The 3rd Annual Ice Skating with SantaTim & Toy Giveaways at Toyota Arena

Name: The 3rd Annual Ice Skating with SantaTim & Toy Giveaways at Toyota Arena
Start: 2024-12-23T11:00:00-08:00
End: 2024-12-23T20:30:00-08:00
Location: Toyota Arena

Schedule

Mon Dec 23 2024 at 11:00 am to 08:30 pm

UTC-08:00

Location

Toyota Arena | Kennewick, WA

HI EVERYONE & THANK YOU FOR SHOWING INTEREST IN ICE SKATING WITH SANTA 2024. Below, is ALL the information you will need for this year's event. Any questions? Please feel free to ask

1.
PLEASE NOTE:
For those who do NOT have their own ice skates: Remember to come early on Monday, 12/23/24 to get a spot on the ice. No-school for Christmas Break public skates fill up
In case the event happens where the rink runs out of your sized skates (or skates at all), we recommend waiting for your skate size to become available or come to another skate that same day. If you can’t come back, please come get me and we will give your child(ren) a prize! I will be walking around the lobby too.

2.
CONFIRMED TIMES:
11AM to 12:30PM
1PM to 2:30PM
3PM to 4:30PM
5PM to 6:30PM
7PM to 8:30PM
Per the rink open skate rules, you must be 3 years and older to ice skate. Toys for every kid in the lobby too!

3. Welcome
Welcome everyone! I am glad you are reading this. In December 2022, I debuted a new public toy/prize giveaway for kids and their families (the alternate to my Halloween Trick or Treat one). I hosted Ice Skate with SantaTim at The Toyota Arena Ice Skating Rink. The rink was very VERY good about it and were such good sports letting me have this event there and letting me place ALL the bags and prizes there in the back. Due to such good turnouts, in 2022 and 2023, I am bringing this event BACK for 2024!!
4. Halloween
If you have been to my Trick-or-Treat Giveaways, then you will love this! Same concept. Different place. Different Holiday. Instead of walking up to get candy and prizes, your child(ren) can now ice skate and get their candy and prizes!
5. Location
The location for this giveaway will be the Toyota Arena Ice Skating Rink in Kennewick, Washington. Behind Lowes & Target. NEXT DOOR to the Toyota Center. This event is NOT at the Toyota Center. It's at the Toyota Arena (picture in the cover photo). 7016 W Grandridge Blvd, Kennewick Washington
6. Date
Monday, December 23rd, 2024
7. Ice Skating
Has your child ever been on the ice? Have they ever wanted to try ice skating? Now is a great time to start! Has your child been on the ice before? Are they pros on the ice? Just starting out? Beginners? Or always at the rink? This one is for them too! This is a great opportunity to get on the ice and get a feel of it or to go out and practice your skills.
8. Figure Skates, Hockey Skates, Speed Skates
It will not matter if your child has figure skates or hockey skates, if they're more into figure skating or hockey, this is for everyone!
9. Ages
Ice skating itself is for ages 3 and Up. If you have a child who is 3 and Up and they have a sibling, friend, relative who is under the age of 3 and they come to watch their relatives on the ice, no worries, Santa Tim will be walking around the lobby area too. We will include those kids as well
10. Aside from our kids, who else can ice skate?
These are public skates, so kids can bring their friends, family, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, siblings, guardians, classmates, best friends, BFFs, & neighbors!
11. Times
11am-12:30pm
1pm-2:30pm
3pm-4:30pm
5pm-6:30pm
7pm-8:30pm
12. Pricing:
Public Skate admission is 10.00 per person
Skate rental is 5.00 IF NECESSARY
Santa's Prizes are absolutely FREE!

