Ice skaters. Entertainers. Food vendors. Even Santa. That’s the scene in the heart of Orange County, where an outdoor ice skating rink and a “winter village” has popped open for the holidays.
On Thursday, Dec. 9, Santa Ana debuted its month-long village and ice skating rink, with a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony, performances by professional skaters and guest appearances by the Anaheim Ducks mascot, Wild Wing.
For some Santa Ana residents, the experience was their first time on skates.
“It was easier than walking,” said Matthew Gutierrez, 8.
It was actually Matthew’s second day at the ice skating rink. He and his 10-year-old brother, Joseph, checked out the ice rink Wednesday during a soft opening. They loved it so much they were back a day later.
Their sister, Santa Ana resident Gloria Reynoso, 24, was excited to see the rink in her city. “Usually, we need to go to Irvine Spectrum or something far away, where it’s going to be more expensive too.”
Santa Ana is presenting its first outdoor ice rink and winter village as part of its “Revive Santa Ana” pandemic recovery initiative. The project is funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act. This month, city officials also are distributing $300 checks to some 20,000 households, among the neediest in Santa Ana based on U.S. Census tracts.
A Santa Ana couple put their children on their shoulders to watch ice skaters in Santa Ana’s first public ice skating rink during the grand opening of the Santa Ana Winter Village in the Civic Plaza Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The month-long winter village and ice rink is part of the “Revive Santa Ana” pandemic recovery initiative, funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds. Santa Ana Winter Village will be open through January 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Professional skater Jacqueline Schenk performs during the grand opening of the Santa Ana Winter Village’s public ice-skating rink in the Civic Plaza Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The month-long winter village and ice rink is part of the “Revive Santa Ana” pandemic recovery initiative, funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds. Santa Ana Winter Village will be open through January 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Ana resident Mario Reynosa holds his 13-month-old daughter Victoria as they watch ice skaters in Santa Ana’s first public ice skating rink during the grand opening of the Santa Ana Winter Village in the Civic Plaza Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, December 9, 2021. Reynosa said the ice skating rink is “Nice for the city. It’s fun, I’m freezing but it’s fun.” (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Professional skater Alex Evans performs during the grand opening of the Santa Ana Winter Village’s public ice-skating rink in the Civic Plaza Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The month-long winter village and ice rink is part of the “Revive Santa Ana” pandemic recovery initiative, funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds. Santa Ana Winter Village will be open through January 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Professional skater Cassidy Irwin performs during the grand opening of the Santa Ana Winter Village’s public ice-skating rink in the Civic Plaza Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The month-long winter village and ice rink is part of the “Revive Santa Ana” pandemic recovery initiative, funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds. Santa Ana Winter Village will be open through January 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Ana residents lace up their ice skates as they prepare to skate on Santa Ana’s first public ice skating rink during the grand opening of the Santa Ana Winter Village in the Civic Plaza Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The month-long winter village and ice rink is part of the “Revive Santa Ana” pandemic recovery initiative, funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds. Santa Ana Winter Village will be open through January 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Ana residents gather for the holiday tree lighting during the grand opening of the the Santa Ana Winter Village and Santa Ana’s first public ice skating rink in the Civic Plaza Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The month-long winter village and ice rink is part of the “Revive Santa Ana” pandemic recovery initiative, funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds. Santa Ana Winter Village will be open through January 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Ana residents and others ice skate at Santa Ana’s first public ice skating rink during the grand opening of the the Santa Ana Winter Village in the Civic Plaza Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The month-long winter village and ice rink is part of the “Revive Santa Ana” pandemic recovery initiative, funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds. Santa Ana Winter Village will be open through January 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Ana residents Demetrius Pineda and his wife Stephanie Macias and their son Dominic Pineda, 4, skate on Santa Ana’s first public ice skating rink during the grand opening of the Santa Ana Winter Village in the Civic Plaza Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The month-long winter village and ice rink is part of the “Revive Santa Ana” pandemic recovery initiative, funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds. Santa Ana Winter Village will be open through January 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Ana families ice skate at Santa Ana’s first public ice skating rink during the grand opening of the the Santa Ana Winter Village in the Civic Plaza Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The month-long winter village and ice rink is part of the “Revive Santa Ana” pandemic recovery initiative, funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds. Santa Ana Winter Village will be open through January 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Ana residents Stephanie Macias, center, and Demetrius Pineda, right, lace up their ice skates as they prepare to skate on Santa Ana’s first public ice skating rink during the grand opening of the Santa Ana Winter Village in the Civic Plaza Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The month-long winter village and ice rink is part of the “Revive Santa Ana” pandemic recovery initiative, funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds. Santa Ana Winter Village will be open through January 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A videographer, center, gets assistance from professional skater Skye Burge, right, as he gets footage of skaters at the grand opening of the Santa Ana Winter Village’s public ice-skating rink in the Civic Plaza Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The month-long winter village and ice rink is part of the “Revive Santa Ana” pandemic recovery initiative, funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds. Santa Ana Winter Village will be open through January 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Ana residents ice skate at Santa Ana’s first public ice skating rink during the grand opening of the the Santa Ana Winter Village in the Civic Plaza Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The month-long winter village and ice rink is part of the “Revive Santa Ana” pandemic recovery initiative, funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds. Santa Ana Winter Village will be open through January 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Professional skater Lindsay Wang performs in Santa Ana’s first public skating rink during the grand opening of the Santa Ana Winter Village in the Civic Plaza Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The month-long winter village and ice rink is part of the “Revive Santa Ana” pandemic recovery initiative, funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds. Santa Ana Winter Village will be open through January 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Ana residents line up along the ice skating rink to watch professional skater Jacqueline Schenk begin her performance in Santa Ana’s first public ice skating rink at the grand opening of the Santa Ana Winter Village in the Civic Plaza Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The month-long winter village and ice rink is part of the “Revive Santa Ana” pandemic recovery initiative, funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds. Santa Ana Winter Village will be open through January 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Ana resident Gloria Reynoso, left, and her brothers, Joseph and Matthew Gutierrez, use skating aids to ice skate in Santa Ana’s first public ice skating rink during the grand opening of the Santa Ana Winter Village in the Civic Plaza Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The month-long winter village and ice rink is part of the “Revive Santa Ana” pandemic recovery initiative, funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds. Santa Ana Winter Village will be open through January 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Ana resident Gloria Reynoso, center, looks out over Santa Ana’s first public ice skating rink at dusk as she enters with rink during the grand opening of the Santa Ana Winter Village in the Civic Plaza Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The month-long winter village and ice rink is part of the “Revive Santa Ana” pandemic recovery initiative, funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds. Santa Ana Winter Village will be open through January 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A number of city officials and others turned out for the official opening on Thursday.
Santa Ana Mayor Vicente Sarmiento said the city hopes the rink will provide families “a beautiful experience” with accessible and affordable holiday activities by the Civic Center. Just three years ago the area included a large homeless encampment that has since been cleared.
“It’s a really compelling way to provide an activity for children and families in Santa Ana who may not have access to skating on ice and seeing what it’s like to have a winter village,” Sarmiento said.
Demetrius Pineda and his wife Stephanie Macias brought their 4-year-old son Dominic for their family’s first experience on ice.
“It’s awesome, man, I love it. We should do more of this,” he said.
The village is next to City Hall, 20 Civic Center Plaza, and it will be open until Jan. 2. Some activities are free, as well as periodic performances and appearances from Santa Claus or the Mrs. Reservations for ice skating can be made online, and tickets range from $6.25 to $13.25. Parking is available at 601 N. Flower Street and in the downtown parking structures by Fourth Street.
