LOCAL

Here are 10 interesting things about The Plaza at Gateway Park in Neenah

Appleton Post-Crescent

Lights illuminate The Plaza at Gateway Park in this aerial photo.

NEENAH - Neenah’s new $7 million attraction, The Plaza at Gateway Park, features an ice rink that replicates the one at Rockefeller Center in New York City. It will offer ice skating from mid-November to mid-March. During the warmer months, it will function as a large patio with chairs, tables and umbrellas.

Here are 10 interesting items about The Plaza, which will have its grand opening from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 28.

A glycol chiller system keeps the ice rink frozen. It was designed and built by the Canadian company Custom Ice.
The ice rink is surrounded by 62,000 brick pavers, all of which are heated to prevent the accumulation of snow and ice.
Miron Construction was the general contractor for the rink and masonry work. Houlihan Construction built the Manor Haus and Ice Haus.
The Douglas fir beams throughout The Plaza were harvested in Oregon, fabricated in Colorado and finished in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
The large granite stone at the entrance is a duplicate of one at Rockefeller Center. The stone weighs 12,000 pounds and is engraved with the credo of John D. Rockefeller Jr. It was quarried in South Africa and finished at Twin City Monument Works.
The sculpture above the main fireplace is titled "The Chief" by artist Vala Ola. It depicts Black Elk, an Oglala Lakota (Sioux) holy man and healer.
The two bronze sculptures at the entrance to the Manor Haus are titled "Chief Washakie" and "Appeal to the Great Spirit." They were cast from Cyrus E. Dallin's originals.
The sculpture inside the Manor Haus is titled "Joyful Empowerment" by artist Angela Mia De la Vega.
The Zamboni machine is electric. Most Zambonis are powered by propane.
The Ice Haus has more than 600 pairs of figure and hockey skates for rent.

Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DukeBehnke.