Folsom is preparing for the Christmas Tree Lighting and Luminaries Friday, December 5, at 5:00 pm. The tree lighting is a great event every year, with entertainment down at the tree and along historic Sutter Street.
This year, a new attraction is the Big Freeze Ice Skating rink behind the chamber. The rink is approximately 60 by 75 feet and will contain around 2,100 cubic feet of ice, 6 inches deep, when completed. On Monday, the ice was just beginning to form on the surface, making it slippery for the workers putting the finishing touches to the area.
The base of the rink contains 4,000 feet of pipe, with 450 gallons of recirculating brine water. The system uses eco-friendly refrigerants and brine to freeze the water.
There is a constant battle between the brine and the sun, wind and air that try to heat the ice. To remove this heat, brine water is cooled to 10 degrees and circulated in the pipes below the ice. The brine removes heat from the ice and emerges from beneath the rink at 15 degrees. Refrigeration compressors, equivalent to 875 home refrigerators, cool the brine back down to 10 degrees, preparing it to be pumped back under the floor. Brine is continuously re-circulated even when the weather is cold, as the sun will quickly melt the ice without refrigeration.
All Folsom residents and businesses are invited to join in the Ice Skating Rink ribbon cutting celebration on Wednesday, November 26th at 9:00 am.
Jim Snook, at Snooks Candies said "This is a great addition to the Historic District. We love adding fun things for families to enjoy."
The Black Rooster, a local restaurant has beverages and snacks in a kiosk down at the rink, and Sutter Street merchants and restaurants have special discounts or gifts for skaters. Just present your skating ticket any time at participating merchants and restaurants, to get your discount or gift.
Former Sacramento City Councilman Rob Kerth oversees operations of the Folsom Ice Rink. His family has been in the ice skating business for 70 years; his grandfather opened the Iceland Ice Skating Rink on Sacramento's Del Paso Boulevard in 1940.
Folsom Ice Skating Rink is well-supported, thanks to a joint effort by the Folsom Tourism Bureau, Folsom Chamber of Commerce, City of Folsom and the Folsom Historic District Association.
Free parking is available in the Parking Garage located at the corner of Liedesdorf and Reading Streets, enter from Reading.
The rink is open Monday, November 24, 2008 through Sunday, January 25, 2009 from 10 am to 9:30 pm daily, except Christmas Day, when it closes at 6 pm.
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