BOK Center's Winterfest to feature specials for charitable donations
BY BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
Friday, November 12, 2010
The BOK Center’s Winterfest is offering Tulsans the opportunity to lace up their skates for charity this holiday season.
The 38-day festival, which runs from Nov. 26 through Jan. 2 and is presented by Arvest Bank and the Lobeck-Taylor Family Foundation, will host half-price skating on its 9,000-square-foot outdoor ice rink on certain days in exchange for food, toy, book and coat donations.
“Winterfest is all about families, and every year we work to make a positive impact in the community,” BOK Center General Manager John Bolton said.
The downtown festival will be outside the arena at Third Street and Frisco Avenue.
Skating will cost $8 per person with skate rental, $5 for those who bring their own skates and $5 for children ages 3 and younger. Amusement rides such as a Ferris wheel, carousel and others will cost $2 to $4 per ride.
On Mondays, visitors can enjoy half-price skating and rides when they bring a nonperishable or canned food item for the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. This is possible because of a sponsorship with Kum & Go.
Toys on Tuesdays, sponsored by Bank of Oklahoma, will be held Dec. 7 and Dec. 14, Visitors who bring a new, unwrapped toy for The Salvation Army will be able to skate and ride rides for half price.
Last year’s Winterfest charity promotions brought in more than 2,000 pounds of food and 407 toys.
In this, its third year, the festival is adding Tuesday Book Drives and Warmth Wednesdays.
On the Tuesdays of Nov. 30 and Dec. 21 and 28, visitors can bring a new or gently used children’s book for half-price skating and rides.
The books will be collected by the Volunteers of America of Oklahoma and distributed to Tulsa schools, day-care centers and other organizations to encourage reading and literacy. This is possible because of the Lobeck-Taylor Family Foundation’s sponsorship.
And on each Wednesday during Winterfest, visitors can enjoy half-price skating and rides by bringing a new or gently used blanket, coat, scarf of pair of gloves to benefit the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless. Magellan Midstream Partners is sponsoring this promotion.
The BOK Center also distributes more than 3,000 skating vouchers, valued at $24,000, to area nonprofit organizations, including Street School, The Salvation Army and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
In addition to skating and rides, Winterfest features entertainment and concessions. It also will host a holiday market in the arena’s grand lobby from noon to 7 p.m. Dec. 11. Admission to the market is free.
Associated Images:
Winterfest lights up the night outside the BOK Center last year. Courtesy BOK Center
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