By Charles Romans
Carter County Times
Grayson has a new outlet for entertainment that, surprisingly, is not just seasonal. The tourism commission has purchased a portable ice-skating rink that can be used year-round. The rink is portable due to the fact that it can be relocated, though tourism director Lana Axtell said the 80-pound sections are quite a bit less fun to move than they are to use once assembled. And, she added, the ice rink can be used any time of year because the ‘ice’ is of the synthetic variety.
“This all started around the time that Hometown Holidays were rolling in last year,” Axtell explained. “I began talking to people and saying I would like to get an ice-skating rink for Grayson. A lot of people found that amusing,” Axtell continued. “And they didn’t think I would be able to pull it off.”
Axtell said she began doing research, and that research led to her contacting a company that had package deals on what she wanted for around $65,000, but that didn’t include lighting or subflooring. Once those were added into the mix the new total came in at around $75,000.
Axtell then approached both the county and the City of Grayson to help with the project. This resulted in the Carter County Fiscal Court donating $15,000 and the City of Grayson donating $20,000, leaving the balance of the $75,000 price tag to be paid by the tourism commission.
Once the rink was ordered, shipments began to arrive.
“They dropped off my subflooring on Monday. On Tuesday they dropped off the fencing and the skates. Wednesday, they dropped off the skate helpers. And on Thursday they dropped off the synthetic ice. Those were 80 pounds per panel, and there were 100 of them,” Axtell said.
The task at that point was to have the rink functional by Saturday of that week. Fortunately for Axtell, her husband Rob Axtell had some experience with synthetic ice from the time when he coached hockey. Axtell said that Grayson Councilman Justin Burchett jumped in to help as well, even going so far as to bring a crew with him. Assistant fire chief Kyle Morgan and his son Brodie also stepped up to help with the project, as did volunteers from Genysis, whom Axtell said put a lot of hours into the project.
Due to the hard work of everyone involved with the skating rink, and to the delight of many during Hometown Holidays this year, Grayson Tourism was able to offer another form of entertainment for both Carter County residents and anyone in the region and beyond.
“People are loving it,” Axtell said. “And right now as a means of giving back to the community we are letting groups use it for fundraisers. Tourism isn’t making any money off of it yet, but it is definitely bringing people into the area.”
“There are some hiccups to work through because we’ve never done this before,” Axtell said. “But everything seems to be working out nicely.”
“The current location of the skating rink is just temporary because I borrowed this property from Mike and Cindy Akers,” she said. “We wanted to keep it close to Main Street, and it’s possible we could do that. Or we could put it in the sports park, because there is a place there that would accommodate it.”
Axtell said that the spots she had available for using the skating rink are already filled up until next year, but any group interested in it should feel free to contact her.
“We are open to anyone using the skating rink,” Axtell explained, and added that other organizations are welcome to utilize it as well.
“That is what tourism is all about,” she said. “Bringing people in from out of the area and showing them what Grayson has to offer.”
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
