Tag: fountain square

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Fountain Square Ice Rink has record breaking season

Just over a week ago the U.S. Bank Ice Rink at Fountain Square closed down after a record breaking season. While the rink closure is always a sign of the spring to come, this one was especially meaningful in quite a few ways.

First off, the 2009-2010 was a record breaking season for the rink as it welcomed more visitors than ever before. In total, just over 49,000 skaters found their way to Fountain Square to take part in what has quickly become a winter tradition in downtown Cincinnati. This season the rink saw a 22% increase in the number of visitors over last season and the growth is nearly exponential when compared to the times prior to the renovation of the Square. Before 2006 the rink averaged about 50 skaters a day, but this season saw that number balloon to an average of 591 skaters each day.

Clearly some days are busier than others, and this year was no exception. This season, the rink was able to host many events which featured discounted or free skating for families and students which served as a great way to bring people into the central business district. Without question, this past season of ice skating which started on Thanksgiving Day was the most successful the rink has seen to date and it only bodes well for the future.

In addition to ice skating, the rink is also home to the HGC Broomball League which was played during the first six weeks of 2010. In total, forty teams participated including The Little Kings & Queens of Cincinnati which featured two UrbanCincy writers. While the season was not the most successful on the ice, it was a resounding success off. Our one win, and many losses, were well documented by our number one fan 5chw4r7z. Playing alongside Jenny & Dave of UrbanCincy were many other folks passionate about the heart of our city including Brad Thomas of CincyStreetcar and Gordon Bombay of Queen City Discovery.

The broomball league is one of the more popular activities that Fountain Square produces all year and it fills up quickly each year. This season included games played during the week as well as the first ever Saturday league, which will likely be continued next season when the rink opens again. Here are some “official” pictures of the championship games which brought the season to a close during on February 17.

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Arts & Entertainment Business News

Vendor applications now being accepted for 2010 ‘Market on the Square’

Entering its third season, ‘Market on the Square’ is now accepting applications from vendors interested in participating in the popular seasonal market on Fountain Square.

‘Market on the Square’ runs every Tuesday, over the course of the summer months (21 weeks) from 11am to 2pm, and attracts thousands of visitors and shoppers each season. Last year’s vendors sold fresh produce, baked goods, prepared lunch foods, fresh flowers, handmade items and more.

Interested vendors are encouraged to apply now after reviewing the Vendor Application for selection criteria and important instructions on how to apply. The Fountain Square Management Group notes that all vendors must apply by April 2, and that no more than 24 vendors will be selected two weeks later.

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Register now for 3rd annual Cinciditarod

The third annual Cinciditarod will hit downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, March 6 and officially opens registration today. The popular race is based off of the famous 1,100-mile Iditarod dog-sled race in Alaska. The Cincinnati version instead includes teams of people racing through Cincinnati’s center city in decorated shopping carts.

Over the nearly five-mile course teams are instructed to pick up items on a grocery list and must stop at five mandatory check points where a team challenge awaits them. Registration is open now through Friday, February 26 and teams must consist of five people over the age of 21. The registration form can be downloaded online and is $30. The grocery items collected during the race will go to benefit the Freestore Foodbank.

Cincinnati Streetcar Cinciditarod team photo from CincyCoolness.

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Christmas flashmob hits Fountain Square

As part of Vineyard Community Church’s annual Christmas show this year they added a simple flashmob dance after their performance in Springdale. The flashmob dance followed the trend of previous Cincinnati flashmobs and overtook Fountain Square.

“Over 500 suburbanites trekked downtown to dance for two minutes,” said Brad Wise, Creative Director, Vineyard Community Church. “The cool thing was that a lot of them stuck around afterward and went out to eat and enjoy the city.”

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2010 Broomball season hits Fountain Square

This week marks the return of the broomball season to the Fountain Square Ice Rink. In its fourth annual season the Fountain Square Broomball League has consistently been one of the Square’s more popular activities which is amazing considering it is played in the heart of winter. It’s even more amazing when you stop and consider that players run around on ice in gym shoes wielding broomsticks and chasing after a small blue ball.

Give me a second to try to explain, though of course you’ll do yourself much better by stopping by to catch a game or two. The games that broomball most closely resemble are ice hockey & soccer. Hockey in such a way that there are six players to a side, including a goalie, the players run around with sticks and try to put the ball in the opponent’s net. Soccer in a sense that the players wear “regular” shoes, can kick the ball, and are not allowed using their hands aside from knocking the ball down. Make sense now? Probably not, so stop down and see some broomball action. As a bonus, adult beverages are sold in the heated tent alongside the rink for a very reasonable price.

Aside from the normal UrbanCincy post reminding you about all the great things going on in our fair city, this one has a bit more of a personal touch as Jenny Kessler & I are playing this year. We are members of the Little Kings & Queens of Cincinnati, with our big debut coming tonight! The even better news: we are only a small representation of the local blogging scene on the roster. We also have Brad Thomas from CincyStreetcar Blog, Gordon Bombay from Queen City Discovery, and Soapbox contributor Casey Coston. Our number one fan is 5chw4r7z who has promised to enjoy a cigar under the shadows of the Genius of Water during our games.

While the entire weekday broomball schedule can be found here, The Little Kings schedule is listed below (all games are weather permitting). Of course after the game you can join us at JeanRo for specials on buckets of Little Kings.

  • Tuesday, January 5 @ 6:30pm vs Taft
  • Tuesday, January 12 @ 6:30pm vs The Real Big Stix
  • Monday, January 18 @ 6:30pm vs The Krogerizers
  • Monday, January 25 @ 6:30pm vs Nondiscriminators
  • Monday, February 1 @ 7:00pm vs Flaming Torches
  • Tuesday, February 9 @ 6:30pm vs God Gave Me 3

Broomball photograph by 5chw4r7z.