Coos County on Ice
Downtown North Bend opened a synthetic ice skating rink in late November of last year, located on Union Street. From Wednesday to Friday, it’s open 4-8 p.m., and on Saturdays from 12a.m.-4p.m. For those interested and under 14 years old, a simple waiver must be signed by a legal guardian who must also accompany the minor. To rent a pair of skates, the fee is $5.
“I think the rink is great for all ages,” said Stephanie Wilson, North Bend Main Street Program Manager. “It gives a lot more avenues of entertainment, I think it will appeal to tourists and locals.”
Through her position as Main Street Program Manager, Wilson is in charge of promoting the rink and was a huge proponent of getting it installed. A portion of the money to purchase and install the rink was from Travel Southern Oregon Coast, or TSOC. The other funds were taken from transient lodging taxes. Altogether, the city was able to fund the project without costing the Coos County tax payers a penny.
“I have already heard reports of people wanting to travel as far as Washington to come down and use the rink,” said Wilson.
Santos Hernandez-Granda, a Marshfield High School junior, went with his friends to the ice skating rink recently. It provided them with one other outlet in a small town.
“I personally have never skated before but it was a lot of fun and would definitely recommend people to try it out,” said Hernandez-Granda. “It definitely was more entertaining than I thought it’d be.”
He is excited about having something different to do in town. Hernandez-Granda sees this as a great opportunity for the community to be able to get out and try new things. In addition, it involves physical activity, which can also be healthy.
Makaela Gonzales works at the ice skating rink, getting skates ready, disinfecting them, and sharpening them as needed. After the skating rink closes in the evenings, she’s tasked with cleaning windows and vacuuming. Like Hernandez-Granda, she looks forward to the impact the rink will have on the community.
“I like helping people so this is really good for me to do,” said Gonzales.
The ice skating rink is going to be open until Valentine’s Day, and is expected to become a new yearly winter tradition in North Bend.
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