PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Nov. 8, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Ice-skating at the Blue Cross RiverRink is a popular winter tradition that offers excellent value and great fun for people of all ages. After all, guests ice skate by the Delaware River in Center City Philadelphia, a most convenient location for everyone in the region! The Blue Cross RiverRink re-opens for its ninth season on Friday, November 29, 2002 on Festival Pier at Penn's Landing, located at Columbus Boulevard and Spring Garden Street.
The Blue Cross RiverRink will open officially at 12:00 noon on Friday, November 29 with the first public skating session of the season. Throughout the remainder of the Opening Weekend, Blue Cross RiverRink visitors will enjoy free activities including face painting, make-and-take crafts, and balloon sculptors.
With a unique focus on children, Penn's Landing Corporation has created a partnership with the Variety Club of the Delaware Valley. For a second consecutive year, Blue Cross RiverRink Opening Day festivities will include a special sled skating demonstration and session for Variety Club kids. In addition, one dollar from each skating admission sold from Friday, November 29 through Sunday, December 1 will be donated to the Variety Club.
Highlights of the Variety Club Opening Weekend at Blue Cross RiverRink include a special skating session for Variety Club kids from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Friday. The morning begins with a special demonstration of sled skating, a method of skating used by disabled kids to maneuver on the ice. Philadelphia area youth, who are members of local sled hockey teams, will present the demonstrations led by Michael Doyle, a sled hockey coordinator. Throughout the morning, the kids -- who rarely have the opportunity to ice skate, let alone on a public rink -- will be treated to hot chocolate, face painters and sled skating fun on the ice from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
This unusual ice skating experience is ideal for Variety Club of the Delaware Valley, as their mission is to provide programs and services to children with disabilities and ice skating is an activity most children with disabilities are not able to enjoy. Variety Club addresses the children's physical, social, medical, educational and recreational needs without regard given to their economic status, race, creed, gender or type of disability. Variety Club serves children between birth and 18 years of age with temporary or permanent disabilities resulting from injury, illness or congenital conditions.
"We are delighted to support the children of the Variety Club of Delaware Valley for another season," said Dominic Sabatini, president of Penn's Landing Corporation. "Working with this charity will make our opening weekend that much more meaningful for our staff and our guests."
The Blue Cross RiverRink is sponsored by Independence Blue Cross. Other Sponsors include: PNC Bank, and Philadelphia -- the place that LOVES YOU BACK. For more information about Blue Cross RiverRink related to skating times, lessons, birthday parties or private receptions, please call 215.925.RINK or visit www.riverrink.com.