Frozen Family Fun

It's not a new thing but it's still a young one, this ice skating on a man-made lake in the desert.

So you can understand comments that seemed like profound discoveries at the time: "It's slippery."

Or, "That ice is hard."

Sherry Williams laughed uproariously on opening night of the ice rink at MonteLago Village in Henderson's Lake Las Vegas development. Her 7-year-old, Joseph, came off the ice and tattled the news that "Daddy was holding on to my jacket."

This is the fourth year for the rink. The tradition began when management for the retail and restaurant village challenged Seybold Skating in Marion, Ind., to place a rink on top of the same floating stage that hosts summer concerts by the likes of Kenny G. and Andrea Bocelli.

The ice fever is spreading.

Today, the Galleria at Sunset mall plans to open a 56-by-85-foot outdoor rink at 10 a.m. The rink in the south parking lot will be christened at 7 p.m. today by performers from the Riviera revue "Ice: Direct from Russia."

Ice skating is a year-round activity in the valley. But you can drive by places such as the industrial-looking Athletic Arts Academy, 6150 Annie Oakley Drive, dozens of times without a thought to what's inside.

The MonteLago rink, with its surrounding lake views, is "really a cute scenario, more like a whole experience," said Gina Adams, one of the moms on hand opening night.

November temperatures that felt more like spring did challenge keepers of the outdoor rinks. Bonnie Landau, who is overseeing the MonteLago ice, said she squeegeed plenty of melted water into the surrounding lake and sometimes took to the ice just to cool off after cleaning up the skate-rental area.

Landau is a 20-year skating instructor who worked for the Seybolds in Indiana before moving to the valley for her husband's unrelated business venture. With the rink open until Feb. 17, she wants to utilize the ice more each day. "It's a great opportunity for me to build a program" by offering private lessons, birthday parties and a group lesson on Saturday mornings before the public skating sessions.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0288.