The city of Santa Clarita held a celebratory car parade at the Valencia Ice Station on Saturday to thank the City Council for saving the rink.
The members of Santa Clarita’s City Council unanimously voted to purchase the rink for $14.2 million on Aug. 25.
Similar to the weekly parades held in support of the Ice Station’s hopeful reopening, dozens of vehicles swarmed the Valencia Ice Station parking lot upon Santa Clarita City Council’s decision to purchase the ice station.
The acquisition is the result of a community movement called #WeWillSaveTheRink, which was created by two Santa Clarita mothers named Leigh Ann Dunleavy & Stacy Titter, who wanted to save the financially troubled business.
“We’re passionate about it,” said Tighter. “We’re hockey moms and we’re passionate about hockey and making sure our kids and teammates have somewhere to play in our local community.”
“I’ll be here ice skating,” said Santa Clarita City Council Member Bill Miranda. “But I’ll also be here for conferences, exhibitions or galas. We’re going to convert this into not only an ice skating facility, but also a conference center and exhibit hall.”
Embellished with #WeSavedTheRink signage, each car pulled through the parade with passengers popping out of sunroofs to commemorate the 26,000 signatures collected to save the rink, while adhering to social distancing guidelines.
“My husband and I actually got engaged in this parking lot and now my son plays hockey here,” said Santa Clarita resident Randi Leedrik. “My daughter learned how to figure skate here and is now part of the Inspire Ice Production Team, so it’s more than a rink. It’s a home to us.”
