The last skate day of this season for Ice on the Plaza will be on Saturday, Dec. 31.

Ice on the Plaza opened to the public on Friday, Nov. 18 following the tree lighting at City Hall, and has since hosted several events including visits from Santa Claus, penguins and reindeer.

One year ago, Ponca City Main Street (PCMS) was looking for a long-term fundraiser to bringing in the dollars that the organization needed to run their program. The idea of an ice rink was something the organization had kicked around, but never found the funding for such a project.

That was, until they learned of the T-Mobile grant in November of 2021. PCMS reached out to possible sponsors to make the rink a reality, as even the T-Mobile grant wouldn’t cover the start up cost. With everything involved including a skate trailer, skates, benches, decor and more, the project came up to around $125,000.

The synthetic ice rink, located at Veterans Plaza, has an 11-year warranty and about a 20-year lifespan. As such, PCMS see Ice on the Plaza being something that will continue far into the future. The rink itself is modular and can be expanded by adding additional panels. “We are so proud of our first year of Ice on the Plaza and we think it has been a huge success not only for Ponca City Main Street and downtown Ponca City but for the entire community. We love seeing so many people having fun downtown,” said PCMS Executive Director Maci Graves. “We couldn’t have done it without our amazing PCMS volunteers, rink staff, sponsors, and the non-profits that gave their time to help PCMS while also getting the opportunity to raise money for their organizations at the rink.”

Ice on the Plaza will return next year, with Graves citing that they hope to offer Penguins on the Plaza and Reindeer Day, as well as having special additions like private parties, season passes, and more.

“I think Ice on the Plaza went as well as we could have hoped for in its first year! It was a huge undertaking to create a community event that lasts six weeks, and it was definitely an all hands on deck effort from our board, our volunteers and our wonderful sponsors,” said Lori Henderson, the current PCMS Ice on the Plaza Chair. “We learned a lot this year and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. We are already meeting in January to discuss next year! “

Proceeds raised from Ice on the Plaza allows PCMS to continue their work of revitalizing downtown while providing a great holiday experience to the community and additional foot traffic to small downtown businesses in Ponca City.