Worcester Laces Up for Oval Rink Opening

Friday, November 30, 2012

GoLocalWorcester Lifestyle Team

Worcester's public ice skating rink will officially open Friday, November 30th as part of the City's annual Festival of Lights, with holiday-related festivities surrounding the event beginning at 5 pm.

The event is co-hosted and coordinated by the City of Worcester, the Worcester Cultural Coalition, and the DCU Center. The skating rink is located at the Worcester Common Oval at 455 Main Street.

The rink will be professionally managed by SMG, the DCU Center‘s management team and the world's leading private management and developing firm for public assembly facilities. The 12,000-square-foot rink, which is 4,000 square feet larger than the size of the Rink at Rockefeller Center, will be complete with amenities, such as piped-in music, skate rentals, lockers, concessions, holiday lights, and more, making it a fun and affordable family-friendly activity.

"The rink is yet another success story for our Downtown. It will be beautiful and first-class," said City Manager Michael V. O‘Brien. "I am grateful to those in the community who continue to recognize the potential of our great City and step up time and time again to make things happen."

The opening ceremonies will include a series of musical performances by the Seven Hills Charter School Choir, Worcester Public Schools All-City Chorus, and Burncoat High School's Select Chorus. Following the lighting of the tree, a ceremonial first skate will be led by the Massachusetts Special Olympics Ice Skaters, along with the Becker College Ice Hockey Team, North Star Figure Skating Club, and the Junior Sharks.

There will then be a figure skating exhibition featuring the talents of the Colonial Figure Skating Club, who were the winners of the 2013 New England Regional Championships and are currently competitors in the 2013 Eastern Sectional competition. In addition, Santa and his elves will even make an appearance.

Following this, the rink will be open for a free public skate from 6:30-8 pm. Toys for Tots will also be on site to collect new, unwrapped toys for children throughout Worcester. The rink will be open every weekend along with holidays and school vacation weeks in December, January and February. A public skate will cost $2.

As part of the rink‘s operations, the Worcester Cultural Coalition, The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, the Worcester Sharks, Destination Worcester, Worcester Historical Museum, the DCU Center, First Night Worcester, Worcester Public Library Foundation, and many others will assist in bringing unique programming and activities to the rink and in the park such as exhibitions, skate-a-thons, learn-to-skate clinics, snow-shoeing, and more.

As with many endeavors, the opening of the rink is a private-public partnership that has garnered widespread support, with major sponsors and partners signing-on to assist with the financial and operational costs associated with the rink for a four-month period. The lead sponsor is Fallon Community Health Plan.

"Fallon Community Health Plan is thrilled to partner with the City of Worcester to help make the Worcester Common Oval a reality and an exciting new, family-friendly destination for Downtown," said W. Patrick Hughes, President and CEO of Fallon Community Health Plan.

"For 35 years, we‘ve called the extraordinary City of Worcester home. We have always valued our partnership with the City, especially when we work together to benefit the community."

Additional sponsors include Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Polar Beverages, Massachusetts School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, UNUM, Clark University, Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare, Bay State Savings Bank, and University of Massachusetts Medical School.

For more information head to the Worcester Common Oval's Facebook page.