Gadsden turns riverside park into winter wonderland
Story by Paul South
Submitted Photos
Folks in Gadsden are crazy about Christmas, and it shows. All you had to do is look no further than the city’s Riverside Park during the holiday season to see yet another way Gadsden rolls out the red carpet for residents and visitors alike.
A 60-by-100-foot ice skating rink, bright lights, fire pits and Alabama’s tallest Christmas tree towering 78 feet tall made this Christmas season merry and bright, not to mention taking the celebration to the next level with food trucks, live music and a breathtaking view of the river.
A newly constructed observation deck allows visitors to watch the skaters and to view the river. The tree was lit on Thanksgiving Eve. You could say the city earned a nickname as North Pole South.
“It’s a very intimate setting,” Janet Tarrance, the city’s director of special events, said. “It gives you the Christmas feel overlooking the Coosa out there that’s absolutely beautiful.”
This year’s festivities unwrapped a new gift for revelers, ice bumper cars. The iconic amusement park ride gave riders a chance to work out holiday frustrations. Twelve electrically powered cars scooted around the ice for a stocking full of fun fender benders.
The cars have four wheels and two joysticks for steering. “They are really a lot of fun,” Tarrance said. “Going across that ice feels a lot faster than it actually is. People really enjoyed it. It seems like there were more adults enjoying (the cars) than the kids.”
Ice skating is in its third year. Initially, the rink was a synthetic surface, but now, skaters can slide and glide elegantly on real ice. Ice skating began on Nov. 28 and continued until Dec. 23. The bumper cars returned and will be available until Jan. 10.
“When we started the skating, Mayor (Craig) Ford said it was like skating on cardboard. Now we have real ice,” Tarrance said.
Bumper car admission is $10 per person for a 10-minute ride. Skating admission is $12 during the week, $15 on weekends. Ice skates are included. Bumper car riders must be at least 42 inches tall and weigh no more than 300 pounds.
“Not everybody can ice skate, but most everybody can do bumper cars,” she said, “They’re super fun.”
Perfect complements
When you think about ice rinks and frosty air, thoughts inevitably turn to hot chocolate, cider and coffee. Local vendors offered a variety of festive food and drink. 3 Crow Coffee served a variety of coffee drinks. DonutNV (cq) cooked up gourmet donuts and folks were even able to watch the sweet, round treats being made.
Attalla’s Chill Spot served its lolly waffles, a deep-fried cake-like dessert with different toppings. And pizza cones were crafted from pizza dough filled with sauce and toppings.
Funkee Franks (cq) tempted hungry visitors with gourmet hot dogs, smashburgers and Cajun fries.
For folks wanting something stronger to fight off the winter chill, they could visit Frosty’s, a city run bar that offered Christmas cocktails, beer, wine and shots.
Rounding out the offerings was plenty of swag – sweatshirts, gloves and toboggans available for purchase.
Maintaining an ice rink has had its share of challenges, given an unseasonably warm Alabama November, but crews have worked tirelessly to maintain the rink, Tarrance said. Music was piped in, but on special nights, live music and Santa Claus entertained the crowds
Folks from all around – Etowah County, Anniston, Birmingham, Huntsville and from as far away as Tennessee and Georgia flocked to the city to enjoy the holiday fun.
“It’s another way to attract tourism and bring people to Gadsden, to do the ice skating, to do the bumper cars, to go to Noccalula,” Tarrance said. “We have a lot of things happening in Gadsden. We’re growing and it’s exciting to see. Everybody’s energy is just full force. It’s hard not to get excited.”
Skating and bumper cars aren’t just activities. The attractions are a place for making holiday magic, Tarrance said.
“Really and truly, if you want to make some fun memories that have a big city feel in a small, classy, little town, you need to come to Gadsden, because we are full of Christmas spirit and we have a lot of things that bigger cities have, but we are considered a smaller city.”
Tarrance added, “If you haven’t been to Gadsden, you will fall in love with it. It is a magical city, especially during Christmas. I think it’s absolutely wonderful, what we have done.”
Tarrance tells the story of a Birmingham Mom with a disability who came to the rink on a November Sunday with her eight children. The woman was in a wheelchair, but her heart’s desire was to ride in the bumper cars with her kids.
“My employees were able to help her get into a car and make memories with her kids,” Tarrance said. “She wouldn’t have been able to get on the ice otherwise. But my employees wanted to make sure she could do that … Those kids won’t forget that.”
There is a lyric from a popular Christmas tune that calls Christmas, “the time of year when the world falls in love.”
Think about that Birmingham mother, her children and the helping hands and hearts of Gadsden city employees.
That’s love.
And at the end of the day, love is what Christmas is all about, even with a bumper car.
