Skating in the park with Santa

Roughly 100 skaters filled the ice at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Saturday, for Skate with Santa hosted by the Soldotna Parks and Recreation Department. Christmas festivities at the complex continued that evening with the 23rd Annual Christmas Lights and Holiday Nights Skating Recital.

From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., with admission costing only a donation of two nonperishable food items, families flooded into the complex to skate, meet Santa Claus, and take pictures on the last weekend before Christmas Day.

The following recital included 37 acts featuring dozens of local skaters. There was a mix of solo and group acts, from a display by the Tuesday Night Tots to solo performances by Abygale Shaeffer, Carson Kandas and others. The acts were all set to a variety of familiar Christmas tunes, like “Hot Chocolate,” “All I Want For Christmas is You,” and “Carol of the Bells.”

0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%

00:00

The Soldotna Parks and Recreation Department will host another holiday open skate on Tuesday, Dec. 31, with the “Noon Year’s Eve Skate” set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The next learn to skate course begins on Jan. 7.

For more information, find “Soldotna Parks & Recreation” on Facebook.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

Santa Claus greets children during Skate with Santa at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Carson Kandas performs “Angels in the Snow” during the 23rd Annual Christmas Lights and Holiday Nights Skating Recital at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Skaters perform “Angels in the Snow” during the 23rd Annual Christmas Lights and Holiday Nights Skating Recital at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

The Tuesday Night Tots perform “One Little Christmas Tree” during the 23rd Annual Christmas Lights and Holiday Nights Skating Recital at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Abygale Shaeffer performs “Hallelujah” during the 23rd Annual Christmas Lights and Holiday Nights Skating Recital at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Dozens fill the ice rink during Skate with Santa at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Paetyn Wimberly performs "The Christmas That I Know" during the 23rd Annual Christmas Lights and Holiday Nights Skating Recital at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Dozens fill the ice rink during Skate with Santa at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)