BENTONVILLE -- The Parks and Recreation Department hung up its ice skates Monday for the final time this season -- the last day The Rink at Lawrence Plaza was open.
The sun was shining, and temperatures reached the mid-60s midday Monday during the first session of the last day.
At A Glance
About The Rink
The Rink at Lawrence Plaza opened at the corner of Northwest A and Blake streets in downtown Bentonville in 2010. It sits near the Razorback Greenway and is adjacent to 21c Museum Hotel.
It will be converted into a splash park in early May.
Source: Staff Report
Andrew Schweitzer, 12, and his mom, Kristin, skated together. It was the fourth time they've been to The Rink this year. It's been colder the other times they've come.
"It's just more slushy when it's warmer like today," Andrew said. "It's weird. It's not as slick as usual."
The two have been coming to The Rink each year it's been open. It's where Andrew learned to skate, Kristin said.
"He's found his groove," she said of him being confident on skates this year.
They were two of 9,500 people who used The Rink since it opened Nov. 22 through Dec. 31, according to David Wright, Parks and Recreation director. He estimated attendance numbers are closer to 11,000 when including skate sessions in January.
That's an increase of 2,500 people from last year's 8,500 attendance numbers. This season's revenue is about $10,000, Wright said.
"From a budgeting standpoint, that's where we need to be," he said. "We were really pleased on attendance and use from the community. It's been a good season."
Wright attributed the attendance increase to a couple of key factors: weather and programming.
This winter has been milder than last year, where several waves of snow and ice closed schools eight days before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the day The Rink traditionally closes. Northwest Arkansas hasn't seen any measurable snow or ice yet this winter.
Warm weather was an issue this year, but it didn't have as large an effect as winter weather last year.
"We lost our ice a couple times early this season," Wright said.
Some of the new programming also boosted attendance numbers, Wright said.
The new Wild Wardrobe Wednesdays were a hit, and the Saturday night movies continued to be popular, according to Wright. People were encouraged to dress according to the different themes each Wednesday night. The most popular was when the theme was Disney's "Frozen," Wright said.
The department also introduced drop-in hockey Sunday nights that some teams from the Northwest Arkansas Hockey Association took advantage of a couple of times.
The first time was the day after Bentonville's Christmas parade, which players walked in as well, said Kevin Hoppe, an assistant coach for the 10 and younger team.
"People were surprised, but excited, to see a bunch of kids in hockey gear walking," he said.
The parade gave the organization exposure and helped spread the word about the first exhibition game the next day, he said.
"The first event the weather worked OK for us," Hoppe said, noting warmer temperatures. "There was some standing water, but the kids had a blast with it. They had a really good time. The second time, the ice was great."
The teams welcomed others who wanted to play, and the Parks and Recreation staff was great to work with, Hoppe said.
It's great to have another place to skate, Hoppe said. He said the only other two rinks he knows of in Arkansas are at the Jones Center in Springdale and the Arkansas Skatium in Little Rock.
Melissa Gute can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAmelissa.
NW News on 01/20/2015