Too warm for outdoor ice skating at Mesa's Merry Main Street

MESA, Ariz. (KSAZ) - Many holiday events kicked off for the season Friday night, but organizers of Mesa's "Merry Main Street" had to make a slight change of plans, due to warm weather.

The weather, simply put, was too warm for outdoor ice skating.

On Friday night, the city lit the four-story tall Christmas Tree, as hundreds of people gathered around to see it shine. The ice rink's opening, however, had to be delayed.

Steve Wright with the City of Mesa said crews were spraying water on it throughout the night.

"We have a fire house that has a spray on it and sprays the water and go across with a light layer of water," said Wright.

The ice skating rink was finally up and running by 6:00 p.m. Saturday.

Residents, meanwhile, don't seem to mind, as they are thankful for the hard work it took to get the event up and running.