skaters, Kerth said. Any money that's lost comes out of a budget for marketing and other events.

The Marshall School/New Era Park Neighborhood Association is considering sending at least one person to the meeting to represent residents' interests and concerns, said group co-chair Bill Burgua.

"We stand with other neighborhood associations to make sure that residential neighborhoods are not negatively impacted — in this case, by parking," he said. "No matter how much commercial is here, Midtown is still primarily residential. They have to be constantly mindful that this is not a central business district."

A renovation of St. Rose of Lima Park that is expected to be completed in November made a rink there impractical, according to the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, which will instead use the site in a Carnival of Lights event. The partnership decided that the time needed to build an ice rink and the potential for rain at that time could cause too many problems and limit operational time.

MBA and the Downtown Sacramento Partnership have been working together to possibly erect a rink in Midtown this year. One possible location would be on the street at 20th and J streets, between the Sacramento News & Review and a strip of new businesses in the Mars Building including Azul Mexican Food and Tequila Bar, Peet's Coffee & Tea, and Lounge on 20. Three other sites being considered include on the street at 18th and L streets, or vacant lots at 28th and J streets or 16th and J streets across from Memorial Auditorium.

During the MBA meeting, Kerth will also propose that the group "cobble together" $25,000 to match $25,000 in city funds that could help the business district take part in the Carnival of Lights currently scheduled for downtown and Old Sacramento.

The money would help the organization decorate more trees with lights for the event, which celebrates the Grand Electric Carnival held in Sacramento in 1895. Kerth will propose keeping Midtown trees lit all year.

The MBA will try to work with the city to change current regulations preventing trees from being lit year-round.

"It just would be too heartbreaking to have all those lights up in the trees and shut them off come Jan. 3," he said. "You'd be looking up there hoping they'd come back on next year."

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.