Modesto’s downtown ice skating rink getting new owner, staying in business
It looks like Modesto On Ice — the popular ice skating rink that has drawn more than 230,000 people to downtown since its first season in 2015 — will not close.
The owners have lined up a buyer to continue operating the rink that has been a boon for downtown and offers family friendly fun.
Turlock husband and wife Dave and Kathy Halsey are in the process of buying Modesto On Ice and expect the purchase will be completed after the current season ends Jan. 20.
“We are moving forward full steam in the purchase,” Kathy Halsey said Thursday.
Andrea and Jerome Murray opened the seasonal ice rink in 2015 but moved to Idaho about 2 1/2 years ago with their children. They continued to operate the Modesto rink but knew eventually they would have to sell it.
“We’re just really excited about the business transitioning to them,” Andrea Murray said Thursday about the Halseys. “They are equally passionate about the community. ... They are going to put their heart into it just like we put our heart into it.”
The Murrays plan to open a seasonal ice rink in their new hometown of Coeur d’Alene this fall and needed to sell Modesto On Ice to fund that effort. If they could not sell Modesto On Ice then they would have moved the operation to Coeur d’Alene.
Kathy Halsey retired from AT&T in 2010 as an external affairs area director based in Modesto. She is a past president and member of the Modesto Rotary Club and senior director of the American Leadership Forum — Great Valley Chapter, a Modesto-based organization that focuses on building a diverse network of leaders.
Dave Halsey is a retired carpenter. During his 36-year career, he worked on such projects as buildings on the Stanislaus State campus and warehouses in Modesto’s Beard Industrial District to custom homes. He said he was the carpenter foreman for Gregori High School and the Gallo Center for the Arts.
Dave Halsey said he was at Tenth Street Place — the city-county administration center — last month paying property taxes when he took the short walk over to Modesto On Ice and struck up a conversation with Jerome Murray.
This was a few days before the Murrays went public with the need to find a buyer after a prospective sale fell through.
Son, daughter will help
Halsey said he and his wife had talked about starting a family business and the more they looked into Modesto On Ice the more it made sense, though Kathy Halsey said she had reservations in the beginning.
“When Dave came to me and talked about this, I thought it was crazy,” she said while laughing. “We knew nothing about ice skating rinks.”
But the Halseys will work closely with the Murrays in the transition and will rely on the team of experienced seasonal employees the Murrays have assembled. The Halsey’s daughter, Karly, works at Fields of Ice — Turlock’s seasonal ice skating rink. And their son, Dustin, also will help with the Modesto ice rink.
The Modesto rink operates in a portion of the city parking lot at 11th and K streets. Modesto On Ice leases the space from the city for a nominal amount. The current season opened Nov. 23 and ends Jan. 20.
The city will need to approve transferring the lease from the Murrays to the Halseys. Kathy Halsey said they have spoken with city officials and don’t expect any issues. City spokesman Thomas Reeves said officials are pleased and excited about the ice rink continuing.
The Murrays have said that Modesto On Ice has drawn more than 130,000 skaters since it started as well as more than 100,000 family members, friends and other spectators.
This story was originally published January 2, 2020 at 3:35 PM.
