‘It was worth it.’ Atwater’s first outdoor ice rink opens with smiles, holiday season fun

Children and families took to the ice Monday as the first outdoor ice rink in Atwater opened to the public at the corner of Fourth Street and Cedar Avenue.

According to Old Town Atwater, the skate center is community-funded with Razzari Auto Centers being the main sponsor.

“It’s been a pretty big undertaking we started on Oct. 2 so, it has taken quite a bit of work to get to this point. But today when we saw the kids on the ice it was, it was awesome it was worth it. It made it all worthwhile,” said Brad Kessler, president of Old Town Atwater.

According to Kessler, the location will also be hosting the first cornhole tournament on Nov. 5.

Atwater resident Bobby Paiz, 32, and his son Bobby Paiz Jr., 9, took to the ice Monday after noticing the construction of the ice rink while regularly walking through the area.

“It’s great,” said Paiz. “Me and my son live a block away so we walk this all the time and we noticed they were building it so we wanted to enjoy it,” Paiz said.

“I think it’s great. It’s cool for the kids to be able to do something during the holidays,” said Paiz.

The rink is open to the public Monday through Thursday from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.. according to Kessler. Season pass hours have yet to be determined.

This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "‘It was worth it.’ Atwater’s first outdoor ice rink opens with smiles, holiday season fun."