Paramount Iceland's Latest Press Release

Paramount Iceland Celebrates Its 65th Anniversary With 20¢ Admission Day

Paramount Iceland, one of the oldest continuously operating ice rinks in the United States, celebrated decades of smooth skating during its 65th anniversary on January 3, 2005.  Iceland hosted the following events, to which the public and media were invited:

• Admission of 20 cents - - the same as it was on Iceland's opening day in 1940.
• Take a photo on a restored vintage Zamboni ice resurfacing machine - - several machines will be available for photo opportunities.
• View unique historical photographs, memorabilia and information about the rink.
• The Mighty Wurlitzer organ will be played during a special performance.
• The Model A, the world's first ice resurfacing machine, will be on display.

Iceland opened on January 3, 1940 with an Olympic sized ice surface that has hosted hundreds of thousands of visitors: skaters, hockey players and future Olympians alike.  Iceland originally opened its doors as an open-air-skating rink, but the temperate climate led to the introduction of a roof by that summer.

The facility was built by Frank Zamboni, his brother and a cousin, and was the birthplace of the world's first ice resurfacing machine, the Zamboni "Model A".  Frank learned early on that the process of manually resurfacing the ice took three to five workers over an hour to complete.  By the summer of 1949, his relentless pursuit of an efficient way to resurface the ice had paid off with the introduction of the Model A Zamboni ice resurfacing machine.

Throughout the years, Iceland has been a hub of activity for the southern California skating community, Iceland is home to youth hockey programs, public skating sessions and professional coaches and trainers working with the skating stars of tomorrow.