Editor’s note: The following is a letter to the editor. The opinions expressed in this letter are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Mendocino Voice. If you would like to submit a letter to the editor feel free to write to info@mendovoice.com.
Dear Editor:
“Ukiah on Ice” — at what price?
Once again, the city of Ukiah has erected its holiday ice rink on School Street near Alex Thomas Plaza. But the “magic of winter” cited by the city’s website comes with costs and consequences.
One consequence is that the Saturday Farmers Market — a year-round event that brings customers to downtown — is pushed off to Clay Street where it is left out in the rain for 11 weekends while the covered Pavilion is reserved for setup and then the comfort and partying of the skaters.
Then there are the costs of setting up and running this energy hog. It takes more than five weeks for setup and dismantling the structure, leaving a little more than six weeks for renting and recovering some of the costs with entry fees and sponsors.
It’s time to rethink this 10-year-old “tradition” (first the city rented the equipment, then bought this White Albatross). Patrons should wonder whether skating on slushy artificial ice in our climate is really fun. Parents should also wonder what they are teaching their kids in this age of global warming.
The city — and its partner, the Greater Business and Tourism Alliance — need to reconsider whether the ice skating rink is a cost-effective endeavor to attract visitors to downtown during the holiday season, or whether there are less expensive and less disruptive ways. For example, closing off one or two blocks of School Street for rollerskating could be entry-free, guilt-free fun.
Bruni Kobbe
Ukiah
I completely agree, as well I honestly think someone is embezzling from this tradition like everything else.
Thank you Mr. Grinch.
I completely disagree, I’m guessing you dont have kids? This is one of the only things that is available as entertainment for kids, we dont have a skating rink anymore, no bowling alley, nothing. I love that the city puts this on and take my kids more at least 2-3 times while it’s open every year.
Roller skating would be so much more fun! And something that could year round! Still could be festive w lights and hot coco and cute xmas cut outs to make cute photo ops for families!
People can buy roller skates & use them all over the place at any time they want . There is nothing special about doing that. How boring that is.
Ice skating is actually fun & a great experience for children & adults that you can’t usually get around here.
This is a festive and creative solution! Great idea!
I disagree. I have seen, the kids having fun. It makes it very festive downtown. Adds an activity, some kids, have never tried before. Events like an ice rink, draw customers, to downtown merchants. If it makes enough money to at least break even, and city staff ok, doing it. It should be a tradition for Christmas cheer & to bring smiles to adults & children.
I AGREE
Couldn’t they find a new place close by? Like the other end of school where business ends?
All I hear in this article is let’s rip one more thing from the kids. Who cares if we keep the things they love and look forward to coming back. Whoever is in favor of this article is in serious need of looking around the town and seeing what kinds of things have been done to encourage kids of all ages to get off electronics and get exercise.
They need to find a new location for it. It’s never gonna grow which it could potentially grow and have more people go to it with better parking situation, but they choose to put it there and it’s an inconvenience with the streets being closed instead of one weekend for a few hours for the farmers market. It’s weeks on end why not set it down over at the pear tree center where people can actually park and head over and people driving by Perkins can see it.
I’d prefer that the farmers market be permanently moved to as far away from downtown as possible. It is a gathering of disgusting, stinking, self righteous hippies who annoy & piss off my wife & I to no end.
We own a business near the area & our customers are always inconvenienced & treated badly by the people involved in the farmers market. We hate it.
School St is going to get a make over soon and the Ukiahians can figure out what works best for the downtown core area. The old courthouse site will open up for some possible attractions (hopefully year-a-round ones). I think a parking structure is coming due for downtown along with some mixed used developments. Expanding the walkable areas of the downtown would be a good start for the famers market along with regular business. Perhaps the city could attempt to utilize the old Jury parking area and/or the parking lot off E Smith St and Main to reduce car flow through the downtown area. Perhaps the city encourages new development to cater to walking traffic in design plans. The downtown core could harbor more foot traffic volume if they remove some of the public car access or limit it to delivery trucks and emergency vehicles. It may help entice investor and businesses to utilize downtown as a large outdoor market.
This thing is just one more reason to stay away from downtown Ukiah. School street is blocked as well as downtown parking. It should be in a park, or anyplace but blocking a street.
Oh, please, just shut up!
The City does something good for kids and families, and there’s ALWAYS some whiner complaining nonetheless.
I totally agree with you.
Exactly how I feel John. They always complain this is why Ukiah has stayed the same with the exact problems for years and years
Don’t like kids, always moving around, and the constant questions!
The rink is a pain in the butt to downtown, doesn’t bring ANYONE downtown!
And those stinky farmers! Oh my!
Response to Local merchants comment: I truly wish you would’ve stated what business you own so I could be sure and never never never support you with a dime of my money what a backwoods bigot you are.
The have litterally caught vendors of the farmers market peeing near my shop.
I am allowed my own opinion, which I formed over time & by real world observations. Maybe people involved with the market should control themselves more appropriately. I didn’t start out disliking the market. I even shopped their but that changed over time.
You are welcome to your opinion about me as well.
To each their own.
Backwoods bigot? LOL
Why don’t you move to Sodomcisco if you don’t like REAL, NORMAL folks who live in Mendo.
