Warm Weather Bests Rink

Parks Staff Challenged To Keep Surface Frozen

David Wright, Bentonville Parks & Recreation director, discusses Wednesday how the ice is maintained at the Rink at Lawrence Plaza in downtown Bentonville. Because of warmer temperatures, the rink was closed on Saturday afternoon and didn’t open until Wednesday.

David Wright, Bentonville Parks & Recreation director, discusses Wednesday how the ice is maintained at the Rink at Lawrence Plaza in downtown Bentonville. Because of warmer temperatures, the rink was closed on Saturday afternoon and didn’t open until Wednesday.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

— Children aren’t the only ones dreaming of a white Christmas this year. City workers are hoping for cooler temperatures to keep ice on the skating rink at Lawrence Plaza.

Officials closed the ice rink last weekend and early this week as December temperatures soared into the mid-70s. Staff worked through the night Tuesday when temperatures dropped into the 30s and 40s to rebuild ice at the rink, said David Wright, director of the Parks and Recreation Department. The rink opened again Wednesday night.

At A Glance

About The Rink

The Rink at Lawrence Plaza is open from 5 to 7:45 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, from 12:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and from 2 to 4:45 p.m. on Sunday.

Check the city’s website at bentonvillear.com/parks_lawrence_plaza.html for holiday hours.

Skating costs $5 with skate rentals or $3 with personal skates. A family pass is available for $50 for the season.

Source: Staff Report

The National Weather Service predicts near normal or slightly higher temperatures for Bentonville for the next three months, according to its website.

The Rink at Lawrence Plaza is the only permanent outdoor ice rink in the state. Now in its third year, the rink offers skate rentals, food vendors and holiday music to provide a Norman Rockwell-esque experience in downtown Bentonville.

Parks workers also had a tough time keeping ice built up on the rink in its first year, Wright said. Daytime temperatures can get up into the 60s and workers can still maintain ice as long as nighttime temperatures drop below 45 degrees, he said.

“We need it to be below 45 degrees at night,” Wright said. “If not, after several days, we’ll start to lose ice.”

At A Glance

Bentonville Parade Set For Saturday

The Bentonville Christmas Parade will celebrate “Holiday Traditions Around the World” at 11 a.m. Saturday.

The parade route will begin at the Walmart Home Office parking lots near Southwest Eighth and Southwest A streets, head north on Main Street, pass the downtown square and end at Northwest Second and A streets.

Also, the 21c Museum Hotel will announce the color chosen for its signature penguins at its Bentonville location during the parade. Residents have been voting for weeks online to choose from several colors.

Source: Staff Report

Parks staff learned quickly that first year to keep buckets of white paint in stock and plan on frequently rebuilding the ice at night. Rebuilding the ice is a time-consuming process.

The concrete pad at the rink has built-in refrigerated lines that run fluid coming out of a chiller at 4 degrees. The pad must stay at 14 degrees or less to build ice, Wright said.

Workers pour a layer of water on the chilled pad, then paint it white once it freezes. The white paint reflects the sunlight to keep ice from melting and gives the rink a wintery feel, Wright said. Once the first layer is painted, workers continue layering the water until the ice is at the desired depth.

“We’ve gotten better at this as we went along,” Wright said. “We’re better at maintaining the ice now.”

The rink has proved popular with residents. Attendance figures from the Parks Department show more than 2,000 people skated at the rink in the two weeks it was open in November. It brought in $13,335 in revenue to the city during that time.

“It can be a madhouse here when kids get out of school,” Wright said.

Amy Robinson of Rogers skated with her two children, Nicholas, 6, and Abby, 3, Wednesday night. It was the first night for the trio to skate, so they used stabilizers. Nicholas said his favorite part was “falling down.”

“This is really great. You have the Christmas music and everything,” Robinson said. “We love it.”

In addition to skating, the rink offers other holiday opportunities. Children can bring their letters to Santa and “mail” them in a festive wooden house beside the rink. Every child will receive a personal reply from Santa as long as they include a return address.

Wright said Santa already has received more than 100 letters through the drop box. Letters must be mailed by Dec. 15 to receive a reply by Christmas. Santa will be around in the week before Christmas for photos at the rink.

The rink hosts Christmas movies every Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. through the holidays. The lineup includes classic Christmas favorites that can be enjoyed while skating or lounging at picnic tables or lawn chairs.

For those tired of holiday music, the rink trades in Christmas tunes for top 40 music every Friday night from 8 to 9:30 p.m.