Outdoor Rink Brought Smiles, Cash: Report

MARIETTA, GA -- Fans of the outdoor skating rink set up in Marietta Square during the holiday season should be looking forward to another holiday season out on the ice, according to a report.

Marietta Square’s branding project reports that 15,000 skaters raised $180,000 during the weeks-long “Winter Wonderland” event, covering two-thirds of the cost of the whole project, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says.

Although it’s not a certainty that the rink will be back next year, the overwhelming positive feedback and the increased traffic it brought to businesses on the square make it “very likely” the rink will return for this year’s festivities, the AJC reports.

The rink’s nearly-unanimous support stands in stark contrast to the city’s ”ball drop” to ring in the new year, which featured a half-naked trapeze artist descend from a cube suspended in the air. Visitors came away from the spectacle offended, perplexed, and entertained.