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

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 Home to the 2011 Holiday Show

2011-12-20T02:51:12Z

About 20 people performed in the two performances of the 2011 Holiday Show on Saturday at Iceland Skating Rink and raised over $1,000 to help repair the large roof, the next project to make the rink a year-round facility once again.

This is the first ice show since the March 2010 fire.

“The performers have been practicing twice a week since the ice rink opened in November,” said Terrie Kerth, daughter of one of the two co-owners.

Janelle Cardoso is the director and choreographer of the show.

“All the skaters are very technically sound,” said Cardoso. “Most of them have show skating experience.”

Towards the end of the hour-long show Carmen Melissa, who was sitting next to the author, spoke positively of skater Susan Algarne, “You have skaters, then you have your skaters who are natural performers.” Algarne skated to “Let It Snow.”

Cristal Johnson, who came with her family said, “It was unexpected. We came to skate but the show was happening. We loved it.”

Over 100 people attended between the two performances.

To continue to serve the Sacramento community for another 70 years, Iceland recently gained non-profit status. Its main focus is to teach people how to skate.

“We need to let kids know there is a better place than the streets,” said Melissa. “Here you can be part of a family.”

As a volunteer for five years, Harley McCarthy enjoys being on the ice.

“Its a great way to relieve stress,” said McCarthy.

Private skate lessons are only $1 a minute and public skate can be enjoyed during the afternoon hours for $5 including skate rental.

Individuals or groups who donate to the rebuilding of Iceland will receive personalized glass blocks. More details can be found online at www.skatesacramento.com or by contacting Terrie Kerth at (916) 992-4836.

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.

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

Iceland may open Saturday

2011-01-13T02:43:21Z

Iceland's outdoor skating rink is expected to open Saturday after more than two months of delays.

The landmark North Sacramento ice rink was all but destroyed by an arsonist last spring. The Kerth family, now operating Iceland as a nonprofit, and volunteers worked to reopen the rink – without a roof and many other amenities – by the facility's 70th anniversary on Nov. 4. The opening was delayed after family members learned they needed a special permit from the city Planning Commission.

The Kerths will open a temporary rink at 1430 Del Paso Blvd. this weekend if city building inspectors approve handicapped-accessible ramps Thursday, said Midtown Business Association Executive Director Rob Kerth, whose family built the rink.

The Kerths say they must get the rink open for at least part of the season, or they may not be able to raise enough money to rebuild. Skaters may never return to rinks closed for even one season, said Kerth and his sister, Terrie Kerth, executive director of the nonprofit, Sacramento Iceland.

The Planning Commission awarded a special use permit in November. The rink's opening was delayed again when Sacramento City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy, whose district includes the rink, called for the council to reconsider the permit. Rob Kerth served as the district’s councilman prior to Sheedy.

On Dec. 14, the council OK’d a three-year special permit approving a temporary zoning change so the rink could operate outdoors. However, three permits were still needed after that.

On Dec. 28, the city approved a building permit for access ramps and a special event permit allowing a portion of the alley to be closed during operations. The area, which has been gated by the city's dangerous buildings division since the fire, will be used by skaters for putting on skates or waiting while a Zamboni resurfaces the ice. Cars and emergency vehicles have access to drive through the alley if needed, Rob Kerth said.

The rink can only operate during daylight until a new electric system is installed and the work is inspected by the city, which won't happen for at least two weeks. The rink will temporarily operate from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. weekends and holidays and 2 - 5 p.m. weekdays, remaining open into April if weather permits. The family has set up a mailing list to alert skaters to changes in hours and other news, Terrie Kerth said.

Photos by Suzanne Hurt, a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Iceland to open doors this month

2010-12-15T05:11:38Z

The opening of the remodeled Iceland skating rink in North Sacramento was approved unanimously by the City Council on Tuesday.

The ice skating rink, which an arsonist burned down last spring, could reopen as early as Saturday, or on Christmas at the latest, according to Rob Kerth, the grandson of the couple who founded the rink.

He commented on the city permit the City Council approved Tuesday night.

“Iceland has the right to operate as an indoor facility at that location,” Kerth said after the council’s vote. “It doesn’t have the right to operate as an outdoor facility. What (the City Council) gave us was a three-year permit to operate as an outdoor facility. Within three years, we either need to put the roof on or get an extension.”

Kerth said he wants to put on the roof two years from now, but he said he’s worried about the cost.

He estimated the new roof could cost $500,000, at a minimum. “Honestly, I can’t promise we’re going to make it,” he said. “It takes a lot of money to get there.”

Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy had lengthened the public process on the rink’s reopening by bringing the issue to the City Council. The Planning Commission would have been the last stop for reopening the rink, but Sheedy said the council should address it. But Sheedy praised city staff for its work on the permit on Tuesday night and voted in favor of the permit, along with her colleagues.

Skating at Downtown Sacramento Ice Rink

2010-12-11T01:36:17Z

One of the options for outdoor ice skating in Sacramento is the Downtown Sacramento Ice Rink on Seventh and K streets next to Westfield Downtown Plaza.

There are weekly events (like Family Skate Night on Tuesdays and Ice Skating Lessons on Saturdays), and I stopped by on Thursday (Theme Night) to check out the “Ugly Sweater Party.”

People started coming in after 6 p.m., and it was fairly busy, with a good mix of families with young children, middle-aged couples and groups of teenagers. I saw a couple of tacky sweaters out there, but I have no idea if they knew about the theme beforehand or not.

Several skill levels were represented on the ice, with the large majority of patrons getting around just fine, but there were also those who held the side of the rink the entire time and the random mom who spun around well enough that you could tell she might have been in a competition or two in her heyday.

A rinkside DJ from 107.9 The End set the party atmosphere by playing an eclectic mix of Top-40 and upbeat holiday songs (and ice skating is always better while Lady Gaga or the Bee Gees are playing).

There was a staff person on the ice the whole time, an experienced young guy who zipped around and made a point to make sure the youngest skaters were having a good time; helping them get up after falling and giving them high-fives.

It might not have been the most ideal night for ice skating (it was a fairly warm evening and the ice was a little wet), but it was well-attended, and people appeared glad to be spending a couple hours gliding around on the ice and trying not to fall down.

“I was just in Old Sac, and I remembered this was here,” said Lacey, a woman observing from the sidelines. “I wanted to stop by and see people having fun!”

The rink is open daily until Jan. 17, and admission is $8 for a two-hour skating session (plus a $2 skate rental).

Regular hours:

Sunday – Thursday / Noon – 8 p.m.
Friday – Saturday / 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Holiday hours:

Dec. 13 – Dec 31 / 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Christmas Eve / 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Christmas Day Closed
New Year's Eve / 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
New Year's Day / 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Photos: Steven Chea

Roller rink comes to Midtown

2010-12-03T20:13:28Z

Midtown might be missing the MARRS ice skating rink from last year, but it will catch a bargain with Winter Rollerland starting Friday night at the Midtown Bazaar's indoor location.

Three weeks ago realtor Sabrina Berhane and her associates decided to put together a roller skating rink where the community can enjoy the nostalgia of skating to 80's pop and the glint of a disco ball.

So they threw a couple dozen hay bails in a circle, wrapped some faux-snow and tinsel around the parking garage columns, and are hoping for at least 10,000 people to skate through by New Years weekend.

Berhane organizes the Midtown Bazaar and is hoping the roller rink will provide some entertainment in the cold and rainy season, and bring attention to the Bazaar's indoor location.

She said she has hopes of it becoming an annual mainstay and is optimistic that Sacramento will embrace it.

"We're hoping for an 'If you build it, they will come' experience," said Steve Minow, a Midtown Bazaar vendor for The Sacramento Sweets Company.

He said there aren't a lot of things for young people to do in Midtown, and he hopes that the roller rink will solve some of that.

"It would be neat if kids discovered a new thing that was fun for them instead of hanging out at the mall or playing on Facebook," he said.

The Sacramento Sweets Company, Executive Choice Coffee, Paesanos and Yogurtagogo are some of the local food vendors serving refreshments at Winter Rollerland.

Music will be played every night by a live DJ, and live music will be provided on Second Saturday.

If you purchase an item from a Bazaar vendor on Saturday mornings, you'll get a free skate pass. If not, $5 is enough to get you on the rink, with an extra $3 if you need to rent skates. If you have your own you are welcome to bring them. Inline and roller skates are both acceptable to use.

Women Escaping a Violent Environment will receive 10 percent of all proceeds.

The rink is in the Priority Parking garage at 1616 I St. with access in the front and back. Parking will be free after 4:30 p.m. on the street on Fridays, and all day Saturday and Sunday, due to the c ity's free parking policy during the holiday season. Security will be present every night.

