Christmas in the Ville ice rink opens Friday in downtown Bartlesville
The Bartlesville Regional Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the return of their fifth annual Christmas in the Ville – a month-long Christmas festival that features a real ice skating rink, a festively-lit vintage train, horse-drawn carriage rides, photo-op moments with Santa and more.
The holiday spectacular, sponsored by Perspective Advisors, kicks off with the opening of the rink and flip-of-the-switch tree and park lighting celebration that starts at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 3. The festival will be open through Jan. 2 in the parking lot north of the Chamber Depot at 201 SW Keeler in the heart of downtown Bartlesville.
Sherri Wilt, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, said that the festival is an "entertainment gift" that the Chamber is excited to bring back to the community.
“We have created a family friendly, old-fashioned Christmas atmosphere in the heart of downtown Bartlesville," Wilt said. "We wanted to set ourselves apart from other holiday rinks by surrounding our guests with beauty and entertainment, and people have loved our quaint, family-friendly atmosphere and ease of free parking."
During the festival, the Chamber’s property will be magically lit from Frank Phillips Park at Keeler and Frank Phillips Boulevard all the way to the north parking lot where the vintage AT&SF No. 940 locomotive train sits. Visitors are free to climb up into the locomotive to blow the whistle and explore.
The train features four other cars including a caboose. All have been lovingly restored and are lit and decorated to make a beautiful backdrop to the west side of the rink. The park is filled with twinkle lights and includes a magnificent 12-foot walk-through ornament and 28-foot Christmas tree.
The north end backdrop to the rink portrays a vintage village. The popular “tree farm” at the north end of the depot will be even bigger this year and makes another great stop for holiday photos. Horse-drawn carriage rides are available during all open hours.
Santa is available for take-your-own photos in the big red sleigh on Friday evenings and Saturdays.
Evenings feature Christmas movies in the park on the north lawn. Hay bales are set up to resemble a drive-in atmosphere where families can enjoy some classic holiday movies while sipping hot chocolate.
Yard games on the south lawn are also a family favorite. Other special activities planned throughout the festival include character weekends with Anna & Elsa and Superman & Spiderman.
Opening Night: A community wide celebration for the season and opening of the rink will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 3. The evening will include the lighting of the Chamber park and 28-foot community Christmas tree. The evening also features "Frozen" characters Anna & Elsa, visiting with Santa, local food trucks, a downtown merchant crawl featuring great prizes, festive photo-op stops, real tot train rides, the Presents with Perspective Shop where kids shop free for family members in the Perspective Advisors tent and carriage rides.
Hours: The festival will be open from 6 to 9 p.m. every Friday and 1 to 9 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday. The rink is reserved for families skating with children under 12 years of age from 3 to 6 p.m. on Dec. 10 and 17.
Christmas Break: After Dec. 20, the rink will be open every day from 1 to 9 p.m. but closed Christmas day and open from 1 to 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve. On New Year's Eve, the rink will be open until midnight.
Prices: Admission to skate is $10; this includes skates and unlimited skating time. Most of the other activities, except carriage rides, are free.
“We hope the people will slip on out and enjoy some frosty, family fun in Bartlesville,” Wilt said.
Go to BartlesvilleChristmas.com for specific times and a full calendar of events. Follow them at @christmasintheville.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Bartlesville Christmas in the Ville ice rink opens Friday downtown
