By Christy Marsters

The Kings County Register

Eric Parrish of the Coldbrook Lions Club had no idea he would tread such a slippery slope to make an outdoor skating rink a reality.

“Let’s just say, things didn’t work out as planned,” he said.

The first plan was to have a rink measuring 100 x 200 feet, tucked away in a far corner of the property at the Lions Club on South Bishop Rd. However, due to the proximity of water, electricity and level ground, a smaller rink - 75 x 160 feet - was set at the other end of the property.

Once the size and location were determined, five trailer loads of sand were brought in to level out the ground - but it was never really completely level, Parrish said.

“The water found its own level, with more water going along the edges and not as much going in the centre. It took much more water than expected to fill the rink.”

Also, the pressure from pumping in the water to flood the rink punctured the plastic underneath, Parrish noted. “Then, the ice started forming and you couldn’t see the holes to patch them up as water kept leaking out,” he said.

The holes were mended eventually with tape, silicone or patchwork and the rink started to take shape. All it needed was to be flooded one more time and it could open, Parrish said.

“However, Mother Nature really didn’t help us out.”

A spell of mild weather melted most of the ice and lifted a large portion of the rink edge off the ground and pushed it into the middle of the man-made slush pond.

The icy plastic stood like a giant kite folded up in the air, and Lions Club members were faced with the difficult decision of scrapping the rink altogether or starting over.

“Patience is a virtue,” Parrish said, and club members decided to give the rink a final go.

Things went more smoothly, and it was all worth it in the end. As long as the cold weather holds, the whole community can get together and have a skate at anytime - for free, Parrish said.

“Iit gave me a great deal of joy to see people out there for the first time.”

Minister Gary Countway, with the Eastern Valley United Baptist Church, was one of the first to break in the new ice.

“It’s great to have a rink close to the church,” he said. “It’s accessible to the community. I enjoy skating and having the rink close at hand, and a real thank-you should go out to the Lions.”