The rink will be open starting Dec. 3 through New Year's weekend as follows:

Friday: 5 p.m.- 10 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Ice Skating in Folsom

2010-11-06T07:30:15Z

Watching a maple leaf float from side to side until, as if in slow motion, it hits the ground. Piles of leaves on the ground making that crunching sound as you walk on it. The smell of wood burning emanating from chimneys. The weather is slowly changing and transforming from summer to fall.

In the city of Folsom there is an ice rink that has been put together almost as if overnight. Children skate around the rink that still has a lot of water on the surface but kids on the rink couldn’t care less. They skate very slowly and others are still trying to learn how to skate.

A couple of women sat on the edge of the ice rink and watched their children skate. Katie Surritt was there watching her daughter Joslyn, skate. Another mom, Kristen Rogers, watches her child Alexa move around the rink. It turns out Katie and Kristen are sisters and live close to the Folsom Historic Sutter Street Ice Rink.

Another couple of families made their way to the ice rink. Only children skated during the time I was there. On two corners of the rink 3 stations lie on one side. Besides the entrance and skate rental there is a Black Rooster concession stand and Old Europe station was being set up.

Katie Surritt also works at the Black Rooster concession stand which goes by the name of Little Rooster. “This is truly a family oriented place. Every family member can be skating out there”, said Katie. She went on to say that two years ago (the rink did not operate last year) she would be with her family down to the rink almost every weekend and after school. She spoke highly of the ice rink.

The rink and the areas around it make it look like we’re closer to Christmas. Indeed in the background Christmas music played on the loud speakers. The Folsom Historic Sutter Street Ice Rink is open daily from 10 in the morning to 10 at night from November 5 to January 27.

Log on to the Historic Folsom website to find more information. There is plenty of free parking and is just down the street from the light rail. Adult ticket prices are $8.50 plus skate rental. Children 12 and under and those 62 and older pay only $5.50 plus skate rental. Skate rentals are $2 plus admission.

Many stores are open on Sutter Street. Come and join the fun with the whole family. The locals are very friendly as well.

Photos:

1 to 5 - Alexa, Jaslin, Ethan, Zack, Izzy, Christian (3 families of kids and friend)

6 - Overhead View of Construction on Sutter Street and Ice Rink

7 - Skate Ticket Sales and Rentals

8 - Black Rooster Concession

9 - Parking Garage

Disney on Ice brings favorite characters to life at Arco Arena

2010-10-15T19:28:16Z

The magic of Disney meets the excitement of professional skating this month when Disney on Ice comes to Arco Arena. Expect high-energy stories from the worlds of “The Lion King,” “Lilo & Stitch,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Peter Pan.”

“Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey” is the longest-running Disney on Ice show, premiering in 1995. It has since evolved to include the Hawaiian-themed story of Lilo & Stitch.

“I’ve always loved Disney since I was a kid,” said Alex Demetriou, who plays the role of Danny (from “Lilo & Stitch”) and Captain Hook (from “Peter Pan”). “My best friend joined Disney on Ice five years before me, and it quickly became a thing I wanted to do.”

With sets ranging from the bottom of the sea to a pirate ship to an alien world, the audience is in for a visual treat during the show. Parents and children alike will enjoy seeing recognizable locations from their favorite films.

“It’s a nine-month process to get from the first thought of what the show is about to the finished plan,” said Cindy Stewart, lead choreographer.

“By the time we get the skaters, the sets and choreography are done,” Stewart said. “The challenge is to work with skaters and turn them into entertainers, and the rehearsal time is about six weeks.”

With Mickey, Minnie and friends guiding the way, the “Magical Journey” begins with a visit to the African savanna of “The Lion King.” Next, the audience is transported beneath the ocean to visit Ariel and Sebastian from “The Little Mermaid.” Back on the dry land of Hawaii, the audience meets the characters of “Lilo & Stitch,” after which they are carried off to Neverland to watch Peter Pan battle Captain Hook.

Audience participation is encouraged, said Michael Lajtar. He plays the role of Peter Pan and said, “The audience is the most important part. It is a goal to bring them into the story.”

Lajtar said the characters need the help of the audience to defeat the evil villain by clapping and cheering, which is “fun for the adults and especially the kids.”

With top-notch lighting and set design and lots of energy, it will be easy for the spectators to forget they’re sitting in an arena. There will be plenty of familiar music to sing along with while characters fly, flip and dance all over the stage.

“We have really high standards for each show,” Stewart said. “Anything can happen, which makes it exciting. It’s a living, breathing thing.”

Lajtar said the Disney on Ice shows are popular all over the world because most countries don’t have easy access to Disneyland, so this is the one chance they get to see their favorite characters come to life.

