Burbank temporary ice skating rink to close soon
Ice skating lovers — it’s your last chance to take a spin at the temporary skating rink in downtown Burbank, which will be open daily until Sunday.
Operators said the rink drew thousands to downtown Burbank during its six-week run, and featured a number of family-friendly events to get skaters on the ice.
Robert Moore, owner of Moore’s Delicatessen in downtown, called the attraction a “huge success” that brought new customers to his eatery.
“It made (downtown Burbank) a destination,” Moore said.
Recently, Santa visited skaters on a Burbank fire truck, after children were told his sleigh broke down on the 134 Freeway, and Olympic gold medalist and champion ice skater Kristi Yamaguchi joined roughly 100 children on the ice.
“Everybody’s really enjoying it,” said Tom Kearney, co-owner of Ice America, which assembled the rink. The downtown Burbank property-based Business Improvement District funded the event to the rink of $170,000.
Dominick Scarola, owner of North End Pizzeria, applauded the efforts to bring a more diverse business opportunity to downtown Burbank, which he said in recent years has seen an influx of restaurants as other types of businesses closed.
“Competition is stiff…so bringing the ice-skating rink is nice because it brings another dimension to (downtown),” he said.
During the winter season, skaters enjoyed a number of 80-plus-degree days on the ice.
“Next year, I think we may do a bathing suit skate day,” Kearney said, with a laugh.
The rink, which is located in the parking lot behind City Hall at 275 E. Olive Ave., can accommodate up to 165 skaters at a time, with each skating session lasting up to 90 minutes. A session, along with an ice-skate rental, costs each patron $13.
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