Rediscover the Warmth and Spirit of the Holiday Season at Belmar

Ice skating, holiday décor and community events exude tradition

11.10.2009 – LAKEWOOD, COLO.—There are certain things that elicit that hard-to-describe feeling people get when the holiday’s roll around – a sense of warmth, giddiness and goodwill. Things like strolling down a Main Street decked in holiday trimmings, hearing “Baby It’s Cold Outside” playing on the speakers or ice skating amongst the glow of holiday lights can spark this feeling. Belmar encourages everyone to take time out from the holiday hustle and bustle to experience some of those timeless holiday traditions.

As has become custom at Belmar, the holiday season will kick off at 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 19 with free ice skating at the center’s rink, hot cocoa, cookies and performances by The Denver Skating Club. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver will be on hand to help ring in the holiday season and will be accepting donations throughout the evening. Since 1961, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver has been helping kids stay out of trouble, stay in school, and succeed in life. Not just after school hangouts, the Clubs are places where young people come to learn, do homework, develop social skills, express themselves creatively, and participate in sports. To learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver and how you can make a difference in a child’s life, visit www.BeGreatDenver.org.

“This year, it is really about the simple things that generate that holiday affection,” said Stephanie Jackson, director of marketing for Belmar. “The center’s ‘Main Street’ atmosphere is enhanced during the holidays with sights, sounds, shopping and activities, including the only ice skating rink in the Denver-metro area. It is a busy time for everyone and we want Belmar to be a place where people take a moment or two to rediscover the joys and exhilaration of the season with family, friends and the community.”

New this season is Belmar’s “Make Someone Happy, Even if it’s You” holiday promotion. From November 27 through December 24, Belmar is spreading cheer with a daily gift card giveaway valued at $200, a weekly giveaway of $1,000 and one $5,000 grand prize. Guests can enter to win at the Belmar Information Center or at Whole Foods Market located at 444 S. Wadsworth Blvd. Over the course of the promotion, Belmar will donate 20 percent of the winnings to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver.

Additional sights, sounds and experiences taking place at Belmar throughout the season include:

• Starting at 5 p.m. every Tuesday evening from November 24 through December 29 is Date Night. Enjoy two-for-one ice skating and two-for-one entrees at six participating Belmar restaurants.

• At 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 3, Belmar will sponsor a warm clothing drive and a “Dated Holiday Sweater Night.” Skaters are encouraged to wear their favorite holiday sweaters, skate for free and win prizes. Warm clothing donations will be collected for the Jefferson County Action Center.

• The Rink at Belmar is open for ice skating from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The Rink is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s days. It closes at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and 4 p.m. New Year’s Eve. Adults skate for $6 per hour and children under age 12 skate for $4 per hour. There is a $3 per hour skate rental.

• Belmar is treating shoppers to Hammond’s Candies old-fashioned candy canes this holiday season. Just as they were made in 1920, The Hammond’s candy canes are oversized and full of flavor. Simply bring any Belmar receipts dated November 27 – December 24, 2009 valued at $50 or more to the Belmar Information Center to receive this holiday treat. While supplies last one per customer.

• Throughout the season, enjoy Belmar’s unique holiday décor, featuring seven 8-foot wreaths made from recycled hockey sticks and pucks, wine and beer bottles, used magazines, shopping bags, skis, bowling shoes/pins and rope.

• For more details on the holiday enter-to-wins and candy cane giveaway, go to www.belmarcolorado.com

About Belmar
Located a short 10 minutes from Downtown Denver at Wadsworth Boulevard and West Alameda Avenue in Lakewood, Belmar offers a shopping, dining and entertainment experience that is unlike any other retail center in the region. With 77 shops and restaurants, a Whole Foods, Lucky Strike bowling alley, the new Hobby Lobby store, ample parking and a 16-screen movie theatre, not to mention countless events and attractions such as the only ice skating rink in the Denver-metro area, award-winning seasonal décor and Tuesday Date Nights, Belmar offers the complete package for a classic and convenient holiday experience. For more information, visit www.belmarcolorado.com or call 303-742-1520.

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News Facts

The center initiated the sustainable holiday décor theme in 2004 with recycled holiday trees, many of which have again been recycled into wreaths or repurposed into new holiday décor elements for decoration. Below are some fun facts about Belmar’s “Green” holiday décor:
Wreaths:
• 20 hockey sticks and numerous pucks from the Colorado Avalanche
• 150 empty wine and 250 empty beer bottles recycled from Belmar’s annual Festival Italiano, an Italian food and wine festival held at Belmar in September
• 10 copies of past issues of 5280 Magazine
• 120 shopping bags from Belmar stores
• 50 bowling pins and 20 pairs of bowling shoes from Lucky Strike Lanes
• Two wreaths utilized components such as alpine skis, snowboards and rope recycled from past Belmar holiday trees that had withstood the elements since 2004 and needed a new, reenergized purpose. Additional oversized silver bows adorn each wreath giving them an extra holiday sparkle
Trees:
• The recycled trees from previous years were on their last leg and in 2008, they were again recycled into new wreaths as well as repurposed into billboard garage lit trees. The trees were cut in half, covered in fabric and now enhance the parking garage on Vance Street that faces the busy Wadsworth intersection.
Additional Décor:
• The streets and Belmar Plaza will come alive with strands of lights cascading the streets and trees
• Planters along the streets and within the Rink will be filled with raspberry pink and shiny silver bulb trees or small Evergreen style trees with flattering colorful bulbs
• Nearly 2,000 ornaments will adorn Belmar from end-to-end
• 300 glowing silver and pink ornaments will illuminate the streets below
Belmar Rink:
• 5,000 square foot Rink with a decorated pine tree in the center and festive lights and ornaments overhead, bringing a little piece of Rockefeller Center to Lakewood
• The Rink is a permanent structure that lays dormant in the summer and is brought to life in time for winter months
• The water for The Rink is held in place by an artistic stainless steel handrail
• Hot water is used to create ice
• The two-and-a-half inches of ice is painted so that it appears white
• A cooling and freezing system below The Rink keeps the ice cold all season
• For energy saving, the building, the Plaza snowmelt system and The Rink are tied together with 15,000 gallons of water storage
• The Rink’s ice is resurfaced by Belmar’s own Zamboni machine