Coming to downtown this Saturday is Valdosta’s first ice skating rink.
 
Located in the Toombs Street parking lot, Holiday on Ice will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Tuesdays through Fridays from 5-10 p.m. through Dec. 19.

 “I’m excited about the ice skating rink,” Shelia Vanommeren, a senior international business major said. “I’m definitely planning on going and I’m already planning my outfit.”

  The rink will open on Dec. 4, the same day as the 19th annual Holiday Open House, which begins at 10 a.m.

 Vendors of art and fine crafts will be attending the Holiday Open House to showcase the growing art community in the downtown Valdosta area.

 The city has provided extra parking for citizens due to an extremely large expected attendance.

 “I think it is a good idea because in Valdosta leisure activities are scarce so it will give students something to do,” Brian Sermons, a senior mathematics major, said.

 There will also be children’s activities, shopping and dining opportunities, loft tours, and music.

 Children will have the opportunity to meet and have breakfast with Santa. There will also be Christmas tree lighting and horse drawn carriages. The Holiday Open House will end with the Community Christmas Parade at 5 p.m.

 “I like the idea of kids who may not ever get to see snow and ice getting a chance to experience it,” Tymon Hudson, a senior business management and marketing major, said.

 The Holiday Open House is a free community event.

 Admission to the ice skating rink, including skate rental, will be $8 for adults and $6 for children 12 and under.

 All proceeds will go towards the event for next year. The rink only accepts cash, but there are ATMs nearby.

 The event is being hosted by the Downtown Valdosta Business Association and Central Valdosta Downtown Association.

 Sponsors include Bank of America, Mainstreet of Downtown, IPG Architects, the James H. Rainwater Conference Center and Georgia Power.

 For more information call Daniel or Melissa at Client Tell at 229-244-9178.