Norwich — Ten-year-olds Liz Legary, Kristen Goodrich and Sydney Garrison had been to the Norwich municipal ice rink “a bunch of times” over the past few years, so when the rink reopened for public skating Saturday after a five-month closure, the three girls were among the first to scrape their blades around the big oval. 

“You feel like you’re free,” said Legary, describing the sensation of gliding across the rink, as the 1949 version of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” sung by Gene Autry and the Pinafores played over the speakers. 

Two of their mothers, Lynn Legary and Maxine Garrison, brought the girls to the rink from their homes in Lebanon, sometimes holding hands with their daughters as they skated beside about 50 others of all ages. The afternoon public skating session began just after a brief ceremony at about 1:30 p.m. to celebrate the reopening. 

“We were here when they cut the ribbon,” said Anissa Turner of New London, who came with her 8-year-old daughter Ariana. “She’s been anxiously awaiting to come after her first skating lesson last Tuesday.” 

The rink, renamed the RoseGarden Ice Arena, is being leased from the city by RoseGarden Ice Associates, which spent about $1.6 million on renovations, said Lisa Fedick, one of the owners. Improvements include a new chiller — the refrigeration equipment that maintains the ice — fresh paint, new floors, lighting and bathrooms, and a reconfigured snack bar with a seating area, she said. A skate shop will open in a few weeks, Fedick added. She’s hoping for a good turnout over the holidays. 

“Between Christmas and New Year’s, we’ll be offering a vastly extended skating schedule,” she said. 

Fedick is president of Bridgeport-based Wonderland of Ice Associates, which was chosen from among three companies to lease the city-owned rink for 10 years. The rink had been financially troubled for months leading up to its closure on June 29. 

Margaret Van Patten of North Stonington said she’s grateful to have a place to skate close to home again. A member of the Norwich Figure Skating Club, she said the group lost members during the closure as skaters were forced to travel to rinks in Cromwell or at the University of Rhode Island, or give up one of their favorite leisure activities. 

“I’m glad to be back here,” she said after an hour of skating. “Maybe I’ll be back again this weekend with my three granddaughters.” 

Teisha DiMaggio, program manager at the rink, said a Friday night prelude to Saturday’s public skate drew about 90 teens. 

“It was our first laser skate of the season,” she said, when skaters move across a darkened rink between beams of colored lights. 

Now, in anticipation of a stream of Christmas week visitors, including many trying out new skates, DiMaggio and other staff at the rink have the blade sharpening machine ready. 

“Most new skates do not come sharpened,” she said.

For information, visit www.rosegardenicearena.com.

j.benson@theday.com

Twitter: @BensonJudy