The “peace” and “love” types are ALWAYS the worst when it comes to actual bigotry and prejudice.
It would’ve been nice to know what the fee is and how they make it affordable for low income children is it sliding scale or is it yet another activity that only upper middle class kids can participate in
Hi Mary! Thanks for reading The Mendocino Voice. You can find info about Ukiah on Ice here: https://mendovoice.com/2025/11/ukiah-on-ice-returns-monday-for-the-holiday-season/
How much are you personally donating to make it “sliding scale”? Perhaps the “low income” parents can forego a couple ounces of weed for the month so the kidlets can have some good fun?
I remember skating as a youngster back in MiniSoda. It was a great time. I’m too old now but I think it’s a great time skating and I hope lots of kids and their families participate!! Good job Sage!!
Find a new location build a bigger rink ice skating is awesome
Quite a bit of this constructed with donations I believe
Yes it’s is donated
It’s so disheartening to know that so many people are just downright miserable and unhappy about something good for families and children. We had a Rollerskating Rink run by 1 Family who also took in Foster children when they moved no one wanted to take over, just like the Bowling Alley. Everything had been taken away from the children now.
I feel the same.
I agree… let the kids have something!!!! Why do people have to complain about something like this that’s only once a year!
“Ukiah on Ice” is a sponsored annual activity/event (I know because I worked for a company for years that sponsored the event every single year) so I don’t know what the writer it complaining about. Freakin’ hippies, i swear. I’ve lived in Ukiah my whole life and this town is not what it used to be. There is nothing for families to do here anymore until this time of year. No bowling, no roller skating, no arcade, nothing, so at least during the holidays there is something we can take out kids to do. With the Parade of Lights (Truckers Light Parade when I was a kid), photos with Santa or the Grinch, and Ukiah On Ice, it gives families a way to enjoy the holidays in a town the doesn’t have much at all for families anymore. Instead of being a whiny baby and complaining, maybe just don’t go ice skating then. Go to Low Gap Park and walk the trails and stare at trees and identify different bug species or whatever it is you think is better for the environment and leave this special trading for the rest of us. Have the day you deserve. Grinch.
The term is “white elephant” not “white albatross”
Except the climate is on a cooling trend. What is this garbage?
Fuckin liberals.
I fully disagree. I have three children and we look forward to ice skating all year. Many schools in all of mendocino county take fieldtrips to iceskate, and many children hold birthday parties at ukiah on ice. It is a highlight of the month of December for families with children around our area. Anyone that is complaining must have forgotten what it was like to be little and excited. Rollerskating doesn’t hold a candle to iceskating in December with the magic of Christmas time all around us.
Its a special activity during a special time. It provides fun for kids, families, friends, couples, or anyone at all. Its a new experience for those of us who’ve never ice skated. Its nostalgic for those whom have. Its lasting memories looked back upon years & decades from now. Its about feeling. A positive one! Thats something we can all use more of.
The people who work in the businesses adjacent to the rink have the same
Christmas music blasted through the neighborhood hour after hour, day after day, every day for a couple of months . Several of the businesses are law offices where the music makes it difficult to concentrate on complex work. To my knowledge, no one working in those offices has ever been consulted about the music. If the City asked, some of the people might have some good ideas about how to mitigate the negative impact on the businesses. But it is my understanding that the City has never invited any input from the business people. Opportunity for collaboration missed.
This event has not really been a well thought out plan, or else it would be held in a more appeasing place for most. Why not the fairgrounds giant parking lot. Make sense to me. More importantly why are all the fun family places events etc. Disappearing from our wonderful Mendocino County. WHY is the bigger question. Children become adults what are we teaching them. We as a community are all too blame. Stand up one voice Maybe heard but many voices Shall be heard. Concern citizen for those who cannot speak.
I think that there is some compromises that can be made here, though the original letter seems to be clearly from a disgruntled Farmers Market vendor and with such disdain in their letter it makes me NOT want to go the Farmers Market…
My kids love this place and I don’t want to see it go. The parents here are right, we are already limited on activities for our kids and we are lucky they light up during this season and get out for some healthy fun.
Surely some adjustments can be made and kids and families can still have fun during the season.
Or is this going to just be one more thing that has to completely divides us? Everyone gets all angry about it and no positive progress is made…
Does the company that did the crappy pave job on Main Street donate to Ukiah on ice
Laced up my skates and they still fit.
Got a new Bauer Re-AKT 85 hockey helmet “the epitome of superior protection with ultimate comfort”. Refreshed the tape on my hockey stick. Be there or be square.
I think it’s great to have a skating rink for families and the kids. Like many others who have pointed out, there is nothing here for the kids to do. I hope the tradition continues. Happy holidays everyone!
Man, like many said, sorry to see so many miserable people. On he other hand, without them, we wouldn’t appreciate our Lives as much. The businessperson who spoke in the negative but wanted to remain anon is likely the same person who runs the first Ukiah vagrant page blasting pictures of the homeless in their most vulnerable states. The farmer’s market is invaluable. Those are World class farmers, vendors, and entrepreneurs.
As far as ALL the inconveniences, That is missing the main point which is that the spike for the center of the county is in the middle of Alex Thomas Plaza, and that many of us understand, as the Plaza goes, so does Ukiah. We can’t do enough to bring people and business there.