Council Authorizes Purchase of Synthetic Ice Rink, Makes ‘Winter Magic’ Outdoor Ice Skating Permanent Part of Snoqualmie Valley Holiday Season

Outdoor skating in the Snoqualmie Valley appears to be making an encore performance this 2015 Holiday Season at the City of Snoqualmie’s Winter Magic Ice Skating rink.

The event will also be returning for many future holiday seasons because by a 5-1 vote on Monday, October 26, 2015, the Snoqualmie City Council authorized spending $55,000 to purchase a 60 foot x 60 foot synthetic ice rink, which is twice the size of the synthetic rink the city rented for the event last year.

According to a press release, the new rink will also be constructed of a higher grade material to create a more traditional skating experience. Part of the council’s decision to purchase the much larger rink, in addition to it attracting tourism and regional attention, was to accommodate older kids, teens an adults, as feedback during the 2014 Winter Magic event was that the rink was too small.

Snoqualmie Parks and Public Works Director Dan Marcinko said, “It’s all about the kids.” He explained the added benefit of the city owning the rink is that it offers local kids, a large portion of Snoqualmie’s population, something to do during the winter months – encouraging healthy, fun activities at a low-cost.

The ice rink will open on December 12th at the same time as the city’s annual Holiday Tree Lighting Festival in downtown Snoqualmie at Railroad Park near the Train Depot.  The rink will remain at this King Street location until December 21st and then will relocate to the Snoqualmie Ridge Amphitheater – at the intersection of Center Blvd and Ridge Street.

Outdoor ice rink in downtown Snoqualmie, December 2014. Photo credit: City of Snoqualmie
Outdoor ice rink in downtown Snoqualmie, December 2014

“The rink placement will benefit both of Snoqualmie’s main neighborhoods,” commented Mayor Matt Larson. “We’ve strategically placed the rink within walking distance of our two largest retail districts, which will support foot traffic to those locations. We want to promote and support our local businesses during an otherwise tough time of year for them.”

The Winter Magic Ice Rink’s Grand Opening is Saturday, December 12th  at  the Tree Lighting Festival from 4:30PM -8 :30PM. The event will include a visit from Santa, carolers, hot chocolate, cookies, ice skating, and horse and carriage rides – and an amazing amount of holiday lights switched from OFF to ON for the 2015 holiday season.

2015 Winter Magic Event, Pricing and Skating Schedule:

Winter Magic

skate schedule

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Comments

  • Hmmm . . . that seems like a lot of money for something that doesn’t really work, when our city needs so much more.

  • This is NOT ICE Skating. How about replacing the trees we have been waiting 2 years for after a winter storm! Misplaced priorities!

  • Myself and many others are VERY excited to have something SO FUN to do outdoors with our kids during the winter & holiday seasons! 🙂 Can’t wait for it to open!

  • It does sound like a lot of money for fake ice, which if last year’s “ice” is any indication, is very far from the experience of real ice-skating. I also wonder about the Council’s priorities. The new city hall is still not paid for, right? The Tokul round-about isn’t fully funded yet either (something like $1MM to $2MM yet to fund). There are infrastructure safety improvements that are going unfunded as well. More tax revenue from the possible business impacts of a fake ice rink is possible, I guess. Overall this sounds like something the Council wants, but we don’t need.

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