BRISTOL, Tenn. – When Kyle Blevins brought four of his seven children to the Bristol Motor Speedway ice rink on Saturday afternoon, he was reminded of one of his own favorite pastimes as a child growing up in Iowa.
"We used to go skating on the lake," Blevins said. "Course, it doesn’t get that cold out here, so we come to the rink."
Temperatures don’t freeze lakes in the Tri-Cities region, but it doesn’t stop folks from lacing up a pair of ice skates and gliding across a frozen patch of parking lot at the speedway.
And now that Christmas is over, along with the endless preparations that preceded it, families are finding time to head to the rink and enjoy one of winter’s most beloved activities.
"This is our first time this year," said Martha Provenzano of Kingsport, Tenn. "We didn’t really do anything before Christmas because we were busy shopping."
BMS events coordinator Sonya Moore, said business generally picks up after Christmas because many people are still off work and the pre-holiday chores are finished. She said this year the rink will close a little earlier than usual, Jan. 13, so crews can begin clearing and setting up for the March NASCAR races.
"I like for the kids to do new and different things, and they like this because its something of a novelty," Blevins said.
One thing was clear on Saturday, regardless of why, people of all ages like to skate.
"When the blades go through the ice it makes you feel like you’re flying," said 9-year-old Joseph Provenzano.
ahunter@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2531
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