The folks at Landmark Centre in Kelowna are taking skating to new heights.
As part of its 2017 Tree of Hope celebrations, a synthetic ice-rink, along with a pop-up Christmas market, will be set up indoors on the 16th floor of Landmark 6 building for three days later this month.
“We wanted to do something bigger this year,” said Landmark Centre spokesman Dallas Gray, noting this year will be the 20th anniversary of the iconic tall tree of lights at the office building complex in Kelowna known as the Tree of Hope.
The 20-foot by 60-foot rink and market will be open for three days, running Nov 24 to 26, and the public is asked to make a $5 donation to the Tree of Hope charity. This year the charity, along with its partner TD Canada Trust, will make a $50,000 donation to support a health and wellness study of Kelowna youths, aged eight to 16 years-old. The study is being done by UBCO researchers and is believed to be the first of its kind.
Gray said the owner of Landmark Centre, Al Stober Construction, bought the synthetic ice rink and if this year’s event is successful it could be used at other times in the city. He said with the exception of a little more skating resistance, the synthetic ice is just like the real thing—but not cold. Regular hockey or figure skates are used on it.
He said NHL teams, like the Dallas Stars, use synthetic ice for training.
In addition to the rink, there will also be a Christmas market set upon the 16th floor with 45 vendors on hand. Because the entire floor is being used, there will also be sweeping 360-degree views of the city and an aerial view of the 120-foot tall Tree of Hope below. The tree is made up of 25,000 LED lights.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Tree of Hope, which was originally seen as a one-time event but has become a popular annual Christmas tradition in Kelowna.
Landmark 6 is located at 1631 Dickson Avenue in Kelowna and there is plenty of free parking at the complex.
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