"We know that when people come to downtown Portland and they see it, they realize it's not as bad as people are saying it is. They want to come back," said Mayor Ted Wheeler. In the provided photo, Wheeler skates in a temporary ice rink in downtown Portland while being interviewed by OPB's "Weekend Edition" host, Lillian Karabaic.
Jimmy Radosta
As Portland leaders work to reinvigorate the city’s downtown, the city’s economic bureau, Prosper Portland, has invested in a cool attraction — literally. It’s a temporary ice rink and market in downtown Portland under the Morrison Bridge called Woodsy Winter Village.
The rink is part of a larger effort to revitalize downtown with city-hosted pop-up events and venues.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and City Commissioner Carmen Rubio recently strapped on ice skates and joined OPB’s “Weekend Edition” Host Lillian Karabaic to discuss efforts to get downtown’s economy back on track.
“We know that when people come to downtown Portland and they see it, they realize it’s not as bad as people are saying it is. They want to come back,” Wheeler said.
Rubio called the ice rink a “wonderful symbol of bringing community together in a place that is unexpected.”
Woodsy Winter Village is open for skating and events, including Wednesday winter-themed movie nights. The rink originally was scheduled to be open through Jan. 28. In an announcement on Jan. 18, the last day of the rink was extended to Feb. 11. More information can be found at wintericerinkpdx.com.
Click play to listen to city leaders and Karabaic talk about downtown Portland’s icy downtown initiative: