Opinion: Real Ice Rink Key to Downtown Holiday Cheer

Anderson City Council is doing its Christmas dreaming a little early this year.

On Monday, council considered a proposal to replace the annual Holiday Ice rink in Carolina Wren Park with an actual frozen water ice rink.

The current synthetic ice rink, which made its debut in 2016, is nearing the end of it’s projected 10-year lifespan, and many in city leadership think it’s time to move to breathe new Christmas spirit into the event.

Attendance at Holiday Ice peaked during the 2020-2021 when 7,456 took to the plastic rink. That season also boasted visitors from 12 states during the 37-day season. The previous seasons' 42-day seasons each attracted 4,548 skaters. Estimates are that for every skater, 2.5 additional visitors come to the holiday park event.

But the past two seasons, hampered by rain and other poor weather, drew less than 2,000 visitors.

The city hopes a new, larger arena with real ice, would reinvigorate the event and bring more visitors downtown between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.

The arguments against synthetic ice include a surface that requires more effort for skaters and the friction makes it difficult to glide, reducing speeds by 10-15 percent. This results in slower movements while dulling the skates. There are some concerns about the environmental impact of artificial ice, particularly regarding micro plastics and its carbon footprint.

Most other regional holiday skating rinks use real ice, and one council member said he knew local families who drove to those places instead of going to Holiday Ice.

The proposed $137,500 contract with Seasonal Ice, LLC, to set up, run and maintain a larger real-ice rink during the holiday season was of concern to some on council. The current setup cost $135,000 in 2016, and replacing, which will likely be required in the next two years, would, according to one company that manufactures synthetic ice, cost close to $200,000 today.

“I’m all for it, but before I could approve moving forward I think we should have some kind of concrete marketing plan for it,” said City Councilman Tony Stewart, Seat 4.

Stewart expressed his concerns that the hospitality funds tagged to pay for a real ice rink already have a long list of projects in the works.

The proposal for the project was tabled for consideration in a future council meeting. The civil discourse and disagreement during the meeting offered a good picture of how representative government can work. And Stewart is right to express concerns about the expense. The city does indeed have a lot of projects in the works, that rely heavily on hospitality funds.

That said, the time to replace the aging and somewhat scuffed up plastic-surface Holiday Ice rink is at hand.

The days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve evoke chilly weather, hot chocolate and Christmas cheer. A larger, real-ice skating rink would bring greater tidings of joy and good cheer to downtown, and those who think it would be part of a good move to attract more people downtown for the holidays.

Decades ago, the City of Anderson sought to be a Christmas destination, and attempted to market the city as “Christmas City USA.” There were still buttons with a red poinsettia and that very phrase in boxes stored in the old Chiquola as late as the 1970s.

The past few years, the city has begun to up it’s game with more lights and some new decorations downtown. It would be great to see that trend both boosted and continued. Working with the county, whose downtown tree should top 50 feet this Christmas, which has become a holiday tradition that has hosted weddings, visits by children's groups and a hanging spot for warm coats, scarves and gloves for the homeless downtown.

Adding additional and colorful decorations surrounding the “new” courthouse might also be considered as the city considers a new holiday marketing plan.

A real-ice skating rink would be the key element of making downtown a more attractive destination. Let’s hope the city council's concerns thaw in the weeks ahead to help boost all our Christmas dreams.