CALDWELL, Idaho — It is one of the most popular places in the Treasure Valley during the holidays. Caldwell's Indian Creek has grown in popularity every year. With more and more storefronts opening up, there literally is something for everybody. But their crown jewel sits right in the middle of the urban renewal, and that one thing is an old-fashioned ice rink, sort of.
Nothing says "My Idaho" like the Indian Creek ice ribbon in Caldwell. But you can't have an ice ribbon without something very important. A Zamboni machine. When you mention Zamboni you probably think of that big machine that comes out between periods at an Idaho Steelheads game. The machine was developed in 1949 by a guy named Frank Zamboni.
I thought the best way to see how the Zamboni works was to be up close and personal, so I climbed aboard to see. I should mention skaters are given plenty of warning that the Zamboni machine needs to do its thing. The driver everyone knows as Archie says when it's really slow there are not that many skaters so he only has to do it once every two hours, but when it gets busy on Friday and Saturday he will do it every hour.
Remember the next time you head out to Caldwell and enjoy a night out at Indian Creek with its millions of lights, including a fire-breathing dragon which is worth the trip itself, head over to the ice ribbon and lace up the skates. Don't forget to thank Archie for keeping everything smooth as ice.
