Outdoor Riverfront ice rink to open Saturday
For some in this region, a holiday season is incomplete without a skating session at New York's Rockefeller Center underneath one of the world's most famous Christmas trees.
Skating outdoors in the middle of a city, surrounded by tall buildings has drawn millions to the big city attraction over the years.
This year, Wilmington is hoping to get a little taste of that feeling of excitement, wonder and community by importing its own outdoor ice skating rink, which will open Saturday at 11 a.m. on the Riverfront.
Millions of skaters aren't expected in little ol' Wilmington, but Megan McGlinchey, spokesperson for the Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware, which brought the $350,000 Riverfront Rink to town, expects up to 30,000 to come.
The rink, obtained from Longwood Gardens, which discontinued its ice shows in recent years, will stay open seven days a week through Feb. 28. Skating sessions cost $5-$8.
"We've been joking that this is going to be a little Rockefeller Center right here in Wilmington," McGlinchey says. "It has that urban feel where you can see all the buildings and the lights. It has a unique atmosphere."
In a week when Newsweek unleashed a 5,000-word article deeming Wilmington "Murder Town USA" due to its rampant gun violence and high crime rate, McGlinchey says there will be no additional patrols in the area of the rink.
The normal allotment of Riverfront Wilmington Business Improvement District security and police will be on hand, she says, adding, "Historically, the Riverfront has been one of the safest neighborhoods in the city of Wilmington."
Visitors are encouraged to park at the parking lot at Justison and Beech streets – the same lot that services Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant and the Delaware Children's Museum, which will be adding a mini golf course next year.
It is a two-block walk to the ice rink from the parking lot, passing some of the Riverfront's attractions like Crossfit Riverfront and the new Stratosphere Trampoline Park.
While legitimate buzz has been building about the rink amongst local skaters, the reaction from local businesses hasn't been totally positive.
Venu Gaddamidi, owner of Veritas Wine & Spirits located at Justison Landing at the site of the new ice rink, says his customers already have trouble finding nearby parking, which is especially important if they buy several bottles of wine or cases of beer.
With the holiday season in full swing, these are the months that Gaddamidi does enough business to keep his shop – one of the only retails businesses on the Riverfront – afloat. And while the rink will bring more people to the Riverfront and expose new potential customers to his wine/craft beer boutique, he's nervous about its impact.
"No matter what, I think this is going to be a win for the Riverfront and it will be a win for me in the long run, but for the short run I'm sacrificing some sales," says Gaddamidi, whose shop has a new neighbor in Starbucks Coffee, which will be opening mid-month. "I wish I could make that argument to my landlord when he comes around Jan. 1."
Outdoor rinks are a popular way to draw visitors out from their warm homes and into city destinations. Just like the Wilmington partnership with Horizon Services as a lead sponsor, Philadelphia has teamed up with Blue Cross to sponsor the Blue Cross Riverrink on the Delaware River waterfront. A new outdoor rink also made its debut at Baltimore's Inner Harbor last month.
"In the winter there are not as many things happening as the summertime, when we have runs, walks, festivals and concerts. We've been looking for something unique to bring people down in the wintertime," McGlinchey adds.
The Riverfront rink will have a fully heated tent at its entrance where people can rent skates for $3, store their belongings in lockers and grab some food at the concession stand, which will be run by Elkton, Md.-based Crave Eatery.
Crave, which has been a concessionaire at the Wilmington Grand Prix and the Wilmington Flower Market in the past, will be selling chicken and pulled pork sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, fresh-cut French fries, along with drinks like hot chocolate, coffee and hot apple cider.
Michael Stears, a hockey player and Wilmington Fire Department firefighter, says the arrival of the rink has even sparked some discussion in the firehouse about possibly moving their annual hockey match against the Wilmington Police Department outdoors to Justison Landing next year.
The match-up, which will be held at the Skating Club of Wilmington Jan. 3 at 6 p.m., could only move if they modified the rink with boards and nets. There are also no bleachers currently on site.
While the idea of having an NHL Winter Classic-type game is still in its infancy, Stears says he loves the idea of an outdoor rink for skaters and families at the Riverfront.
"I think it's going to work," Stears says of the new rink, eager to bypass skating on local ponds that may not be fully frozen for the Riverfront instead. "We all like the romanticized vision of skating outside, but on a pond, there's a dangerous aspect to it."
As for the Skating Club of Wilmington, the closest ice rink to the Riverfront, manager John Bilous has no concerns that the new rink will take business way from him.
"It won't have any impact," he says, wishing the Riverfront rink experiment luck. "It's a novelty."
IF YOU GO
What: Riverfront Rink
Dates: Saturday-Feb. 28.
Hours: 4 to 10 p.m. (Fridays), 11a.m. to 10 p.m. (Saturdays), 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Sundays) and 4 to 9 p.m. (Monday through Thursday).
Where: Justison Landing, 308 Justison St., Wilmington
Cost: $8 (ages 13 and older) and $5 (12 and younger). Skate rentals cost $3.
-- Ryan Cormier, The News Journal. Facebook:
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