PORT ANGELES — Time to get in that last-minute skating because the chiller gets turned off after Monday and the Port Angeles Winter Ice Village will come to an end for another season.
Until then, skating will be available from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today and Monday — with New Year’s Day hours from noon to 9 p.m. — at the village located in a city parking lot in the 100 block of West Front Street. It closes for 30 minutes at noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. for ice resurfacing.
Unlimited daily skating costs $15 per day for people ages 13 and older, and $10 per day for ages 3-12. Children younger than 3 are not allowed on the ice.
Ice Village organizers said the fifth season has been a banner year for ice skating.
Marc Abshire, director of the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce which hosts the operation, said on Friday that skating tallies and revenue hadn’t been finalized, but all indications were that this year would be a complete success.
“We’ve had more skaters this season than we’ve ever had before,” he said. “It’s become more of a community asset, a community activity, than it’s ever been before. That’s really nice to see.
“Our revenues from ticket sales established a new record before Christmas,” he claimed. “Everything since Christmas, all this week, has been an add-on to the a new record.”
Chamber events manager Leslie Robertson said attendance was definitely up for the 2022-2023 skate season. The daily numbers are far beyond what has been seen in past years, she said.
“We’ve been really profitable this year, thankfully, but we roll it back into (the ice village),” she said.
The chamber of commerce purchased the tent covering the rink in 2020 after a rented tent collapsed and was destroyed under the weight of an exceptionally heavy snowfall that January.
Since then, the chamber has acquired its own collection of ice skates, skating aids and the dasher boards that surround the ice surface. In addition, the organization purchased the temporary support buildings at the village site and was considering accepting permanent use of city-owned bleachers for spectators.
Decorative ornaments around the village were a donation from the Microsoft Corporation.
The rest of the major equipment — the ice chilling machine, the chiller coils beneath the ice rink and the ice surfacing machine — are rented from California-based Ice America.
“Almost everything you see now, we own now,” Abshire said.
Having much of the equipment has helped drive down the annual cost of the operation, he said.
“Not only do we have more revenue coming in, our expenses are going down,” Abshire said. “This is starting to become what you would call a profitable business, which for a nonprofit, is very helpful.”
Much of the ice village equipment will come into play this summer. The chamber plans to open a temporary roller skating rink at the same location, Abshire said. Dates have not been finalized, but he suggested that the rink could be in place from mid-June through mid-August.
The chamber’s long-term goal is to have events in the little-used parking lot year round.
“It’s right in downtown — it’s a perfect location,” Abshire said.
Robertson said a successful ice skating season had carried over to other business in the downtown area, which had always been the overall plan. More people are shopping, dining and visiting other business district establishments.
“Having such a record season and so many people here, all week, every day, has brought so many people downtown, which is the ultimately goal of the rink,” she said.
“It’s definitely making an impact on the downtown economy.”
Skater Steve Evans of Port Angeles was spending Friday morning skating with his 7-year-old daughter, Ruby. He said he and his family had made numerous excursions onto the ice during the seven-week skate season and that he appreciated the entertainment opportunity.
“I love it,” he said. “It’s a great addition to Port Angeles. It’s much sought-after.”
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Photojournalist Keith Thorpe can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 59050, or at kthorpe@peninsuladailynews.com.
Skaters make their way around the rink on Friday at the Port Angeles Winter Ice Village. (KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS)