13. Helmets:
The Toyota Arena does not offer helmet rental. We ask that you please bring your own. Helmets are recommended for ages 3 to 6. If you would like, put your child's name on their helmet so SantaTim can call them by their name to help boost the magic.
14. Can we take pictures to capture the moments?
Please do! Parents, Grandparents, Guardians, feel free to capture the memories. In previous years, SantaTim was asked to take pictures WITH some of the skaters, and that is more than welcome too! So if your skaters want a picture with SantaTim, they can get one. Video is great too!
15. What prizes will Santa have?
No prize is from Halloween Trick or Treat leftovers. SantaTim has his very own prizes, direct from the North Pole (or from claw machines, vending machines, and ect). Kids will be able to actually pick their prizes from Santa's big red bag itself! That is a perfect picture and video opportunity!
16. BIRTHDAY PRIZES FOR THE BIRTHDAY BOY & GIRL
We will be bringing in a bunch of birthday prizes. If your child is born in December or close to Christmas (early January can count), they can pick out a birthday prize! All we ask is that you tell me so I can go get the prizes. Feel free to tell me HERE or on my personal page in advance. Or for those who have my email, that works too.
Also, I have some prizes with NAMES on them, if your child shares their name, please let me know, and I will personally hand these to them also
***Diana
***Chelsea
***Eric
PLEASE NOTE: if someone who is planning on coming, with those names, tells me they want it before the day of the skates, I will remove them from the list above to avoid confusions.
17. Will there be a toy limit?
So we can be sure that all kids get a prize, AT THIS TIME, yes, we are limiting toys to TWO TOYs per child.
In 2022-2023, it was one prize per child but later dropped it when we felt it was safe to do so, so some kids did get multiple toys.
18. Weather
The rink typically doesn't close for weather but in case it does
***I will post HERE and on the Tri-Cities, WA Activities for Kids! page ASAP
19. Can big kids come? Can they get a prize?
Of course! Older kids are more than welcome to participate in skating and getting a prize from SantaTim! This includes, but is not limited to middle schoolers, pre teens, high schoolers. We have a good number of older kids on Trick or Treat! We love to see everyone having fun so bring the whole family!
20. NEW OFFERINGS FOR THE KIDS:
In 2023, I debuted several reindeer and elf headbands. I personally handed two kids from EACH public skate to be Santa Tim's reindeer and one child from every session to be his little helper. I will be doing the same thing this year. Feel free to volunteer or come and grab me to receive your special headbands. I had kids hand them back to me when the session was done. Though that is extremely nice of them and it is greatly appreciated, THE HEADBANDS will now belong to the lucky kids who receive them! No need to turn in the memories they made being elves & reindeer. I will be looking for a total of 15 kids for this. 10 to be honorary reindeer and 5 to be honorary elves!
21. Aside from Ice Skating with SantaTim, what are these events exactly?
These events are regular Public Skates, brought on by the Toyota Arena in Kennewick. I am just hosting the Santa Skate and Toy Giveaway portion of it.
22. LUNCH BREAK
Santa Tim will be taking a lunch break. If you come to the next ice skate session early and you see no sign of Santa, PLEASE NO WORRIES, he will be back once he gets back from the Pole.
23. You never know who you might see at Santa Skate
In 2022, professional wrestlers Rich Swann & Su Yung even brought their children. Wrestling fans might know Yung from Impact Wrestling and Swann from WWE, 205 Live, and Impact Wrestling
24. When should I come?
For those of you who do NOT have your own skates, this one is for you
Schools will be closed, Christmas Vacation will be ON, and these sessions during Christmas Winter Break tend to get BUSY. I suggest you come early to assure a spot on the ice. For those coming to the first 4 skates, there will be another skate after that, should skates be sold out when you arrive. We hope you come to the next one
25. What should I wear to this event?
The ice rink is COLD. Dress warm. Gloves, mittens, jackets, coats, and layers are recommended.
26. Christmas clothes
If you or the family have winter, Christmas, holiday, or Santa Claus themed clothes, I suggest you bring that to fit the theme. This is, of course, up to the skater and their family. Snowflakes, Santa hats, reindeer antlers, ect are all perfect too. If a child has their name on their helmet, I will tell SantaTim to say their name to add extra magic
27. Helmet Update
Toyota Arena does not rent out helmets anymore. We suggest you bring your own
Helmets are recommended for ages 3 to 6.
A bicycle helmet is fine
28. What if Santa's bag gets too low?
SantaTim will have backup bags in the back. When the giant red bag gets low, Santa will refill his bag. And if needed, he will quickly get the reindeer to fly him back to the Pole for MORE prizes.
29. PRIZE SELECTIONS:
Debuting in 2024, My Dad & I will be combining ALL stuffed animals and plushies for Santa Skate. By default, we will also be combining everything NOT in the stuffed animal category. The plan is we will have Santa's bag filled with plush and kids can take at least 2 toys. When this is done, we will switch the stuffies out with capsules, fidgets, cups, rubber prizes, and more! We plan on doing this for every public skate offered. We came to realize that stuffed animals are a huge hit so this will be the best of both worlds. Kids can now take giant teddy bears AND little rubber duckies during their time at Toyota Arena. This will also avoid one child taking a big plush while another takes a much small prize. Now every child can take a big prize AND a smaller prize. I want to be as fair as I can be. So, if the toy limit is 2 toys per child, they can pick out 4 prizes total. Two stuffies and two smaller prizes such as rubber duckies.
30. The News
In 2022 & 2023, I even had an interview on the TVs to promote this event!
Here is the link to 2022's event:
https://www.nbcrightnow.com/.../video_f3db8cec-8146-11ed...
31. DO I NEED TO REGISTER OR SIGN MY CHILD UP TO ATTEND?
No! This is a come one come all event and everyone is welcome! No registration or signing up necessary
32. Should I arrive early?
Christmas Break open skates tend to get BUSY so yes, we recommend coming early. Sometimes the rink runs OUT of skate rental. For those of you who don’t have your own skates, in case this event happens, I recommend you either come back to another skate (same day, no worries) or wait for your size to become available
33. Zamboni
The zamboni will be coming out to make the ice nice and pretty @ 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm, & 6:30pm. It's possible we see him at 8:30pm too. Be sure to wave as he drives on by!
34. Be sure to thank the Toyota Arena for letting this happen for the 3rd consecutive year! Can't do it without them!
35. Rain, Wind, Snow, or Shine. I plan on doing this and making kids' Christmas magical!