PORTLAND, Ore. — The holiday season is bringing back shoppers back to downtown Portland, and there are some fun winter activities to top things off.
Starting this Saturday, an outdoor ice rink and "Woodsy Winter Village" are opening up near the west end of the Morrison Bridge.
Berk Nelson, an organizer of the ice rink, said he grew up playing ice hockey.
"Some of my best memories are when I got to skate during the holiday season with my family, so I wanted to bring some of that joy and happiness to the city of Portland," said Nelson.
As a member of the Prosper Portland Office of Events and Film, Nelson said it was a dream to bring a winter wonderland to the central city.
"We wanted to have a draw for people to come back to the city of Portland and this was a major draw," he said. "It's unique to the city — this doesn't exist anywhere within the metro region, an outdoor ice rink — and it's a festive season to do it."
The city's putting on the pop-up to encourage people to shop locally. If people spend at least $20 at any downtown retailer in December, then they get $5 off of their skate ticket.
Andrea Wade, a vendor at the marketplace, said downtown has always been the heart of the city.
"Right now, she needs some love, the kind of love that brings community to the heart of our city and supports small businesses that make Portland unique," Wade said.
The rink opened with a ceremony on Saturday and will operate from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. If all goes well, the Woodsy Winter Village will stay open until Jan. 28.