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(photos by Dale Smith). The empty lot at Flagler and Cooper avenues will be turned into an ice skating rink during the upcoming Winter Festival, sponsored by The Hospitality Group, comprised of merchants of Flagler Avenue.
Editor's note: The following story was submitted by contributing writer Dale Smith:
NEW SMYRNA BEACH – The jet stream from Canada has dipped so low they’ll be ice skating on Flagler Avenue. Ok, maybe not the actual frozen stuff, but there will be artificial ice for everyone to glide around on.
The Hospitality Group, made up of 13 bars and restaurants and members of the Merchants of Flagler Avenue Association, announced Tuesday the ice rink will be open from Dec. 18 to Jan. 2, as part of the Winter Festival.
The skating surface will have a special polymer on it for easy skating. The rink will be located on the northeast corner of Flagler and Cooper avenues and will be a 50-by-50-foot section in the empty lot owned by Pat Collado Real Estate and located immediately across from the Wicker Basket.
Elaine Stathakis, chairwoman of the hospitality group, said this is the first time for a rink on Flagler Avenue.
“We’re trying to brand the avenue as a place to go,” she said. “We hope to get people out of their homes to shop locally and enjoy the winter festival that’s planned.”
Funding for the skating rink and other activities for the winter festival comes from sponsors, members of the hospitality group and from a grant from the CRA. Stathakis said the CRA grant of $4,600 covers only a small amount of the expenses compared to the overall cost of the festival.
“This is a very small group that puts on events on Flagler,” Stathakis said. “This is a break-even thing for us. It takes a lot of money to sponsor events like a winter festival.”
Another first for Flagler Avenue is the New Year’s Eve fireworks display. Fireworks are scheduled to go on display from atop a building just before 9 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 31.
Skating hours will be 3p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday; noon to 10 p.m. Saturday p.m.; Saturday from noon to 10 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. Parents will have to sign a waiver to accept liability for their children.
About the contributing writer:
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Dale Smith is a resident of New Smyrna Beach, who has reported on local news in Volusia County since October 2009. His writing background includes a mix of journalism and public relations in several community newspapers and a p.r. firm in northern Virginia. He attended Barton Academy in Barton, Vt., and the Cambridge (Mass.) School of Broadcasting for radio & TV broadcasting.