Idaho Falls holds free festive events throughout remainder of holiday season

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)-The Downtown Idaho Falls Corporation has found a way to put a spark in the season without families needing to pay, by sponsoring a few activities that are free for the remainder of the holiday season.

The outdoor ice rink, which got its start last season, has returned and families are already coming to the rink to skate, laugh, and play together.

"They have had the best time. They are having so much fun. It's our first day. We all love this," said Brittney Peck, who came to the ice rink with her family.

Her son said ice skating was so fun no matter how often they fell to the ice. "This is our first ice skating. We've never done this before, and we're having so much fun here," Cole said.

His sister Gevyn shared how she thinks Ice Skating may be her new calling because she was having "super fun."

The Ice Rink is available every, weekend on Fridays from 4 pm to 7 pm, and on Saturdays from 1 pm-7 pm.

The skates are free to check out and the rink is a synthetic ice that is easier to maintain and keep out longer.

Another yearly tradition has returned to Idaho Falls, and the downtown development corporation is also sponsoring its return as well as finding a way to extend its run until December 30th.

Those being the return of the trolley rides, run by the Brighton family, has become not just a yearly tradition for them but for a community as well.

"It gives people an opportunity to just come down and enjoy a little bit of old fashioned. And quite often you hear somebody talking about some memory from when I was a kid or when they got to do it with their grandpa or something like that. So it's just a lot of fun," Stan Brighton said.

Brighton says the trolley rides got their start over 25 years ago when he and his dad originally built the trolley that gets pulled around today.

"My son is driving a trolley right now and my granddaughters are on the trolley helping so that four generations doing this tradition," Brighton said.

Brighton says impacting the families he has over the years, has been special saying "You just let things become what they are and that funny to watch things become better than you ever dreamed of."

One family started a tradition of taking a ride on the trolley every year.

"We read about it, found out about it came. It was fun. And it's just a fun way to have Christmas spirit. So we like it," Heather said.

Carter shared how the tradition has made a unique impact on him and his family.

"It's just a great way to go out and explore the city in the new setting," Carter said.

His sister Charlotte shared how she likes the rides for people waiting to join her and her family on the ride.

"We get to also meet new people sometimes in line like just barely," Charlotte said. Charlotte and her family struck up a conversation with a family from Columbia.

Carter and Charlotte's parents Heather and Trevor shared how the trolley rides allow for them to see the season through their children's eyes.

"It's just fun to see Christmas for your kids and do things that were maybe fun that you might have done as a kid or that you wanted to do and just have to watch your kids having fun. So I enjoy what they enjoy," said Heather.

"I am from here and I can remember when downtown was the place to go. It was the only place to go. And it's fun to see, how they tried to revitalize it. It's coming back to life and it's just that fun, community spirit that they have there," Trevor said.

The Trolley will go every Saturday, from 1 pm to 3 pm, and people can hop on on B street across from the Citivan plaza.