Newport Skating Center Will Return This Year

It’s official -- ice skating is making a return to downtown Newport this winter. And its return, which comes after a one-year hiatus prompted by a real estate transaction, promises more spectacle than ever.

Newport Waterfront Events announced Tuesday that the rink will be operational this winter even though the project is still a hair shy of its fundraising goal.

“There is enough confidence that additional funds will be received over the next few weeks to move forward with the return of the rink to its former downtown location,” a news release stated.

The return of the skating center also means a return of the Family Fun Nights, Skates with Santa, skating lessons and partnership opportunities with local nonprofits, including the Boys & Girls Club and the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center.

“And of course, the grand opening and traditional tree lighting ceremony in December,” the release stated.

A new treat this year will be the presence of the Haven Brother Concessions Food Truck. The Providence diner is legendary in Rhode Island, known as one of the oldest diners on wheels and its shiny stainless steel.

Last week, Newport Waterfront Event’s President and CEO Michele Maker Palmieri said they were at 82 percent of their $60,000 fundraising goal. This week, she said that a surge in support from corporate sponsors, local organizations and individuals “really came through” to save the skating center. They’re now at 93 percent with sponsorship space still available.

An online crowdfunding campaign at Indiegogo is still active and donations can be made there as well, Palmieri said.

The rink was a casualty in the sale and subsequent closure of the Newport Yachting Center last year. Newport Waterfront Events negotiated a deal with new owner Scott’s Wharf to allow the rink to return to its old haunt while Newport Harbor Corporation agreed to donate the rink and equipment to NWE.

Palmieri said that the Scott’s Wharf location might not be available forever though securing this season is a “first step toward the goal of realizing a permanent home for the Newport Skating Center.”

A celebration for the return of the skating rink will be held at the annual tree lighting ceremony on December 11.

For more information on the Newport Skating Center and sponsorship and donation opportunities visit skatenewport.com.

Photo credit: Rick Farrell