The Wait Is Almost Over - The "Southwest Rink at Skyline Park"
Officially Opens This Friday, Nov. 23
DENVER, Nov. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For a third
consecutive year, Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) is bringing back
the Southwest Rink at Skyline Park for outdoor ice skating
in the Mile High City beginning
Friday, Nov. 23. The Rink is located
in Skyline Park next to the historic Daniels and Fisher Clocktower
and near the intersection of 16th and Arapahoe streets.
Skating will once again be FREE to the public with the option to
bring skates or rent a pair for just $2.
To test the ice and build buzz leading up to the grand opening,
Southwest Airlines and the Downtown Denver Partnership (DDP) hosted
a broomball-style shot contest this afternoon – participants were
given the opportunity to take a shot on goal and winners received
one of 20 roundtrip tickets on Southwest Airlines. Event
attendees included Denver Mayor
Michael Hancock, Denver City Councilman Albus Brooks, and DDP
President and CEO Tami Door.
To kick off the holiday giving season, Southwest Airlines also
announced a $5,000 donation to
Volunteers of America (VOA). And rink-goers can join in the
giving by dropping off a pair of gloves, mittens, or socks
benefitting VOA throughout the rink season in exchange for a FREE
skate rental. Jim White from
Volunteers of America was in attendance to accept the donation.
"The opening of the Southwest Rink at Skyline Park during
Thanksgiving is quickly becoming a
Denver tradition and a favorite
event of mine to kick off the holiday season," said Denver Mayor Michael
B. Hancock. "The Denver Spirit is showcased in the
collaboration among Southwest Airlines, the Downtown Denver
Partnership and Denver Parks and Recreation that provides such a
fun, inexpensive winter activity for friends and families alike in
Downtown Denver."
"We had more than 42,000 Denver
residents and visitors lace up their skates last year at the
Southwest Rink at Skyline Park, so we're thrilled to begin
the countdown to the official grand opening on Friday," said DDP's
Tami Door. "The Rink brings low-cost
entertainment and Southwest's signature Spirit to the heart of the
Mile High City, while also helping
activate our core Downtown area. Ice skating is truly fun for all
ages, so we encourage everyone to come out to Skyline Park this
winter."
"Three years running and we could not be more excited about the
entertainment and activation planned for the Southwest Rink at
Skyline Park," said Beth Harbin,
Southwest Airlines Senior Director of Communications and Strategic
Outreach. "Southwest is grateful for the opportunity to
partner with the Downtown Denver Partnership for another year of
winter fun and events. We're thrilled that the Rink continues to be
part of the Mile High City's
unique spirit that we all know and love."
The Southwest Rink at Skyline Park will be open seven
days a week from Friday, Nov. 23,
through Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, 2013. Visitors can participate in
"Learn to Skate" sessions for kids and adults on Wednesdays from
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturdays from
8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Southwest will
sponsor free skate rentals on Christmas
Day (Dec. 25), New Year's Day (Jan.
1), Southwest's seventh anniversary of Denver service (Jan.
3), Martin Luther King, Jr.
Day (Jan. 21) and Valentine's Day (Feb.
14). The Rink also will host broomball games beginning in
January. For more information, visit southwestrink.com
Last year, the Southwest Rink at Skyline Park welcomed
more than 42,000 skaters—more than 11,000 people over the inaugural
season. The Rink also saw eight marriage proposals, 24 broomball
teams, 12 occasions of live music, and 2,728 fun giveaways for
different events. The Rink is made possible by a public-private
partnership among the DDP, City of Denver Parks and Recreation
Department, and Southwest Airlines.
Southwest Airlines began service to Denver on Jan. 3,
2006, with 13 daily nonstop departures to three
destinations. The airline currently operates 163 daily
nonstop flights to 54 destinations from Denver. Southwest is
also actively engaged in the community through sponsorships of the
Downtown Denver Partnership, the Denver Nuggets, Red Rocks
Amphitheater, Denver's Road Home,
the Mile High Pedicab Company, and many more local
organizations. To learn more about Southwest's dedication to
Denver, visit:
www.southwest.com/denver.
About Downtown Denver Partnership, Inc.
The Downtown Denver Partnership, Inc. is a non-profit business
organization that creatively plans, manages and develops
Downtown Denver as the unique,
diverse, vibrant and economically healthy urban core of the Rocky
Mountain region. For more information, visit
www.downtowndenver.com.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 42nd
year of service, Dallas-based
Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) continues to differentiate
itself from other carriers with exemplary Customer Service
delivered by nearly 46,000 Employees to more than 100 million
Customers annually. Southwest is the nation's largest carrier
in terms of originating passengers boarded, and including
wholly-owned subsidiary, AirTran Airways, operates the largest
fleet of Boeing aircraft in the world to serve 97 destinations in
41 states, the District of
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and six near-international
countries. Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the
world, known for its commitment to the triple bottom line of
Performance, People and Planet. To read about how Southwest
is doing its part to be a good corporate citizen, visit
southwest.com/citizenship to read the Southwest Airlines One
Report™.
www.southwest.com
SOURCE Southwest Airlines