Christmas in Candyland was in full swing yesterday after a ribbon cutting ceremony officially opened the venue for 2018, and several Andalusia Elementary School fourth graders were the first ones to try out the new Arctic Trek maze.

The Arctic Trek is a new attraction at Springdale on Ice. It is an inflatable maze in which children try to reunite a mama polar bear and her cub.

Members of Ragan Harwell’s fourth grade class were among the first to try and make it through the arctic maze.

Fourth grader Semarje Hale was able to get through  with ease.

“We went in and then at first I thought it was going to be hard,” Hale said. “Because it was blocked off right at the beginning, but I saw a little opening space and went through there. Then I just followed the light and saw another opening, so I went through it and that’s how I got out.”

The group of fourth graders said that it was not as hard as they expected.

“When we went up to the maze I thought it was going to be pretty hard,” Fourth grader Kalaysia Handy said. “But it was actually pretty easy.”

Fourth grader Ocean Reeves said that now that he has gone through it once, he is going to try and make it through faster every time he goes through.

“I thought I went pretty fast the first time,” Reeves said. “But now that I think about it, I am sure I can go through even faster.”

The AES fourth graders were able to ice skate, play in the Candyland houses, slide down the enormous Polar Bear Slide and go through the Arctic Trek maze. Out of all of the activities that they participated in, the three fourth graders who made it through the maze said that they enjoyed the slide the most.

“I think the slide was my favorite,” Reeves said. “It is massive and you can go really fast down it.”

This weekend, weather permitting, the Court Square venue will be open from 5 until 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 until 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Springdale on Ice will be open from 1 until 9 p.m. Saturday, and 1 until 5 p.m. on Sunday.