Kelowna

Get your skates sharpened - the outdoor rink at Stuart Park should be ready for use Saturday.

Photo: Wayne Moore - Castanet

If all goes well this week, that's the day the city has targeted to coincide with the annual downtown Christmas Light-up.

Building Services Manager, Martin Johansen, says crews began the ice making process early Monday morning and will continue that process throughout the week in hopes the rink can open at 1 p.m. Saturday.

"We have ice now and for the next three nights we will be making ice until early in the morning," says Johansen.

He says they were planning to go throughout the day Monday but had to stop because of the sunshine.

"With the curved surface we have about one inch of ice in the middle and about three inches on the sides so it takes a while just to get it flat," says Johansen.

"Once you get it flat then you can build it up."

Johansen says once enough ice is built up any rain or sunshine shouldn't become a problem.

This is the third year for the outdoor rink.

Typically, the city tries to keep the rink open from early December until the end of February..