Ice skating comes to Fort Valley for a weekend

Weather didn’t cooperate Sunday and only a sparse crowd came out for the Winter Wonderland Festival in Fort Valley, but organizers said they expect to bring it back next year.

The event held in Festival Park drew about 400 people Saturday, said Tisa Horton, one of the organizers. Sunday was a different story as rainy and windy weather led to a sparse crowd.

Among those having a good time Sunday despite the circumstances were Aydriana Jackson, 6, and Keith Stamps, 11, who were trying out ice skating as rain drizzled down. They were using a synthetic rink set up by Party Playground of Byron.

Aydriana and Keith were skating for the first time and were clearly enjoying it. They were brought there by Marsha Washington, who is Aydriana’s cousin and Keith’s aunt. She was having a blast just watching them.

“This is interesting,” Washington said as she watched the pair try to stay upright. “They need to have one of these in Fort Valley permanently.”

Tommy Carrier, owner of Party Playground, bought the skating rink and a large collection of skates just for the festival but he is keeping it as a regular part of his business. He is considering putting the rink at his permanent location in Byron but has to figure out a way to fit it in the building first.

He said many people were skating Saturday and for most it was their first time.

“The kids did better than the adults,” he said.

The festival was to raise money for the Austin Theater, which Horton manages. She said one thing she wants to use the money for is to bring two professional Broadway plays to the venue in 2017. Despite the setback Sunday, she said she expected to bring the festival back next year.

Robert Brown of Jennings, Florida brought up his family’s petting zoo, which includes many goats, sheep and rabbits. He said children enjoy the animals because unlike a zoo, they can actually interact.

“It’s something a lot of kids nowadays can’t do,” he said.

This story was originally published December 18, 2016 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Ice skating comes to Fort Valley for a weekend."