BENTONVILLE -- The Rink at Lawrence Plaza had a record-breaking number of skaters this season, according to the Parks and Recreation Department.
The rink didn't battle weather as it has in past seasons, which helped attendance, but having the holidays fall on weekends may have hindered the number from being even greater, officials said.
Letters to Santa
The Letters to Santa Program saw a dramatic increase in participation this year. The program allows children to bring letters to Santa and drop them in the letter box at the rink. Those who include a return address receive a letter back from Santa during the holidays.
There were 112 letters to Santa last year and 1,123 this year. Officials attributed the increase to letters submitted by school classes and sharing the program on social media this year.
Source: Staff Report
Monday was the last day of operation.
Nearly 12,700 skaters went to the rink this season compared with just less than 10,000 skaters last season, said Josh Stacey, recreation supervisor.
This season's attendance includes people who participated in private parties and skate lessons, unlike those from the 2015 season, he said.
This season had higher numbers even after adding in an additional 740 skaters to last season's totals: 100 skaters registered for lessons and an average of 40 guests for each of the season's 16 parties, Stacey explained.
This seasons's numbers may have even been higher had Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day not fallen on weekends. The rink was closed those holidays, though weekends typically draw more skaters, officials said.
"Next year, when Christmas is on a Monday, we may actually see those numbers go up," Stacey said.
Of course, that's also if the weather cooperates. The rink only closed because of weather three times this season -- on Dec. 18 when it was bitterly cold and Jan. 11 and 12 when it was warm and windy.
One of those days was when the Arkansas Figure Skating Association was going to hold a "The Grinch" skate-a-long.
"They weather is very challenging, but we make it work," Jennifer Kelly, AFSA director, said about the outdoor rink. She added the weather this season was much better than last season.
The association provides skating lessons and exhibitions at the outdoor rink each season. Last season was the first for it to hold a skate-a-long where skaters are given some skating instruction before performing in front of their parents to music.
This was the first season two skate-a-longs were scheduled. The other had more than 80 participants who skated to the music of the popular Disney movie Frozen, Kelly said.
There were at least nine days last season where the rink was closed because of weather. Most of those days were during the two-week winter break for schools. The Parks and Recreation Department extended the skating season to help make up some of the lost days.
The rink was open 54 days this season, one less than last the 2015-2016 season. The 2011-2012 season saw 9,600 skaters in 59 days of operation.
The rink just finished its sixth season.
"If you look at our numbers all the way back to 2010, we've been around that 10,000 to 11,000 number every year," said David Wright, parks and recreation director. "We're higher than that this year. I'm really excited that it's going as well as it is. I'm excited that the staff and the community has embraced it."
It costs about $20,000 a season to operate the rink, plus the utility bill, Wright said.
The facility saw $65,500 gross revenue this season. Expenses hadn't been calculated by Thursday.
It's only a matter of time for the rink's ice to melt, workers to take down the boards and for Lawrence Plaza to turn back into a splash pad, which will open May 14.
The Jones Center saw more than 2,000 skaters during its inaugural Skatemas Break, which took place the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, according to Chase Coonrod, membership manager.
This is the first season for the center to hold Skatemas. The idea came about because Christmas and New Year's Day fell on Sunday, leaving a clean week in between, Hunter Rogers, guest services manager, said.
Public skates are usually from noon to 3:45 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday with some Friday and Saturday sessions available when there aren't scheduling conflicts. Normal sessions see anywhere between a dozen to -- if a school or other group came -- 100 people, he said.
NW News on 01/20/2017