“When it comes to their hometown, it’s special,” he said.

A usual tour lasts about eight months. Each show lasts about 90 minutes, with as many as three each day. Despite all the work that the show requires, Demetriou said he “loves every second of it.”

Stewart, Demetriou and Lajtar commented that the “Lilo & Stitch” “Elvis party” at the end of Act 1 and the pirate ship routine near the finale are their favorite numbers.

“It’s good family entertainment,” Stewart said. “Kids love it, and it’s entertaining for the parents.”

See Disney on Ice on any of the following dates:
Oct. 27 – 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 – 7 p.m.
Oct. 29 – 11 a.m., 7 p.m.
Oct. 30 – 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m.
Oct. 31 – 11 a.m., 3 p.m.

Ticket prices are between $14 and $60 and can be purchased online here.

Midtown ice rink opens

2009-11-20T06:19:09Z

Rob Kerth has been getting plenty of Zamboni action the last few nights.

Midtown Business Association's executive director has been staying up late and going out in the early-morning dark to use the ice groomer to help create an ice-skating rink that opens at 10 a.m. Friday in Midtown.

"It's a tremendous amount of work to put up one of these portable rinks," Kerth said Wednesday. "I've been there until 4 in the morning at least five out of the last 10 days."

While most business association leaders might not even know how to spell "Zamboni," Kerth not only knows how to drive one, he owns one. And he has the license to drive it.

That's because until last year, Kerth owned Ice Unlimited, the company that built the holiday rink on a half-block of 20th Street next to J Street. Kerth and his father, William John Kerth, also designed 75 ice-skating rinks all over the country and on other continents as well.

The last rink they designed was at Squaw Valley's High Camp in 1990. The family also has owned Iceland Skating Rink since 1940.

The holiday rink was built in front of the MARRS Building this year due to conflicts at St. Rose of Lima Park, where a rink has operated every holiday for 18 years. The park was renovated and a Carnival of Lights is being held there this year.

Just two days before the Midtown rink was set to open, Kerth rushed to drop off sign materials at GW Print Media while Carlos Rios of Ice Unlimited scraped leaves off the new ice.

More than a dozen people helped build the rink and lay the ice. The project began Nov. 2, when the half block was closed. Skilled construction crews first built a wooden edge smack against street curbs.

They poured in gravel — 10 truckloads of it — and leveled it. Three-quarter-inch foam insulation went on top of the gravel to protect water mains and sewer pipes from freezing. A plastic sheet was laid on top of that and up the sides of the wooden edge, Kerth said.

Then, 69 pipes connected with u-bends on one end were laid. The 123-foot pipes were connected to headers or manifolds on the other end, Rios said.

About 1,800 gallons of saltwater is circulating now through three miles of pipes. Saltwater or "brine" is used because it freezes at a much lower point than fresh water.

The saltwater flows through bigger pipes into coolers inside a big trailer. That system chills the saltwater flowing out to 10 degrees, Rios said.

The saltwater warms up a few degrees outside, but the pipes stay cool enough to freeze the fresh water crews spray on the surface, little by little and layer by layer.

The water was sprayed from one end to the other and back again, forming layers until the ice is 4.25 inches thick. Most work took place between sundown and sunup, Kerth said.

The ice must be thick enough that a skate heel can't hit a pipe, Kerth said.

At 5,000 square feet, the 123-foot by 40-foot rink will be smaller than the St. Rose rink, which was 6,500-square feet.

Sponsors' names were set in the ice on mesh signs or around the rink. Major sponsors include Elk Grove-based Bell Brothers Heating and Air Conditioning, MARRS Building owner Heller Pacific, Harv's Car Wash, CBS13/CW31, California Pizza Kitchen and Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Cohn.

The rink will operate from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. all week. The rink will close at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Hours on Christmas Day will be noon to 6 p.m. Two to three hours of skating are $5 for kids, $8 for adults. Skate rentals are $2.

The street will be closed for 90 days. The rink will operate until Jan. 18. The rink can hold 200 skaters.

Locals have been talking with MBA about holding activities on a small stage at one end. Some have talked about a tropical hula hoop demo. Fire dancers want to perform next to the ice. Two traveling musicians have talked about informal sessions on Friday nights and other bands may play Saturday nights, Kerth said.

Security will watch the rink overnight.

"They're there to help people not get hurt," Kerth said. "This is not like ice in the Sierras. It is the slickest surface that can be produced."

Photos by Kati Garner. Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.