Kirkland council members join downtown tree lighting; ice rink open through January

Council member Amy Falcone, joined by Deputy Mayor Jay Arnold and council members Ken Chisholm and Leo Black, thanked downtown organizers and joined residents at a Kirkland community tree-lighting event and ice-rink opening.

Falcone said it was her “honor to serve each and every one of you on the Kirkland City Council,” and she thanked the Kirkland Downtown Association and Kirkland Urban for organizing the gathering. She described the season as a time of community and hope while acknowledging it can be difficult for some residents.

Organizers introduced Diana Salazar, who said she and Garrett are leads for the first year of the Kirkland Ice Rink. Salazar said the rink is intended to bring the community together and that it will be open through January. The rink is installed on the Peter Kirk Park baseball field; organizers said entry is at the corner of Central and 3rd and that tickets are available on site or at kirklanddowntown.org. Salazar said the rink was open until about 10:30 p.m. on the night of the event.

Anna Tomagen was introduced as a board member of an organization named in the transcript as the “Ferguson Damned Children Association”; organizers credited her role in bringing the ice rink to the park. Event organizers also announced a separate community gathering called “Google Life” set for next Friday at the Google campus, with start and end times provided in the program as about 5:00 p.m. to about 7:30 p.m.

The program concluded with plans to light the community tree later in the ceremony and thanks from association representatives. Organizers encouraged residents to visit the rink through January and to check kirklanddowntown.org for schedules and ticketing information.