Valparaiso is a town full of excitement all year long, even in the winter! On Saturday night, ice skating under the Urschel Pavilion kicked off its 4th opened season with the Valpo Parks Foundation First Skate Fundraiser.
“It’s cold outside, but you don’t feel a thing when you’re out here skating on the ice, having fun!” said skater Nicole Johnson.
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The Valpo Parks Foundation First Skate Fundraiser welcomed friends and family to the ice rink from 5-9pm on Saturday. Attendees were able to be the first people to skate on the ice before the season officially began. A limited amount of tickets were available for purchase to the public prior to the event at $15 per person, and all 300 available tickets were sold out on the Wednesday prior to the event. Admission included skate admission, skate rental, and pizza. All proceeds from the First Skate event went to benefit the Valpo Parks Foundation and Valpo Parks Department.
“The event today helps train our staff because it allows for them to get used to smaller amounts of people at first and then larger groups during the season,” said John Seibert, Valpo Parks Director. “We are very grateful for the local businesses who partnered with us to sponsor this event, because that is what the Valpo community is about- having partners.” This year, HeathLinc was the newest sponsor of the event. Other sponsors included Healthy Vikes Clinic and Family Express.
Attendees enjoyed themselves on Saturday as they were welcomed into the Indiana Beverage Activity Center for admission to the ice rink and the ability to rent skates. The Center offered tables and chairs for visitors to escape the cold from outside. Concessions offered soft drinks, assorted snacks, and hot chocolate, as well as the complimentary pizza included with admission.
The Center also has a glass window that looks outside to the ice rink, allowing people to watch the skaters on the ice. Outside, skaters enjoyed their time on the ice by being underneath colorful, changing lights and listening to music produced by a state-of-the-art sound system.
“This is the 4th year that the skating rink has been open, and it has had a huge impact on the Valparaiso community,” said Dan McGuire, Valpo Parks Director of Facilities. “There has been a lot more traffic downtown, especially in the winter time when people usually stay at home. Restaurants around the area have also given their positive feedback to us. We have people come from all over Indiana to the ice rink because they hear about the nice atmosphere and fun, positive vibe that Downtown Valpo has.”
Not only does the ice rink offer open skating; it is also home to skating lesson classes, hockey leagues, school field trips, and private ice rink rentals. Ice skating under the Urschel Pavilion is available to the public from November 19, 2018 through March 3, 2019.
To kick off the holiday season, Valpo Parks will be hosting their annual Winter Fest sponsored by 1st Source Bank. The event will be from 4-6pm and will offer live figure skating performances, photos with Santa, vendors, live music and the lighting of the city holiday tree.
The 12,000 square foot open-air pavilion provides the perfect setting for a memorable ice skating experience for all ages and abilities.
